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Aug. 9, 2007
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - -
Six days into preseason camp, the University of Miami Hurricanes conducted a live scrimmage Thursday morning at Cobb Stadium, which is the on-campus track and soccer stadium.
"We had a game, special teams and all, so guys could get used to the tempo of what it's really going to take to play an entire game," UM head coach Randy Shannon said. "The funny thing (in a scrimmage situation) is you almost cover every situation possible - short-yardage situations, even goalline. The guys did a good job. There weren't many penalties. We have to correct some things on a whole, but for the most part, it was aggressive and they played well."
The Hurricanes played four six-minute quarters, which included a halftime period. The teams were divided into orange and white, wearing this season's new game uniforms. Shannon said he wanted to simulate as much of a real game as possible, which included special teams going live.
"We had a couple of good kickoff returns," he said. "We had one or two punt returns over 10 yards, and another fair caught. The biggest emphasis this year -- since they moved the ball back five yards (on kickoffs) -- is that the ball is always going to be returned. You better work on your return and cover game. You really don't ever go live (on special teams) this early, because you're always afraid of injuries. But you have to do that, because guys have to get used to it."
Miami returns nine starters on offense and eight starters on defense. Most of the starters along the offensive line are back, as well as 10 players who caught at least one pass in 2006. UM also returns two experienced quarterbacks and four of its top five rushers.
"I was pleased with everyone's enthusiasm," Shannon said. "Sam Shields made some plays. The receivers caught the ball well. We had some nice runs. The defense kept up and played the run well. It was good all around. This was the first scrimmage. We have two more scrimmages and a lot of practices in between. We'll find out more by the time that third scrimmage comes around."
The Hurricanes return to their regular practice schedule at the Greentree Practice Fields at 7:50 a.m. Friday. UM will hold its first two-a-day practice Saturday.
Notes:
Offense Has Good Showing
Miami's offense continued to show signs of big play capability early on in preseason. Shields made a nice grab on a long pass from Kirby Freeman. "Kirby made some good passes today," Shannon said. "He had some good deep balls. Kyle Wright was patient, didn't throw any interceptions and didn't take sacks. Like we've said, whichever one can manage the game and help us to win games, that's what will best for the team. Both of them did a good job today." Shannon also expressed his satisfaction with the play of the offensive line. "We had a couple of big plays in the passing game and a couple run plays that were great," he said. "I always tell them, you're not going to always dominate the whole game. Be patient, stay calm and things are going to happen as long as you do that."
Ponder and Cook Out
Senior linebacker Glenn Cook was injured in Wednesday's practice and will miss early season game action. Shannon said the early prognosis could be between three to four games for Cook. Cook was the fifth-leading tackler for the Hurricanes last season. He posted 64 tackles, four for loss and seven quarterback pressures. Junior safety Lovon Ponder is also injured but is expected to return soon. Shannon said Ponder will be available for the first game of the season against Marshall. Senior Tavares Gooden, sophomore Colin McCarthy, junior Eric Houston and junior Spencer Adkins shared time at linebacker in the scrimmage. "Whoever you have, you have to coach," Shannon said. "The guys here, we recruited. You have to coach them, so we'll be fine. Really, at this level, you have to have four to five linebackers. Two guys who can play outside and two guys in the middle. That's about all you can use to get ready for a game each week."
23 Days Until First Game
Hurricanes fans can purchase single-game tickets, a four-game Mega-Plan or season tickets through the month of August. Single-game tickets are $47 each, while the Mega-Plan, which includes a reserved ticket to the Texas A&M game and three other home games of choice, is $160 per pack ($7 savings per ticket ). Season tickets start as low as $190, which is only $27 per game. Tickets can be purchased at www.hurricanesports.com
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