Miami football pass rush will be absolutely filthy in 2020

Good luck trying to stop the Miami football pass rush this season.

Miami football’s Gregory Rousseau and Quincy Roche form one terrifying pass-rushing tandem.

There are plenty of reasons to be high on the Miami Hurricanes entering 2020. This will be the second year under head coach Manny Diaz. At a traditional power like Miami, usually the second year is when the program “pops” if the right head coach is in charge. People were ecstatic when Diaz was the choice to replace his mentor Mark Richt upon his retirement from coaching.

College football prognosticator Phil Steele believes the ‘Canes will be in a dogfight for ACC Coastal supremacy with the likes of Mack Brown’s North Carolina Tar Heels and Justin Fuente’s Virginia Tech Hokies. Miami also landed one of the top graduate transfer quarterbacks on the market in former Houston Cougars starter D’Eriq King, who could be the most impactful transfer of 2020.

Of course, King isn’t the only college star to transfer from The American to The U this offseason. Roche was AAC Defensive Player of the Year for the Temple Owls, as he was First-Team All-AAC during his redshirt junior year in Philadelphia. By joining future top-10 NFL Draft pick Rousseau on the Miami pass rush, look for this to be a nightmare for anyone who plays the ‘Canes this season.

Roche, Rousseau give Miami football one player shy of a pass-rushing hydra.

As PFF College outlined on their graphic, Roche is the “top returning pass-rusher”, probably in their grading system, and Rousseau has the “most QB sacks among returning players.” Roche had 49 combined tackles, 19 for a loss of yardage and 13 sacks in 2019. Rousseau had 54 combined tackles, 19.5 for a loss of yardage and 15.5 sacks in his breakout sophomore campaign last year.

To have these star pass-rushers playing along the same defensive line is a major reason Miami can win the ACC Coastal for the first time since 2017, possibly even shock the Clemson Tigers in the ACC Conference Championship game in Charlotte. Okay, no they won’t, but this pass-rushing tandem could make things incredibly difficult for Trevor Lawrence, like the LSU Tigers did in 2019.

Overall, the Miami defense has been mostly solid the last few years. It was a strength under Richt during his three years at the helm of his alma mater, as well as under Diaz in his first year in the big chair last fall. However, Miami won’t win the ACC Coastal over the likes of North Carolina or Virginia Tech if the ‘Canes don’t get competent quarterback play out of King. Hopefully, they will.

Miami football can become The U again if Rousseau and Roche star in their one year together.

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