REPORT CARD

Offense: C-
The running game looked sharp, but throwing for less than 100 yards against Houston is downright inexcusable.

Quarterback: D-
Head Coach Larry Coker has been the staunchest defender of Brock Berlin, but even he criticized the senior signal-caller after his abysmal performance Thursday night.

Running Back: B+
Tyrone Moss feasted on the defenses of Houston and Louisiana Tech and is running the ball with a vengeance. Frank Gore is battling a sore knee, but is it imperative that he gets healthy for Georgia Tech.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: C+
Nine different receivers caught passes for the Hurricanes, but the leading receiver, Roscoe Parrish, had only three catches for 26 yards. Someone needs to step up in this unit and make plays for Berlin.

Offensive Line: B-
The o-line was solid in its run blocking, but Berlin was sacked five times, which is uncharacteristic of a Miami quarterback. Granted, Berlin ran into a few sacks himself, but the o-line needs to do a better job of pass protecting.

Defense: B+
The defense finally proved that it is indeed human as the Hurricanes gave up their first offensive touchdown of the season. However, the unit still only gave up one score, which came after a Berlin fumble gave the Cougars great field position.
Defensive Line: B+
Baraka Atkins broke the game open with his fumble return, and it is fun to watch that big guy motor down the field. The rest of the line did a decent job of dealing with some weird Houston formations.

Linebackers: B
Most of the big plays have come from the d-line or the secondary, so the linebackers don’t get much publicity. Roger McIntosh and the gang are quietly doing a formidable job making fans forget about Jon Vilma and D.J. Williams, however.

Secondary: B
There weren’t any huge plays from the secondary, which is surprising, but Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb did not exactly test them either, which is not surprising.

Special Teams: A
This unit looks worlds different from last year, as players are blocking kicks, making vicious tackles and winning the field position battle.

Coaching: B
Kudos to Coker for finally showing some frustration with his inept passing game. We’re not asking you to bash your starting quarterback. We just want to know that you realize how poor our offense has looked this season and that it cannot continue.

compiled by Eric Kalis