Hurricanes Complete First Two-a-Day on Day Six of Camp

Hurricanes Complete First Two-a-Day on Day Six of Camp

The University of Miami football team held its first two-a-day of fall camp Thursday, with an early morning practice in full pads before a late afternoon session in shells at the Greentree Practice Fields.

The morning session was highlighted by a strong showing by the defense, including several stops in the red zone. Ramon Buchanan had a good morning session, recording an interception, a sack and a handful of tackles.

Offensively, a Jacory Harris to Jimmy Graham connection that resulted in a 60-65 yard gain proved to be one of the top plays in the morning. The two hooked up again in the afternoon session in 7-on-7 drills.

In the afternoon session, Tommy Streeter made a couple of long receptions – his last coming from Cannon Smith for a 35-40 yard gain. The defense held the offense to one score in red zone action.

Temperatures again held consistent, ranging from 85 to 88 degrees throughout.

After six straight days of practice to open camp, including Thursday’s two-a-day, the Hurricanes will take the day off on Friday before returning to the practice field on Saturday.

Practice Highlights
Morning Session:
• Ramon Buchanan recorded an interception in red zone drills and made several big stops, including a sack, in 11-on-11 action.
• Jacory Harris hooked up with Jimmy Graham (60-65 yards) and Travis Benjamin (35-40 yards) in 11-on-11 play.
• Olivier Vernon recorded two sacks, with one coming in third down drills and the other in red zone work.
• Mike James had a handful of plays of 10+ yards, including a few catch and runs in third down situations.
• Defense held the offense three straight plays on a 1st-and-goal from the three-yard line.
Afternoon Session:
• Tommy Streeter made two long receptions in team passing situations and had another nice grab in 7-on-7 drills.
• The defense held the offense to one TD in red zone drills. Aldarius Johnson had the touchdown catch.
• Linebacker Kylan Robinson intercepted a tipped pass for the defense.
• Running back Lee Chambers had a nice long run to convert a third down.
• Safety Vaughn Telemaque had a fumble recovery.

Photo Gallery: Day Six
Click GALLERY for a photo gallery from Thursday morning’s practice.

Jacory Harris Post-Practice Interview
After the afternoon practice, sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris was among the group that was made available to the media for brief interviews. He discussed a number of topics, including how the first week of practice went, how the defense is doing against the offense and how his mentality differs in scrimmages from his freshman to his sophomore year…

On the excitement of the offense – Everybody is excited, and we go to meetings and practice hungry and ready to come out here and practice each day. We are excited to learn it every day, and get in a groove and run this offense. We’re just happy to be having fun, and flying around getting to the ball.

On the running game and the veterans’ role in the backfield- We have a stable of good, fine young men back there running the ball. They make different things happen, and they open up the pass.

On being the quarterback and having to be the leader on the field – I got a good surrounding cast of guys around me, and I don’t have to say too much. They are guys that I trust, and I don’t really have to say too much to them. I’m just being “regular old” me. I’m just going out there having fun, throwing the football around, doing what I’m supposed to do and letting them do them.

On what having the Northwestern HS players around does for him – Being around each other is great. We all live by each other. So, it’s just fun and friendly. And having grown up with them, it just makes my life better.

On the importance of the first scrimmage – Well, the first scrimmage is to let you know where you’re at and where you stand. It’s just to get everybody into the game mode, and let everybody see how it’s going to be on game day.

On how the team approaches scrimmages – We take scrimmages differently because you have to have the game mentality. You can’t turn over the ball. You can’t do stupid things. You have to go out there with no mental errors, just have fun and play football.

Getting to Know The “U” Freshmen – Brandon Washington
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
Position: Offensive Line
Favorite Food: Pizza
Lil’ Wayne “Sky’s the Limit” is in my Ipod right now
I’m a `Cane because: I’ve always had visions of playing for the `Canes.
My training camp roommate is: Ben Jones
Favorite part about being at the U right now: Feels like home
The first six days of practice have been: Good. Still trying to get better.
Sean Spence keeps me laughing
Playing with my Northwestern teammates at The “U” has been: Wonderful
I have learned so much from Coach Stoutland
Favorite post-practice thing to do: Rest
One word to describe Jacory Harris: Amazing
Favorite sport besides football: Basketball
Toughest defensive lineman to face thus far in practice: Allen Bailey
Orlando Franklin or Joel Figueroa in a wrestling match: Joel Figueroa
I can win a 7-on-7 football competition with: LaRon Byrd, Aldarius Johnson, Kendal Thompkins, Jacory Harris, Travis Benjamin and Thearon Collier

Post-practice notes
• Thursday marked the team’s first two-a-day of fall camp.
• The morning session and afternoon session each lasted just under two hours.
Both sessions were the coolest practices of fall camp, with temperatures in the lower 80’s.
• After six straight days of practices, the `Canes will take off on Friday.
• The Hurricanes’ season-opener at Florida State on Mon. Sept 7 is 25 days away.

Practice Schedule
Miami will hold approximately 18 workouts prior to the first day of class on Aug 26. Seven of those workouts have been completed. The Hurricanes open the season on Labor Day Monday Night at rival No. 19 Florida State. Hurricanes’ practices will start at 8 a.m. daily, with the exception of off-days on Aug. 14, 16, 20 and 22. UM’s other two-a-day practices are slated Mon. Aug. 17, Wed. Aug. 19 and Sun. Aug. 23. The schedule is subject to change.

TV Appearances
Miami has already has been selected for three national television appearances, beginning with the Sept. 7 opener at Florida State (ESPN). Additional games chosen for national telecasts are the Hurricanes’ home opener against Georgia Tech on Thurs. Sept. 17 (ESPN). Miami’s game at UCF will air on CBS College Sports at 7:30 p.m. on Sat. Oct. 17.

For `Canes Tickets
Single-game tickets for University of Miami home football games are on sale. Ticket prices for all games begin at $19 and can be purchased via www.HurricaneSports.com, www.ticketmaster.com or at the Miami Hurricanes Ticket Office located at the Hecht Athletic Center on campus or by calling (305) 284-2263. Hours of operation for the ticket office is 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Individual game tickets are also available at Ticketmaster outlets including select F.Y.E. and select Simon Malls, The Mall at Wellington Green and Dolphin Mall. To charge your individual game tickets by phone, call 1-800-745-3000. Individual game tickets will be available on the 100 Level, Club Level and 400 Level of the stadium. The best way to guarantee tickets to all Miami Hurricanes home games at Land Shark Stadium is to become a season ticket holder, Club Level member or Executive Suite member. To purchase season tickets starting as low as $99, Club Level or Executive Suite Memberships, call 1-800-GO-CANES or purchase your seats on-line at www.HurricaneSports.com.