Hurricanes Begin Preparation for Charleston Southern
Aug. 21, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami held its first post-camp practice Thursday morning at UM’s Greentree Practice Fields, working on game preparation for next week’s season opener against Charleston Southern.
“Today’s practice, we basically worked on Charleston Southern,” head coach Randy Shannon said. “We executed pretty well. We didn’t have any illegal procedures, offsides or things like that, so the guys were focused on getting ready for the first game.”
The `Canes practiced for just under two-and-a-half hours on Thursday, continuing to place an emphasis on special teams work in addition to the usual 11-on-11 situational drills. The team also spent time on blitz packages and 7-on-7 passing drills.
With the start of practice at 9 a.m., the team opened the session under overcast skies and temperatures in the lower 80s but as practiced progressed, temperatures rose to 89 degrees with a heat index just under 100 by 11 a.m.
On how prepared the team is for next week’s opener, Shannon noted, “The best thing about it is that coaches are never satisfied, so you always have to make sure you get all of your practices in. We feel like we are going on the right track right now. When that time comes, we’ll be excited about playing on Thursday.”
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. Kickoff 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
Thursday’s practice lasted just under two-and-a-half hours. Following practice, the players had a “Meet, Eat & Greet” lunch with the faculty.
Shannon noted that availability for defensive ends Eric Moncur and Allen Bailey in the season opener is still undetermined.
UM will return to practice Friday morning at 5:30 a.m.
The Hurricanes’ season-opener against Charleston Southern is seven days away.
