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Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Miami Hurricanes Defense Preview 2025: Reloaded With Even More Talent and Depth
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN 2025 Miami Preview Miami Offense Breakdown Prediction, Top 10 Players, Win Total, Keys to Season- The defensive front has an NFL end to work around in Rueben Bain, and now he should be healthy. He was a 7.5 sack, 12.5 tackle for loss star as a freshman, but was banged up in 2024 and missed most of the first half of the Mesidor led the team with 5.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss as a tackle, but will likely bounce outside to end. Ahmad Moten is a 325-pound anchor inside, and Justin Scott and transfer David Blay (Louisiana Tech) are both big, NFL-sized linemen who can work inside or out. - Leading tackler Francisco Mauigoa will be spending his summer trying to make the New York Jets, but second-leading tackler Wesley Bissainthe is back after making 59 stops. Raul Aguirre will likely be a statistical machine in the middle, and Jaylin Alderman will go from being a key backup to playing wherever needed. - The Hurricanes picked up a playmaker in Wisconsin transfer Xavier Lucas to work on the other side of all-star OJ Frederique to form one of the ACC's better corner tandems. They'll need to be great around a brand new set of Poyser made 75 tackles with three picks and eight broken-up passes for Jacksonville State last year - he should be one of the stars in the secondary. Jakobe Thomas (Tennessee) should battle for time with Markeith Williams, and Charles Brantley (Michigan State) will get every shot for time somewhere in the mix. Prediction, Top 10 Players, Win Total, Keys to Season2025 Miami PreviewMiami Offense Breakdown © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Miami Hurricanes Offense Preview 2025: Can Carson Beck Keep the Attack Elite?
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN 2025 Miami Preview Miami Offense BreakdownMiami Defense Breakdown Prediction, Top 10 Players, Win Total, Keys to Season - The entire point of the offense is to score … points. Duh. No one did it better last year than Miami, finishing No. 1 in the nation in total and scoring offense, first in third down conversions, and third in passing. There might be a few big replacements, but Miami is now one of those destination schools again for top talents like … - Carson Beck was a fantastic get. There were moments when the former Georgia quarterback was seriously considered a No. 1 overall draft pick talent. He had a weird year, got hurt in the SEC Championship, and now his elbow is should be fine well before the season, and if he's not ready, Emory Jones should be able to handle the work for a while. The O needs Beck to be great, though. - The top six pass catchers - including RB Damien Martinez and TE Elijah Arroyo - are gone to the NFL, or in the case of second-leading yardage guy Jacolby George, Alabama. The Hurricanes did some work of their own in the transfer portal, getting CJ Daniels (LSU) for the inside and Keelan Marion (BYU) and Tony Johnson (Cincinnati) to reload the position. Joshisa Trader and Ray Ray Joseph are veterans who can will be missed, but Elija Lofton might be even more explosive. He averaged close to 17 yards per grab at tight end, and Alex Bauman will be a factor after making 55 catches with 12 scores over the last two years at Tulane. - You don't play on a Mario Cristobal line unless you can block at a whole other level. Francis Mauigoa has top five overall draft pick talent at right tackle, and he's not alone among the transfer James Brockermyer is an instant fit at center, Anez Cooper is an all-star guard, and the spots on the left side should be terrific with Markel Bell ready to take on a full-time role at tackle and a rotation likely in fall camp for the guard gig.- Damien Martinez is off to the Seahawks after a 1,002-yard, ten touchdown season, but Mark Fletcher and Jordan Lyle combined for over 1,000 yards with 13 scores. The rushing production won't stop behind this Defense Breakdown 2025 Miami Preview Prediction, Top 10 Players, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Utah Football Preview 2025: Here Come the High-Powered Utes
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN Utah Offense BreakdownUtah Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to SeasonAfter a wildly disappointing year, the Utes are about to explode. 2025 Utah season preview with breakdowns, top players and transfers, keys to the season, what will happen, and projected win everyone has an off year. As good as Utah has been under head coach Kyle Whittingham, it's not Ohio State, or Alabama, or at the elite of elite programs - it has yet to make the College Football Playoff. The margin for error is just small enough that something like not having the quarterback situation fully settled can be the difference between blah and fantastic. Six quarterbacks. That's how many threw at least 30 passes for Utah over the last two seasons; there wasn't any continuity to the offense, and that was just enough to go from 2022 Pac-12 champion level to 13-12 over the last two the program is good enough to be dominant in the Big 12, but last year, thanks to that offense, the Utes lost four games by six points or fewer, lost at Arizona State by eight, and didn't have their mojo in the other two has gone 2-7 in its last nine games decided by one score. That's about to change. And now everyone is about to underestimate the the Big 12 is tough from top to bottom, but no, it's not better at the higher end than the Pac-12 was before it Utah - the program that was a mortal lock in bowl games with a 14-1 record from 1999 to 2017 - hasn't won a bowl game in seven yes, Utah has made the pivot to change all of that. The Big 12 is winnable, and Utah is the team to do it if New Mexico transfer quarterback Devon Dampier - who comes with former Lobo offensive coordinator Jason Beck, and a few other parts - can bring that same firepower from last year's attack to Salt Lake City.A conference championship, a trip to the College Football Playoff, and doing some damage once it gets there. This Utah team should be good enough to do it Offense BreakdownUtah Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
UConn Football Preview 2025: Are the Huskies Actually Good Now?
What exactly was that?UConn wasn't just 9-4 good, it was lose-at-Duke-by-just-five-points good. It was lose-to-Wake Forest-by-three-points good. It was push-Syracuse-on-the-road-in-a-31-24-loss the most part, over the last decade-plus, this is a program that only won against the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to fill out a schedule. But in the third year under Jim Mora, UConn came up with its first winning season since 2010, back when it was in the (sky point) Big East. It wasn't like UConn faced Ohio State and Georgia. Still, after getting obliterated by Maryland in the opener, it put together one of the strongest and most competitive seasons in school special teams were great, the offense scored when it had the chance, the defense was fantastic on third downs, and there weren't a ton of penalties. When you don't have elite talent, doing just about everything right is a year's team should be good enough to do it all again. UConn Huskies Preview 2025: Offense X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- The offense worked. The 415 points were the most ever put up by a UConn attack since the program moved up to the FBS. There weren't too many empty trips in the red zone, the running game was great, and the line was among the best in the nation at keeping defenses out of the be a good line again, but it could take a little bit to put it all together around center Wes Hoeh, the lone returning starter. There's depth, though, with players like Carsten Casady able to move around where needed inside. Getting Ty Chan (Notre Dame) at left tackle was one of the better under-the-radar pickups in the portal. - The backs are there to keep the production going. This wasn't a dominant running team, but it averaged over five yards per carry, helped by the 830 yards and eight scores from Cam Edwards. Mel Brown added 673 yards, and even though second-leading rusher Durell Robinson left for Auburn, picking up MJ Flowers from Eastern Illinois will boost the depth.- Joe Fagnano pulled off a stunning season with 20 touchdown passes and four picks, and former Oklahoma super-recruit Nick Evers got in plenty of work and added more of a rushing threat.- Former Wisconsin Badger Skyler Bell turned into UConn's most dangerous receiver, averaging over 17 yards per catch with five Burton (Auburn) is coming in to be an instant starter on the inside, and Chris Parker (Central Michigan) will take over on the outside. Louis Hansen is a veteran tight end who caught 24 passes with four scores. UConn Huskies Preview 2025: Defense - The UConn defense is building back up through the transfer portal. The front is getting the most help with a total Wright (Texas Southern), Ben Smiley (Virginia), and Trent Jones (Iowa State) come in to take over on the ends, and 290-pound Vincent Carroll-Jackson (Nebraska) needs to gum up the inside. - The stars are gone from the linebacking corps. Donovan Branch is the lone holdover coming off a 24-tackle season. Kansas State's Terry Kirksey has to be a pass rusher at one outside spot, and Tyquan King (Temple) and Bryun Parham (Washington) will be statistical stars on the inside.- Cam Chadwick is a good young corner who held his own as a freshman, and Sammy Anderson (Austin Peay) is a veteran who'll fit right in. Veteran safeties Malachi Mclean and D'Mon Brinson should combine for over 100 tackles, but Penn State transfer Tyrece Mills could be the best of the bunch. UConn Huskies Key to the Season Keep the good passing teams from going UConn offense will be terrific, but it's not built to crank it up in the shootouts. The Huskies faced four Power Four programs in the regular season, and those were the four losses. And why?Besides being Power Four programs, all four threw for more than 265 yards. UConn was 8-0 - including in the bowl win over a depleted North Carolina - when allowing fewer. UConn Huskies Key Player Stephon Wright, EDGE Huskies will turn everyone loose to get into the backfield, but they're missing almost all of the main pass rushers who made the defense so strong. That's where Wright needs to help. He's not a true edge rusher, but the 280-pounder from Austin Peay has to apply the pressure. UConn Huskies Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: Tyquan King, LB might be former Washington linebacker Bryun Parham if he gets back to the form he showed at San Jose State in 2022 and 2023. King started out at East Carolina, moved to Temple, and last year was a machine, making 112 tackles with three tackles and six tackles for Transfer Out: Pryce Yates, EDGE three-year producer for the Huskies left after making 108 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 30 tackles for loss as the star of the defensive front. He'll be working in Bill Belichick's rotation at North Carolina. UConn Huskies Key Game at Syracuse, Sept. 6Let's think super-big here. UConn didn't lose last season to any non-Power Four program, and it might be favored against all of the Group of Five types this year. Pull off a win at Boston College, get by Duke at home, win at Syracuse in early September, and maybe the College Football Play… nah, but at least the Huskies could get into the discussion if they get by the Orange.- 2025 UConn Huskies Schedule Breakdown UConn Huskies Top 10 Players 1. Tyquan King, LB Sr.2. Joe Fagnano, QB Sr.3. Cam Edwards, RB Jr.4. Bryun Parham, LB Sr.5. Ty Chan, OT Jr.6. Chris Parker, WR Sr.7. Wes Hoeh, C Sr.8. D'Mon Brinson, S Sr.9. Mel Brown, RB Sr.10. Chris Freeman, PK Sr. UConn Huskies 2024 Fun Stats - Red Zone Scores: UConn 41-of-44, Opponents 36-of-43- Penalties: Opponents 99 for 835 yards, UConn 69 for 685 yards- 3rd Quarter Scoring: UConn 99, Opponents 42 UConn Huskies 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen Can the Huskies have the same confidence and efficiency as last year? That's asking a lot considering how they managed to find ways to play up or down to their will be a misfire somewhere - Air Force will be a tough out, and going to Buffalo could be sneaky-nasty. On the plus side, there are only three games against Power Four teams; last year there were four. The schedule is, for the most part, the same in terms of degree of difficulty. The games against Group of Five programs are all winnable, the dates with the ACC programs should be good fights, and it'll all culminate with a third bowl appearance in four seasons under Jim The UConn Huskies Win Total At … 8Likely Wins: Ball State, Central Connecticut State, FIU, UAB50/50 Games: Air Force, at Buffalo, at Delaware, Duke, at Florida Atlantic, at RiceLikely Losses: at Boston College, at Syracuse © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Navy Football Preview 2025: Can the Magical Midshipmen Do THAT Again?
Nothing is ever a given when it comes to service academy usually takes something magical - combined with an easy schedule - to have a great season. Navy had a little of both last year with the offense playing great, the defense surviving and advancing, and with ten wins - including victories over Air Force, Army, USF, Memphis, and a bowl win over Oklahoma - in a special run. The best part about it was that Navy wasn't perfect. It didn't dominate on the ground, the defense struggled to get off the field, and yet the team kept finding ways to win. It wasn't always magic - Navy was for do it are no transfers to fill in the gaps, and the hope is for all the new guys built up through the system to come through when called upon. But 2025 Navy has the quarterback, and it has the offensive interior, defensive tackles, and the schedule to flirt with another ten-win season. Navy Midshipmen Preview 2025: Offense X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- When this works, the Navy offense is tremendous. It was sixth in the nation in rushing, third in yards per completion, and it kept the mistakes to a difference between the ten-win run last year and the four straight losing seasons was the play on the line. There are new parts, but Ben Purvis is one of the AAC's best guards, and Hoke Smith and Cam Nichols round out a fantastic interior. The tackles, though, are iffy - more on that in a moment. - Blake Horvath became a force. The senior quarterback ran for over 1,200 yards with 17 scores, and threw 13 touchdown passes and just four picks. Sophomore Braxton Woodson is a capable backup with a little experience.- The backfield is loaded. Wide receiver Nathan Kent averaged over 22 yards per catch on his ten grabs, but the running backs - primarily slotback Eli Heidenreich - did most of the receiving work. Horvath led the team in rushing, but fullback Alex Tecza and Heidenreich are back after combining for over 1,000 yards. Navy Midshipmen Preview 2025: Defense - The defense wasn't quite as strong as it was over the previous few seasons, but it didn't have to be with the offense so much better. It'll be good, but it's missing some massive pieces, especially in the Lane is an NFL-caliber safety drafted by Jacksonville, and Dashaun Peele was one of the AAC's best corners - they're both gone. This bunch will take a step back, but there's just enough experience overall to be okay if the pass rush is a bit better. - The Midshipmen will manufacture plays behind the line. The combination of the outside linebacker rotation and production from the interior - Landon Robinson is among the league's top nose tackles and Griffen Willis should be in for a big year - will get the job done.- Linebacker isn't an issue, but it's a tad green on the starting side with top tacklers Colin Ramos and Kyle Jacob gone. As always the Navy linebackers are built like safeties, but 223-pound Job Grant brings the size in the middle. Navy Midshipmen Key to the Season Complete over 25 years of doing these previews, "complete passes" - or something to do with the air show - was the almost always the key to the season. Last year's strong Navy team ran worse than the mediocre 2023 version, but the difference was Blake Horvath's Midshipmen went 3-2 in 2023 when they completed more than 50% of their passes, and 2-5 when they didn't. Last year they went 9-0 when hitting more than half of their throws. Navy Midshipmen Key Player Luke Molden, OT is great on the inside of the line, way thin on the outside. The next-man-up thing continues with Molden, a 6-4, 275-pound senior who has yet to see any starting time. Now it's his job to work at one of the two tackle spots. Navy Midshipmen Key Game USF, Nov. 15The schedule is so light and breezy that 8-0 is possible, 7-1 is likely, 6-2 - at least - is a must. The brick wall will once again come with a November 8 reality check at Notre Dame, and going to Memphis a few weeks later is a problem. Beat USF at home in between the Irish and Tigers, and another monster season should still be on the table.- 2025 Navy Midshipmen Schedule Breakdown Navy Midshipmen Top 10 Players 1. Blake Horvath, QB Sr.2. Landon Robinson, NT Sr.3. Ben Purvis, OG Sr.4. Eli Heidenreich, RB Sr.5. Alex Tecza, FB Sr.6. Luke Pirris, EDGE Sr.7. Jaxson Campbell, S Sr.8. Brandon Chatman, RB Sr.9. Griffen Willis, DT Jr.10. Hoke Smith, OG Jr. Navy Midshipmen 2024 Fun Stats - Rushing TDs: Navy 38, Opponents 17- 4th Down Conversions: Navy 15-of-24 (63%), Opponents 18-of-37 (49%)- Sacks: Navy 29 for 163 yards, Opponents 11 for 59 yards Navy Midshipmen 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen Good team, great offense, EASY schedule - this has to be another great year with a bowl game the least of the Force and maybe at North Texas - that's it for any expected speed-bumps before dealing with Notre Dame, but the offensive line has to be good on the outside, there can't be any major injuries on either line, and the hype will be on to be in the American Athletic Conference title chase until the end. But there's a concern. Air Force will likely be better, USF will be dangerous, and Army, Notre Dame, and Memphis are all games away from Annapolis. It'll still be a strong season, even if it's not quite another ten-win The Navy Midshipmen Win Total At … 7.5Likely Wins: Rice, UAB, VMI50/50 Games: Air Force, Army, Florida Atlantic, at Memphis, at North Texas, at Temple, at Tulsa, USFLikely Losses: at Notre Dame © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
