Canes coaches explain who could play more, the Allen decision and other personnel issues

A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Tuesday:

▪ The defensive backfield has been UM’s Achilles heel this season, but don’t expect any major changes in personnel, aside from freshman safety Zaquan Patterson potentially taking some of Jaden Harris’ snaps.

“What we’ve got is what we’ve got,” defensive coordinator Lance Guidry said this week.

Guidry said Patterson played well in his 21 snaps against Louisville and is “going to play more and more. I liked what I saw. Want to make sure when he goes in there that he’s going in there in good situations. I think he’s earned the right to play at this point.”

Harris, who played 55 snaps against Louisville, is rated by Pro Football Focus as the worst of any UM defensive player who has logged more than 15 snaps this season.

“He’s a confidence guy,” Guidry said of Harris. “The better he plays early on, the better he plays.”

Guidry said cornerback Daryl Porter Jr. has been solid; his passer rating against this season (95.6) isn’t awful. But he struggled against Louisville.

Guidry also said cornerback Jadais Richard “played pretty well, especially early on. Played better this [past] game than the last.” He has a 107 passer rating against this season, which is too high.

Among all UM players, only safety Mishael Powell has a higher/worst passer rating against (113).

Cornerback Dyoni Hill’s passer rating against also is bloated, at 101.

Guidry praised freshman cornerback OJ Frederique, who has a superb 68.4 passer rating against, using the NFL formula to calculate passer ratings.

Young cornerbacks Robert Stafford and Robby Washington (a converted receiver) haven’t received much playing time.

▪ Why did UM insert Markel Bell for 20 snaps at left tackle against Louisville and move Jalen Rivers to left guard?

“Markel has earned playing time, was blocking their best players as effectively or more than anyone else on the field,” UM head coach Mario Cristobal said.

Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said: “Markel, we trust him. Those guys deserve playing time.”

Nevertheless, UM is very happy with left guard Matthew McCoy, who went to the bench for those 20 snaps but played all the other offensive snaps.

McCoy “is going to have a long, long career playing football,” Cristobal said on his weekly WQAM coach’s show with Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey Jr. “He’s tough, he’s physical, he’s super athletic. He can play tackle, can play guard, can probably play center as well. He’s a big reason why we ran the ball like we did on Saturday.”

▪ Emory Williams would appear to be the front-runner to replace NFL-bound Cam Ward next season, but UM will open up the quarterback competition next year.

Asked this week about Williams, Reese Poffenbarger and Judd Anderson, Dawson said: “Spring is going to be vital for that. The competition in the spring will dictate how things go from there. In the season the starting QB is taking the majority of the reps and a handful to get the backup ready and the third guy takes very minimal and takes mental reps.”

▪ Dawson said running backs coach Matt Merritt suggested inserting Ajay Allen in the second half against Louisville, and Allen responded with five carries for 31 yards, including a touchdown.

Dawson said Merritt indicated that Allen practiced well last week and “will give us a spark.”

“Ajay came in and gave us a huge spark at the end of the game,” Dawson said.

Cristobal said: “His change of pace, change of style, is going to help us.”

▪ Former UM and Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin has been a ubiquitous presence on UM’s sideline this season.

“That type of mentorship is invaluable, Cristobal said. “It comes from the right place, from the heart. It also is an indication of how much the University of Miami means to the guys that went here. They are feeling very positive about the direction of the program and they want to be present and involved.”

▪ Quick stuff: Ryan Rodriguez, who had been sharing left guard snaps with McCoy at the start of the season, “is still a few weeks” away, Cristobal said. “Ryan and [injured cornerback] Damari Brown will join us late in the year.”...

ESPN assigned Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek to Saturday’s 7 p.m. home game against FSU…

The start time and TV network for the Nov. 2 home game against Duke will be determined next Sunday.