Hurricanes Hold First Scrimmage Saturday at Cobb Stadium
Aug. 9, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami football team held its first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday night, working on situational plays in full pads for about an hour and a half at UM’s Cobb Stadium.
Running over 90 plays, the Hurricanes focused on a number of different situational drills, including two-minute and red-zone scenarios.
“We were able to get a lot of work done today,” head coach Randy Shannon said. “We worked on situational drills and some two-minute drills. It was fun. It was good to run around and fly around today.”
“The running backs did a good job of running the ball,” Shannon said. “We didn’t play Javarris [James] and [Graig] Cooper that much at all – they probably played in about five or 10 plays. Derron Thomas did a lot of good things tonight. He ran the ball well, caught the ball well and protected well. He’s the guy that stood out in the run game.”
The Hurricanes practiced in near ideal conditions considering the time of year in South Florida, with temperatures in the lower 80’s with mostly cloudy skies and a slight breeze throughout the session.
“We rested a lot of veteran guys,” Shannon added. “We played them early but then we rested them and treated it like a preseason game.”
Fans can order tickets for the 2008 season, including season tickets starting at $99, by visiting www.hurricanesports.com or by calling the UM ticket office at (800) GO-CANES or (305) 284-CANE. The UM ticket office, located at the Hecht Athletic Center on UM’s campus, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.
UM’s season-opener is slated for Thursday, Aug. 28 against Charleston Southern at Dolphin Stadium. Kick-off for the opener is slated for 7:30 p.m. and all fans are encouraged to wear orange to the game against the Buccaneers.
Post-scrimmage notes
Saturday’s scrimmage was the first of three planned scrimmages of fall camp.
The scrimmage lasted approximately an hour and half.
UM’s offense did not turn the ball over.
Shannon said both kickers (Matt Bosher and Alex Uribe) made field goals under 45 yards. Bosher connected on a 35-yarder while Uribe hit from 38 yards.
Shannon praised the tight ends on catching “five or more balls” and running without the football.
Shannon said the receivers “caught the ball pretty decent, not well, but decent.” Freshman receiver Davon Johnson had a touchdown reception for the Hurricanes.
UM will return to the practice fields Monday, when the team works through another two-a-day with practices at 7:50 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.
Defensive linemen Antonio Dixon, Marcus Forston and safety Anthony Reddick did not participate, but Shannon expects all three to return to practice Monday.
The Hurricanes’ season-opener against Charleston Southern is 19 days away.
