Hurricanes' Offense Defeats Defense 31-21 in Spring Game
April 9, 2005
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) – The Miami Hurricanes’ offense defeated the team’s defense 31-21 in Saturday’s spring game at Lockhart Stadium.
Sophomore quarterback Kyle Wright passed for 159 yards and two touchdowns in leading the offense to the victory. Wright hooked up with Ryan Moore on a 23-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and then threw a 38-yard scoring pass to Darnell Jenkins in the third period. For the game, Wright completed 10 of 13 passes (76.9 percent).
“What we saw was encouraging,” said Hurricanes head coach Larry Coker. “The skill athletes on offense are going to be pretty good. I like both quarterbacks. Kyle really stepped up and made some nice plays. On the offensive line, we have only one starter from a year ago (Rashad Butler), and he’s playing the opposite tackle spot. Once we get our people back healthy, they’re going to be good enough and protect the quarterbacks. And we’ll run the ball better.” Starting offensive linemen who were held out of the game included Eric Winston, Tony Tella and Derrick Morse.
Speaking about the defense, Coker said, “The defense really put some pressure on (the quarterbacks). The defense has a lot of energy. We’re a tougher football team now than we were a year ago. Guys are stepping up and making some plays. Remember, everybody is back on the defense, except for Antrel (Rolle). That group should be solid. I am excited about our defensive ends.”
As to the quarterback situation, Coker said, “I thought Kyle did a nice job, and Kirby (Freeman) made some nice plays, too, but there were some plays he could have made and didn’t. He’s a redshirt freshman and the abilities are there. Without a question, Kyle had a nice scrimmage today. We’ll look at the video and if a decision needs to be made, we’ll do it. I like both players. I think we can win with either one. Kyle looks a little more comfortable in the pocket. But we’ll evaluate and see.” Freeman, the redshirt freshman who has been competing with Wright for the starting job all spring, completed 7 of 18 passes for 109 yards and two interceptions. Freeman also ran six times for 20 yards.
Utilizing a scoring system that gave the defense points for stopping the offense on 3-and-outs, for turnovers and defensive scores, the game was relatively close throughout, with the offense leading only 24-20 heading into the final quarter (the offense also received one point for first downs). The defense made eight sacks, led by Bryan Pata and Kareem Brown with two each. Defensive end Calais Campbell and linebacker Romeo Davis led the defense with five tackles apiece. Linebackers Jon Beason and Willie Cooper made interceptions.
On offense, redshirt freshman running back Derron Thomas led the way with 23 yards rushing on six carries. Thomas also had a 21-yard reception. Sophomore Charlie Jones rushed eight times for 10 yards. Tyrone Moss, who is projected to be the starter in the fall, has been held out of spring practice while rehabilitating offseason shoulder surgery. Jenkins and walk-on tight end Phil Gyulai led the offense with four receptions each, and Jenkins was the team leader with 72 yards receiving. Four players had two receptions each: fullback James Bryant (42 yards), wide receiver Sinorice Moss (35 yards), wideout Ryan Moore (32 yards) and running back Charlie Jones (nine yards).
Placekicker Jon Peattie kicked one field goal, a 47-yarder, in two attempts. He missed a 47-yard attempt because of a bad snap. Punter Brian Monroe averaged 43.4 yards on eight kicks.
