What the data says about which Canes are excelling at halfway point and who needs to improve

Ten data-based tidbits on the Miami Hurricanes at the midway point:

▪ Team MVP so far? Quarterback Cam Ward is the obvious choice, with receiver Xavier Restrepo likely second.

Among players who have logged at least 100 snaps, the top five Hurricanes, on offense, according to Pro Football Focus are Ward, Restrepo, receiver Isaiah Horton, right tackle Francis Mauigoa and running back Mark Fletcher Jr.

Receiver Sam Brown is rated worst among players who have logged at least 100 snaps. Offensive lineman Luis Cristobal is rated UM’s worst offensive player in general, according to PFF.

Among players who have logged at least 100 snaps, PFF’s top five Hurricanes, on defense, are defensive tackle Simeon Barrow Jr., linebacker Wesley Bissainthe and defensive ends Tyler Baron, Akheem Mesidor and Elijah Alston. Malik Bryant, who has 84 defensive snaps, would be No. 1 if he had played a bit more. Alston will return from injury this week, per UM.

Notably, PFF ranks Francisco Mauigoa only 286th among 791 linebackers; his play hasn’t been quite as good as a year ago. Bissainthe is rated 53rd.

Among Canes with at least 100 snaps, the three worst-graded players are all defensive backs: Jadais Richard, Daryl Porter Jr. and in last place, safety Jaden Harris. That reflects the biggest concern with this Canes team: UM’s secondary doesn’t seem to be good enough without Damari Brown, who played just 14 snaps before a lower-body injury that has him sidelined indefinitely.

▪ Among FBS quarterbacks, Ward ranks second in passing yardage (2,219), third in passer rating (minimum 100 throws) and tied for first in touchdowns (20). PFF rates him the No. 3 quarterback in the country.

He’s fourth in completion percentage on passes thrown at least 20 air yards, at 56.8 percent. On such throws, Ward is 21 for 37 for 700 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. That’s the best TD/INT ratio in the country on deep throws. And his 21 completions on those 20-plus-air-yard throws lead the nation.

▪ Among UM’s starting offensive linemen, three have not yielded a sack: right tackle Mauigoa (only eight pressures yielded on 269 pass-blocking snaps), left guard Matthew McCoy (six pressures on 246 pass-blocking snaps) and left tackle Jalen Rivers, who has missed most of the season so far with an injury but has given up two pressures on 41 pass-blocking snaps.

Coach Mario Cristobal said Rivers will play Saturday at Louisville (noon, ABC).

Center Zach Carpenter, right guard Anez Cooper and fill-in starting left tackle Markel Bell have each yielded two sacks. Miami’s offensive line has given up only those six sacks, per PFF.

▪ UM’s best run blockers (minimum 50 run blocking snaps)? Receiver Brown grades out first, followed by tight end Cam McCormick, right tackle Mauigoa, tight end Elijah Arroyo and center Carpenter. Even though Brown has been the least consistent of the Canes’ rotation receivers, his blocking has been very good.

▪ Ajay Allen is averaging the most yards after contact among UM running backs, at 4.47 (albeit on only 17 rushing attempts). That’s followed by Fletcher at 3.8, Chris Johnson at 3.7, Jordan Lyle at 3.1 and Damien Martinez at 2.9. Allen, who seems no better than fourth or fifth on the depth chart at running back, could make a case that he deserves more playing time.

▪ Brown leads UM with four drops. Jacolby George (two) is the only other Hurricane with two or more drops.

▪ Fill-in left tackle Bell leads UM offensive players with four penalties…. Baron leads all UM defensive players with four penalties… Linebacker Mauigoa and safety Mishael Powell have the most missed tackles (eight apiece), followed by Harris with five.

▪ Among UM’s cornerbacks who have played a lot, Richard has the worst passer rating against (111.6) and Porter has the best (83.3), using the NFL’s formula for determing passer rating.

Quarterbacks have completed 15 of 24 passes for a team-high 251 yards against Richard, with one touchdown and no interceptions. Against Porter, the numbers are 17 for 27 for 186 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions.

The passer ratings against are solid against Dyoni Hill (86.2/7 for 16 for 103 yards and a TD) and freshman OJ Frederique (85.9/6 for 9 for 61 yards).

▪ As for UM’s safeties, opposing quarterbacks have a 97.2 passer rating when targeting Harris (8 for 12 for 134 yards, a touchdown and interception) and 86.1 against Powell (10 for 15 for 165, a touchdown and three interceptions).

Among UM’s linebackers, Bissainthe and Mauigoa have each been targeted 18 times and each has allowed 13 completions — Mauigoa for 114 yards and Bissainthe for just 47. Bissainthe also has an interception and his 51.6 passer rating against is best on the team (minimum five targets).

▪ Besides his 3.5 sacks, Barrow also has 17 pressures. Besides his 4.5 sacks, Baron has 20 pressures.

Alston has 15 pressures and Mauigoa 13.