Football Practice Report - Thursday, March 27

March 27, 2003

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – A torrential downpour put an early end to practice Thursday afternoon as the Miami Hurricanes football team continued its second week of spring practice with a 45-minute workout at Greentree Practice Field on the University of Miami campus. The Hurricanes will continue spring practice Friday afternoon with a practice at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale that is open to the public.

The Hurricanes practiced in shorts and shoulder pads on Thursday before the workout was cut short by the thunderstorm. Hurricanes head coach Larry Coker was ready for the downpour as he and the UM coaching staff switched around their practice routine to place heavy emphasis on the “team” scrimmaging sessions in the first portion of practice, instead of placing them at the normally slated slot at the close of the workout.

“We were prepared for (the rainstorm),” Coker said. “We moved our ‘team’ portion of practice to the beginning of things and were able to get a lot done before settling into some of the various group things we usually begin practice with, so it wasn’t a major setback for us today.”

Thursday’s practice was the seventh of 15 sessions that will conclude on Thursday, April 10.

Coker announced that Friday’s practice will feature a scrimmage that will last approximately 60 plays and will provide local fans their first glimpse of the 2003 team in a scrimmaging situation this spring.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Coker said. “It’s a chance for us to sell our program to our friends in Broward County. We want to be Broward’s home team, as well as all of South Florida’s home team, so it’s always a good opportunity for us to entertain our fans in Broward and Palm Beach counties.”