In an unsurprising announcement, the Miami Hurricanes have dismissed defensive coordinator Lance Guidry. On the firing, head coach Mario Cristobal had this to say, “In a continuous effort to always improve all aspects of our program, I have decided to make a change on defense. We will move forward and make decisions that provide our players, staff, and program the best opportunity to win and develop at the highest level.”
It was an obvious decision given the struggles all season, allowing 30 points per game against power-four schools. The 42-41 loss in the Pop Tart Bowl against Iowa State cemented the need for changes. That game Miami held a six-point lead with a little over six minutes remaining. The Cyclones then went on a 16-play, 84-yard drive from Iowa State, salting the clock as they drove for a touchdown and handed Miami their last loss of the year.
The inability to get key stops time after time plagued Miami and was a large reason for them missing the playoffs. Against Georgia Tech, Miami let up 271 yards on the ground, allowed Georgia Tech to go 9/14 on third down, and lost time of possession 35 to 25. This included several obvious passing downs where Miami let a banged-up Haynes King and backup Aaron Philo convert, keep drives alive, and keep Cam Ward and the explosive Miami offense off the field and out of rhythm.
Miami still held control of their own destiny going into the final week of the regular season against Syracuse, and once again the defense let Miami down. After starting up 21-0, Miami was outscored 35-7 through the second and third quarters. Though that was helped by a Syracuse scoop and score touchdown, that run is absolutely inexcusable in a must-win game. With the season on the line, Mario Cristobal put his faith in his defense one last time. Settling for a field goal on Syracuse’s five-yard line with the hope that, having 3:42 left in the game, the Canes’ defense could force one stop and give Miami the opportunity to win the game. Once again, with certainty on what the opposing team was going to do, Miami could not stop it. A run defense that was one of the best in the nation last year once again failed to get any push. Syracuse gained three first downs and iced away any chance of Miami getting the ball back and killed any hope of making the College Football Playoffs.
Miami was one of the worst defenses in preventing explosive plays and ranked 96th in 20-yard plays and 106th in 50-yard plays. This gets worse when accounting for just games against Power Four schools, dropping Miami to 118th and 124th, respectively. Miami only forced 18 forced turnovers on the year, making the constant defensive lapses unsustainable for the offense to cover up for.
Where this falls on Guidry is that this defense wasn’t bad last year. Miami’s defense was fairly solid against the pass and exceptional against the run. The overall numbers aren’t drastically worse this year, but the Canes’ have an explosive offense, and with less pressure on the defense, they couldn’t carry their weight.
Though Miami lost guys like Kamren Kinchens, Leonard Taylor, and James Williams last year, the lack of development from younger players and regression of some veterans led to the defensive mess this season, and Guidry has to take the blame on that. This even started to hurt the Canes’ outside of just games. Florida safety and flipped Miami commit Hylton Stubbs spoke of this on a podcast, stating, “It was looking like it was a player thing and a coaching thing, and that’s most likely a coaching thing.” Losing guys like Stubbs, and on the hunt for defensive prospects in the transfer portal, there needs to be certainty that changes to improve the coaching on defense are on the way.
With Guidry out, Miami will need to make improvements in both coaching and personnel to get back on track. This is especially so considering the uncertainty that the offense will face losing Cam Ward and a slim yet possible chance that Shannon Dawson goes with him. Combine that with Xavier Restrepo (draft), Jacolby George (draft), Sam Brown (draft), Elijah Arroyo (draft), and Isaiah Horton (transfer) all gone, leaving Miami without its top receivers and tight end and now star running back Damien Martinez also declaring for the draft, this Canes’ offense will look completely different. Next year they will desperately need their counterparts on defense to return to an acceptable form if not more. Whoever steps in to fill Guidry’s shoes will play a key role in any success Miami plans on having next season.