Hurricanes To Take On In-State Foe UCF This Weekend

Hurricanes To Take On In-State Foe UCF This Weekend

Oct. 7, 2008

MIAMI HURRICANES vs. UCF KNIGHTS

Date: Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008
Location: Dolphin Stadium – Prescription AthleticTurf (Natural Grass), (74,916) in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Kickoff: 3:49 p.m. (ET)
TV: The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU, with Doug Bell(play by play), Charles Arbuckle (color analyst), and Melissa Knowles (Sideline reporter).
Tape Delay Telecast: On CSS, Tuesday Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., with announcers Jason Solodkin (play-by-play) and K.C. Jones (color).
Local Radio: The Hurricanes Radio Network (WQAM 560 AM) will carry the game live with Joe Zagacki (play by play), Don Bailey Jr. (analysis) and Brian London (sideline reporter). Fans can also listen online at www.wqam.com. The game can also be heard on the UM student station WVUM (90.5 FM) with Andrew Green, Ian Hest and Justin Antweil calling the game and Michael Menendez on the pre-game and post-game show.
Radio En Espanol: The game will broadcast in Spanish on 1450 ESPN Deportes (1450 AM) with Joe Pujala (play by play) and Joe Martinez (analysis).
Websites: Miami (www.hurricanesports.com) and UCF (www.ucfathletics.com)

THE GAME
Miami wraps up its three-game homestand Saturday when the Hurricanes host UCF in a nationally-televised game on ESPNU. The Hurricanes will return to Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday, Oct. 18 at Duke.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 41-39 loss to instate rival Florida State. Freshman wide receiver Travis Benjamin accounted for 274 all-purpose yards, including the third-highest kickoff return yardage in school history with six returns for 165 yards.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Robert Marve will make his fifth collegiate start and third at Dolphin Stadium. Marve has five touchdown tosses on the season and has completed 57.0 percent (61-of-107) of his passes for 538 yards.

The Hurricanes are 34th nationally in overall defense (314.4 yards per game). Miami’s return game has been producing field position lately. Freshman Travis Benjamin is 10th nationally in kickoff returns (29.9 yards per return) and 11th nationally in punt return yards (17.7 yards per return). UCF ranks eighth as a team nationally in kickoff returns led by defensive back Joe Burnett who is tied for 13th in the nation. The Knights are 14th nationally in punt returns (18.07 yards per return) led by Burnett, who ranks 10th nationally.

THE OPPONENT
UCF defeated SMU, 31-17, last Saturday at home to move to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in Conference USA. Back-up quarterback Michael Greco came off the bench to throw two touchdown passes and redshirt freshman running back Ronnie Weaver rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown.

On the season, Greco has thrown for 426 yards and four touchdowns. He’s been intercepted three times. Weaver is the team’s leading rusher with 328 yards (3.7 yards per carry). UCF’s rushing defense is 26th overall nationally led by leading tackler Jason Venson. Venson, the Knights’ starting free safety has 29 tackles. The Knights have 36 tackles for loss – six coming from defensive lineman Torrell Troup and another five coming from linebacker Lawrence Young.

THE SERIES
Saturday’s game marks the first ever meeting between Miami and UCF on the gridiron.

THE COACHES
Randy Shannon is 7-10 overall and is in his second season at Miami. UCF’s George O’Leary is 24-31 overall in five seasons at UCF.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS
Freshman receiver/returner Travis Benjamin had his best game of his young career this past weekend against rival FSU, collecting an impressive 274 all-purpose yards against the Seminoles. Benjamin, who had 183 all-purpose yards through Miami’s first four games (45.75 ypg), finished with 185 yards on kick returns, 71 yards receiving and 18 yards rushing in an increased role against FSU. Here are some other notes about Benjamin’s success this season:

– His 274 all-purpose yards against FSU was the most by a Hurricane since Edgerrin James had 310 all-purpose yards (299 rushing, 11 receiving) against UCLA in 1998.

– He scored his first two touchdowns of his career against the Seminoles with an 18-yard rushing TD and a 51-yard receiving TD on a pass from running back Graig Cooper.

– For the season, Benjamin now leads the team with 457 all-purpose yards, just ahead of Cooper’s 448 yards. Benjamin’s 91.4 yards per game ranks 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference through last weekend’s games.

– Benjamin leads the ACC in kick return average (29.9) while ranking second in league in punt return average (17.7).

– He also owns the team’s longest kickoff return (57 yards) and reception (51) in addition to owning the highest single-game receiving yards total (71).

UNCOMMON SPENCE
With the injury to linebacker Colin McCarthy, freshman linebacker Sean Spence is likely to take on an increased role the remainder of the season. Spence, who ranks fourth on the team with 21 tackles, has shown big play ability early in his career. His first career sack came against 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, while his first career touchdown came last weekend on a seven-yard interception return of a pass thrown by FSU’s Christian Ponder.

YOUTH IS SERVED
Five of Miami’s top six performers in terms of all-purpose yards gained this season are either in their first or second year in the UM program. Freshman Travis Benjamin leads the team with 457 all-purpose yards, while sophomore Graig Cooper and senior Kayne Farquharson – a junior college transfer last year – rank second and third with 448 and 140 yards respectively. Another freshman – Thearon Collier – ranks fourth on the team with 134 all-purpose yards despite missing the FSU game, fellow freshman Aldarius Johnson ranks fifth with 111 yards. Senior Derron Thomas (fourth with 126 yards) is the only UM player with at least two full seasons of Division I playing experience currently ranked in the team’s top five in terms of all-purpose yards gained through the season’s first five contests.

COUNTING COOPER
Sophomore running back Graig Cooper has a team-high five touchdowns this season (three rushing, one receiving, one punt return). With one more touchdown this season, Cooper will have scored the most touchdowns in a season at UM since 2005 when Tyrone Moss and Sinorice Moss scored 12 and six touchdowns respectively. Last season, Cooper led the team with five touchdowns, while in 2006, then-freshman Javarris James also led the `Canes with five touchdowns.

MULTIFACETED MATT
Sophomore punter/kicker Matt Bosher is one of just a handful of players nationally that handles all of his team’s field goals, punts and kickoffs. Despite the difficulty of taking on so many tasks, Bosher has been one of the best specialists in the ACC the first half of the season. He ranks third in the league in overall scoring (8.6 points per game) – trailing only Sam Swank of Wake Forest among kickers – in addition to ranking third in punting (42.1), third in field goals (1.6 per game) and fourth in field goal percentage (88.9). He is also tied with Clemson’s Mark Buchholz for a league-high 19 extra points and against FSU, he showed even more versatility in converting a crucial fake punt with a nine-yard run on a 4th-and-4 to keep a UM drive alive late in the contest.

GATORS, HEELS AND `NOLES
The Hurricanes three losses this season have come against teams with a combined record of 12-3. Six points are the difference between Miami’s current 2-3 record and a possible 4-1 start for the Hurricanes. After a 26-3 loss at No. 5 Florida, UM dropped a pair of close battles with UNC (28-24) and FSU (41-39) the last two weeks at home. In the latest AP poll, Florida is ranked No. 11, UNC came in at No. 22 and FSU is receiving votes just outside of the Top 25.

STARTING SIX
Whether it is because of injuries or constant competition on both sides of the ball, only six Hurricanes have started all five games this season. Seniors Glenn Cook, Bruce Johnson and Xavier Shannon, juniors Jason Fox and Darryl Sharpton, and sophomore Steven Wesley are the only Hurricanes to have taken the first snap in every contest through the first five games. A total of eight Hurricanes have started four of five games.

ALWAYS ALDARIUS
Freshman Aldarius Johnson is the lone Hurricane to have caught at least one pass in every contest this season. After catching one ball in each of UM’s first two games (14-yard reception vs. Charleston Southern; 11-yard reception at No. 5 Florida), Johnson has caught 10 balls the last three games, catching three for 19 yards at Texas A&M, two for 12 yards and a touchdown against North Carolina, and a career-high five for 55 against Florida State last weekend. Junior tight end Dedrick Epps, junior wide receiver Sam Shields and freshman wide receiver Laron Byrd have caught a pass in four of five contests thus far. Johnson currently leads the team with 12 catches, while he ranks third in receiving yards with 111, behind Kayne Farquharson (140 yards) and Thearon Collier (113).

UM OFFENSE IN THE RED ZONE
The Hurricanes are a near-perfect 19-of-21 in the red zone on offense, converting 12 touchdowns and seven field goals this season. The `Canes rank third in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 90.5 percent conversion rate. Florida State and Boston College rank in a tie for first in the league with a 90.9 conversion rate, with both teams converting 20-of-22 opportunities.