The Rundown Take
A Win That Felt Like a Loss: U Talk Breaks Down the Appalachian State Squeaker
Miami survived Appalachian State, but survived is the operative word. Devin, calling in from the road, and Larry Frank Jr. spent Monday's show picking apart a game that needed a late field goal to close out, running the full stat sheet before landing on the question that's now defined the season: is D'Eriq King actually the right quarterback for Rhett Lashlee's offense?
Key Takeaways
- D'Eriq King went 20-of-33 for 200 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and took two sacks; Cam ran for 91 yards and a score but had one called back.
- Don Chaney Jr. is confirmed out for the year with a torn ACL, leaving Cam as the only proven back with Jalen Knight still suspended and Cody Brown and Thad Franklin unproven.
- Keyshawn Smith continues to be the bright spot — four catches on four targets, 70 yards — while Will Mallory managed just three receptions for 16 yards.
- Larry Frank Jr.'s stat dig: four of App State's top five tacklers were linebackers; four of Miami's top five were defensive backs, exposing the linebacker corps again.
- Caller Cuban Kane and the panel revisit history, arguing Manny Diaz should never have benched N'Kosi Perry back in 2019 — the offense visibly moves better whenever a natural passer is under center.
Miscommunication in the Play Calling
Larry Frank Jr. said the tape shows something broken between Manny Diaz, Rhett Lashlee and D'Eriq King — Keyshawn Smith had a favorable one-on-one matchup on the perimeter for most of the game and barely got targeted there. His theory: Lashlee is calling a conservative, run-first game because he doesn't fully trust King's accuracy on schedule, which explains why the offense looked most alive last year with Perry-package flashes instead of the deep shots Lashlee's system is built to create. Devin agreed, pointing to Navaughn Donaldson and the right side of the line getting handled again as the root of why nothing opens up down the field.
The Quarterback Question Nobody Wants to Ask
Caller Cuban Kane didn't hold back, arguing King's ceiling as a passer simply isn't built for this scheme and that Lashlee is scaling down the playbook because he can't trust the accuracy. Larry Frank Jr. and Devin both revisited the 2019 benching of N'Kosi Perry, arguing the offense flowed better with a natural passer under center then and would again now — while stressing King remains a dynamic competitor and a good teammate; this is strictly about scheme fit.
"I don't think King is going to win all those big games. His accuracy is just not there — if he'd thrown that ball on the dime to Keyshawn Smith, that's a touchdown."
The two closed circling back to fan patience, comparing the "everything's fine" crowd to a Fresh Prince rerun — chasing a shot that was never going in — before turning attention to Friday's hype show and a Michigan State team that just blew out its first two opponents.