The Rundown Take
331 Yards, Zero Turnover Chains, and No Sugarcoating: U Talk Grades the Season Opener
A fresh D'Eriq King era kicked off with a win over UAB, and Devin and E.Great used a third straight night of shows to break it down honestly, 9/11 tribute and all. The panel liked the discipline and the low penalty count, but they were not shy about calling out the conservative play-calling, the shaky pass protection, and a secondary that looked like it never left 2019.
Key Takeaways
- Miami ran for 331 yards on 51 carries and actually covered the 14-point spread, which the panel flagged as a real signal after years of Vegas trouble.
- D'Eriq King's debut earned praise for extending plays with his legs, but a missed end-zone throw and the offensive line's uneven pass protection were the two biggest gripes.
- Caller Kyle, who watched from the stands, singled out DJ Ivey and the corners for playing seven-to-eight yards off the ball with no press coverage — no bump-and-run all night.
- Zero turnover chains forced, despite E.Great predicting five pregame; the panel wants multiple takeaways against Louisville next week.
- The panel pushed back hard on fans calling them disloyal for pointing out flaws, comparing it to coaching a kid — "when he played like that, guess who was the first to tell him."
Good, Bad, and No Sugarcoating
Devin opened with his goods: King, the running backs, tightened-up discipline, the kicking game, and the defensive line. His bads were the conservative play-calling, pass protection, and cornerback play. E.Great mostly agreed, adding that the offense abandoned some things that were working and that the corners got exposed in coverage more than once. Both were careful to credit the win while refusing to pretend the same issues that plagued 2019 — shaky protection, technique problems in the secondary — had magically disappeared overnight.
Delusional Fans and the Turn-It-On Debate
The night's biggest theme was pushback against fans who couldn't stomach criticism after a win. Devin and E.Great made clear the show calls it as it sees it, good or bad, and that rushing for 300-plus yards against a lower-tier opponent doesn't mean the offense is unlocked. Caller Kyle, who sat on the visitor side, backed that up with a boots-on-the-ground view: the offensive line looked lost at times, the linebacker corps lacked the nasty edge the panel wants, and only a handful of defenders — a freshman lineman wearing No. 81 among them — stood out. The trio debated whether Miami was intentionally holding plays back for Louisville or simply still working out kinks from a shortened, no-spring-ball offseason, landing on the latter.
"When he played like [expletive], guess who was the first to tell him? It's daddy. Because I'm doing my hurricane fan duty the same way."
Eyes on Louisville
Looking ahead, the ask was simple: a real game plan, more aggression through the air, and a defense that gets nastier and starts forcing turnovers. Kyle's read from inside the stadium — that the corners need more press technique and the offensive line will determine how far this team goes — set the tone for the week. Nobody was predicting a blowout next time; everybody wanted to see the fixes actually show up on tape.