Miami’s Dawson, Guidry thriving. They assess players, possible scenarios minus Kinchens

After two games and several months in which players have heartily supported the hiring of new University of Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and defensive coordinator Lance Guidry, the No. 22 Hurricanes (2-0) are thriving on both sides of the ball.

“We invaded Louisiana, extracted a couple of guys,’’ UM coach Mario Cristobal said Monday about his aggressive-styled coordinators, both natives of that state. “It starts because they’re difference makers as people.

“Those guys are really humble, elite human beings. Naturally, if you are that and you have such a high-level knowledge, acumen, that’s a powerful combination. Our players trust them. They really, really like them. They love playing in the schemes. They connect with them. ...It’s a tremendous advantage for us.’’

Dawson and Guidry spoke to reporters Monday, three days before the Hurricanes face Bethune-Cookman (1-1) of the FCS at 7:30 p.m. Thursday (ACC Network) at Hard Rock Stadium.

Asked about his film review of UM’s 48-33 win Saturday over then-No. 23 Texas A&M, Dawson immediately raved about the offensive line — from left to right: tackle Jalen Rivers, guard Javion Cohen, center Matt Lee, guard Anez Cooper and tackle Francis Mauigoa.

“What looked good were those five guys up front,’’ Dawson said. “Period. It’s very simple. [Quarterback] Tyler [Van Dyke] didn’t get touched. They got some pretty talented guys rushing the quarterback. But he sat back there and had all day unimpeded. Man, it was awesome to watch those guys protect.”

Van Dyke

Dawson said Van Dyke (21-of-30 for 374 yards and a career-best five touchdowns), who was named ACC quarterback of the week, “had a clear command of where everybody was.”

It’s still so early, but Van Dyke is now sixth nationally in passing efficiency (200.2), ninth in passing touchdowns (six), 16th in passing yards per completion (15.1) and 18th in passing yards per game (287.5).

“His timing, the ball going to the right guy,’’ Dawson said. “It just felt like he was in complete control of everything. Those guys up front in my however many years as a coach vs. an opponent like that, that’s as good as I’ve seen in pass protection. It was unbelievable. Part of it was that and the other part, his vision of the game was on point and he had guys making plays.”

Receivers

Dawson stressed that Van Dyke, who was sacked twice by an Aggies defensive front considered among the nation’s elite, couldn’t do it without his surrounding cast. That includes several wide receivers who have emerged as standouts, something that hasn’t occurred at UM in years.

Jacolby George (11 catches for 150 yards in two games) is seventh nationally with three receiving touchdowns, and Xavier Restrepo (11 for 194) is 22nd in receiving yards per game (97). Colbie Young has 10 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns and Isaiah Horton had a 52-yard catch Saturday for his first collegiate touchdown.

“It’s what I’ve seen every day to be quite honest with you,’’ Dawson said. “Those guys have been making plays every day and their confidence showed Saturday. They just needed to do it in a big game. Eventually we were going to put it together and have a game like that.”

Dawson said he will “keep attacking.”

“When you get conservative you get beat,’’ he said. “That’s not how I was raised coaching. That’s not how Coach Cristobal wants to be.”

Defensive attack

On defense, Guidry is also known for his aggressive, attacking style, and brought it to the Aggies.

“Wooo. I felt like I’d been in a war, man,” Guidry said Monday. “It was all the way to the end. I didn’t really get to enjoy it. I like having the ball at the end of the game and taking a knee. If we make that stop that Kam [Kinchens] went down on, that was a fourth down and we get the ball and run out the clock and take a knee and it probably would have been a lot more enjoyable.

“But we defended from the very first play to the very end. It was a long game, and they have some great offensive minds over there.”

Asked how his line did after starting end Akheem Mesidor and starting tackle Branson Deen were injured in the first half, Guidry said, “You never plan for anything like that. Thank God we had a plan that we were going to pressure and move the front. It allowed the guys that came in that were a little smaller and inexperienced to be able to get after it, play a little reckless and carefree,” Guidry said, adding that freshman end Rueben Bain “played really good” and “got held probably two, three times where he would have gotten sacks [and] that we didn’t get a call.’’

Guidry said the line “didn’t grade out great up front,’’ likely because of the missing starters, “but they played extremely hard, which is good.’’

Pressure

Guidry indicated the Canes’ overall physical makeup necessitates an aggressive, blitzing style and for him to “mix things up.’’

“If we were big up front, and we were stout and they couldn’t block us up front, I probably wouldn’t pressure as much. But when you’re athletic and you’re a little thin, then you have to do those things. In my background, I’ve always been smaller than the opponents we play....We’ve never been bigger than anybody, but we’ve always been athletic and it kind of fits the type of kids we have here. They enjoy creating havoc and getting in the backfield.

“...Each week they want to know what we’re going to do differently. Especially early in the week, it kind of breaks the monotony of just going through a regular practice. What do we got this week?’’

Cornerback Jaden Davis, a 5-10, 182-pound fifth-year senior Oklahoma transfer who grew up in South Florida and graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas, had an exceptional game Saturday, tallying eight tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass breakup, quarterback hurry and forced fumble. On Tuesday he said Guidry’s blitz-happy defense was especially fun for the “little guys’’ like himself.

“All little guys want to be big guys,’’ Davis said. “All little guys wish they could put their hand in the dirt or come off the edge and rush the passer. Coach Guidry played safety himself so he knows how much fun that is....It’s fun to be able to stick your head in there and feel like a big boy for once.’’

Kinchens’ replacements

Guidry has two of the nation’s elite safeties in All-American Kinchens and James Williams. But Kinchens sustained an apparent head/neck injury on a tackle near the end of the game Saturday and the safety depth is lacking. Kinchens was released from the hospital on Sunday, but isn’t expected to play Thursday.

Asked what UM will do if Kinchens doesn’t play, Guidry said he’ll “mix it up.’’

“We’ll have different guys playing the safety position. Right now I can’t say who is going to be the guy, but there will be some corners rotating in at safety as well. A guy like Jaden Davis, he can play any position -- just plug and play him. [cornerback] TC [Te’Cory Couch] is another guy like that. Of course, [Jaden] Harris is the natural backup that would be going in. But we have different guys that can go in and play. They know the defense well enough. They have enough experience to where they can move to other positions.’’

Said Davis: “We’re all interchangeable. That’s a testament to our coaching staff as well as the guys.”

Williams, with a team-leading nine tackles, “looked like a five-star safety’’ that Guidry recalls from the junior’s recruiting days at Plantation American Heritage.

“Had a hell of a game,’’ Guidry said of Williams.

“Guidry, he’s the one who showed us the way,’’ said Williams, who still isn’t satisfied. “I feel like we played good football but we could have did better. We gave them a lot of things that we shouldn’t give up. We were playing a lot of soft coverage. We weren’t matching a lot of routes. We got to get back to the drawing board, start over and do what we’ve got to do.’’