Hurricanes Finish Preparation for Second Fall Scrimmage
Aug. 13, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – For the second time in the last three days, the University of Miami football team practiced twice in one day with early morning and late afternoon sessions Wednesday at the Greentree Practice Fields. The Hurricanes continued to stress special teams in practice, working on kick-off and punt returns during both sessions.
“The other day I didn’t like the way we were practicing, but we came out this morning and this afternoon and finished up strong,” head coach Randy Shannon said. “We had a lot of enthusiasm and we made a lot of plays on both sides of the football so we’re excited about that. It was a big improvement from the other day.”
The defense continued to focus on run blitzing drills with specific emphasis on red zone and run formations. Miami wrapped up Wednesday afternoon’s session working primarily on red zone situations before running a few plays in team, which featured 11-on-11 work.
The team practiced under sunny skies for both practices. Temperatures reached into the upper 80’s by the end of the morning session while the afternoon practice saw the temperature rise to 94 degrees at its highest point around 4:30 p.m.
Having already worked through three two-a-days this fall, the Hurricanes lone two-a-day left will come on Sunday. Prior to that, the team is slated to take Thursday and Saturday off with the team’s second scrimmage of camp slated for Friday night.
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-practice notes
Both sessions Wednesday were kept just under two hours in length
After five practice sessions the last three days, UM will take Thursday off before returning to the field Friday night for the team’s second scrimmage of the fall.
Shannon noted he expects to treat Friday’s scrimmage the same way he did the first scrimmage, giving the veterans minimal reps before having the younger players scrimmage the rest of the way.
The Hurricanes’ season-opener against Charleston Southern is 15 days away.
