No. 13 Miami Opens its 2010 Season Thursday Against Florida A&M
Aug. 31, 2010
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – No. 13 Miami opens its 2010 season Thursday night against in-state foe Florida A&M at Sun Life Stadium. The `Canes enter the season ranked No. 13 by both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches Polls.
Head Coach Randy Shannon has improved the `Canes by two wins in each of his first three seasons, improving a 5-7 team in 2007 to 7-6 in 2008 and 9-4 a season ago.
Junior quarterback Jacory Harris is back for his second season as the `Canes full-time starting quarterback. Last year as a sophomore, Harris threw for 3,352 yards – the fourth-most in school history. He also ranked in the Top 10 in school history in pass completions (2nd, 242), pass attempts (2nd, 406), total offense (5th, 3,133), touchdown passes (24) and completion percentage (60.8). Harris threw for more than 200 yards 10 times in 2009, reaching the 300-yard mark against Florida State, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke.
The offense as a whole is coming off one of its more impressive seasons in UM history, tallying 5,199 total yards – the fourth most in school history. The 2009 `Canes recorded the most first downs by passing in school history (169), the second-most first downs overall in school history (275) and the fourth-most total plays (879).
Defensively, the `Canes return a number of key players from unit that ranked 29th nationally in total defense a season ago. Junior All-America cornerback Brandon Harris is the top man in the secondary, senior linebacker Colin McCarthy is the team’s leading returning tackler, while senior defensive end Allen Bailey anchors the defensive line.
Miami’s special teams are again expected to be one of the strengths of the team, with All-ACC punter/kicker Matt Bosher back for his senior season. He connected on 14-of-16 field goals in 2009 and ended the season making 12 in a row, which is the second-best streak in school history in a career and in a single-season. He also has made 90 consecutive extra-point attempts, which also is the third-best streak in a career at Miami. Bosher has a career success percentage of 88.9 percent in field goals. He enters the 2010 season as the most accurate returning kicker in the nation having made 32-of-36 field goals attempts.
The majority of Miami’s offensive skill players return, including wide receivers Leonard Hankerson and Travis Benjamin, as well as running backs Graig Cooper and Damien Berry. Hankerson is back after a break-out year in 2009 when the then-junior recorded 801 receiving yards – the 10th most in school history and the most since Andre Johnson recorded 1,092 receiving yards in 2002.
A number of newcomers are expected to contribute this year for the `Canes, with junior tight end Chase Ford, freshman linebacker Kelvin Cain and freshman defensive back Kacy Rodgers among those who could see action early on.
GAME 1 INFORMATION
Date: Thurs, Sept. 2, 2010
Location: Sun Life Stadium (Natural Grass), (74,916) in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Webcast: ESPN3.COM
Tape Delay Telecast: CSS
Local Radio: 560 WQAM, 1450 ESPN Deportes
560 WQAM
Joe Zagacki (play-by-play)
Don Bailey Jr. (color analyst)
Josh Darrow (sideline)
Fans can also listen online at www.wqam.com
1450 ESPN Deportes En Español
Joe Pujala (play-by-play)
Joe Martinez (color analyst)
WEBSITES
Miami (www.hurricanesports.com)
Florida A&M (www.famurattlersports.com)
THE MIAMI-FLORIDA A&M SERIES
– Miami leads the all-time series with Florida A&M, 7-1.
– The Hurricanes defeated the Rattlers, 48-16, last season and have combined to out-score FAMU, 355-to-49, dating back to 1980.
– This will be the ninth overall meeting and second meeting between the two schools at Sun Life Stadium. The first meeting between UM and FAMU came in 1979 in Tallahassee before the next six were played at the Orange Bowl from 1980 to 2006.
A `CANES WIN OVER THE RATTLERS WOULD…
– Give Randy Shannon a 4-0 record in season-openers as a head coach.
– Give Miami its 14th straight home win against a non-conference opponent.
– Give Miami its 12th win in its last 13 home openers dating back to 1998.
THE COACHES
Randy Shannon is in his fourth season as Miami’s head coach and owns an overall record of 21-17. Joe Taylor is in his third season at FAMU and has an overall record of 214-84-4 in 28 seasons as a head coach.
SCOUTING THE RATTLERS
Florida A&M is coming off an 8-3 season in 2009. The Rattlers closed out the year winning four of their last five, including a 42-6 victory over Bethune-Cookman in their season finale. This year, FAMU is predicted to finish second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference behind South Carolina State.
Five Rattlers also earned preseason all-conference honors this year, including leading tackler Alvin Graham and top receiver Isaac West. Graham is coming off a 69-tackle, 6.5 tackle-for-a-loss season while West had a team-high 641 receiving yards a year ago.
The running game will be centered around Philip Sylvester, while tackle Christopher Sands anchors the offensive line. With Curtis Pulley departed as the Rattlers’ starting quarterback, Martin Ukpai and Eddie Battle – both of whom have experience – will handle the quarterback duties this season.
Cornerback Qier Hall is the leader of the secondary and a preseason All-MEAC selection. Hall recorded 42 tackles, six pass break-ups and three interceptions as a junior in 2009.
Another preseason honoree for FAMU is kicker Trevor Scott. Scott led the Rattlers in scoring a season ago with 74 points and was successful on 38 of 39 extra point attempts and 12 of 22 field goal attempts.
`CANES PREDICTED SECOND IN COASTAL
Miami was voted to finish second in the ACC Coastal Division by media members at the 2010 ACC Football Kickoff earlier this fall. After finishing the season 9-4 (5-3 ACC) and advancing to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, the Hurricanes picked up 444 points from members of the working media, while collecting 20 first place votes within the Coastal Division. Virginia Tech was predicted on 50 ballots to win its fourth ACC crown. Florida State finished second with 26 votes, followed by Miami (10), Georgia Tech (8), Boston College (2) and North Carolina (2). The Hokies were also tabbed to win the ACC’s Coastal Division, earning 532 points and 62 first-place votes. Miami followed in second place (444 points, 20 first-place votes); Georgia Tech was third (408); North Carolina fourth (379); fifth was Duke (169); and Virginia (126) rounded out the six-team Coastal Division.
`CANES AT SUN LIFE STADIUM
– Miami is 12-3 all-time in Sun Life Stadium, going 3-0 in bowl games, 4-2 in 2008 and 5-1 last season.
– The `Canes won the 1996 Carquest Bowl over Virginia, the 1998 Micron PC Bowl over NC State and the 2003 Orange Bowl over FSU before beating Charleston Southern, UCF, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech in the team’s inaugural season at its new stadium in 2008.
– Last year, the `Canes knocked off a pair of nationally-ranked teams in No. 14 Georgia Tech and No. 8 Oklahoma before beating FAMU, losing in overtime to Clemson and eventually cruising past Virginia and Duke to close out the home slate.
