`Canes Back on the Road as Coastal Division Play Begins
Oct. 15, 2010
By: Rob Dunning
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami football team knows the drill at this point. This weekend’s game at Duke marks the team’s fourth road trip in the last 36 days, an unprecedented stretch for any team to undertake, let alone Miami.
While flying north is something the team has become all too accustomed to over the last five weeks, a new challenge is at hand Saturday as the `Canes begin their ever-important ACC Coastal Division schedule. Five of UM’s next six opponents hail from the Hurricanes’ division, including the 1-4 Blue Devils, who the `Canes will play Saturday at 1 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium.
“A lot of guys on the team feel we play better on the road,” senior defensive back Ryan Hill said. “Me personally, I like going on the road myself. It is always a challenge going on the road, but the guys always seem to be ready.”
Playing on the road might be extra motivation for the `Canes, but the idea of winning the conference supersedes everything else. And with the entire Coastal Division still ahead on Miami’s schedule, ultimately it’s up to the `Canes to take care of business.
“The greatest thing about it is everyone else that we play is on our side of the division,” head coach Randy Shannon said. “Each game becomes important, each opportunity that you have you have to make sure you capitalize on it. Playing Duke is an opportunity to get better and capitalize on a goal down the road that we can achieve if we stay focused and do the things we need to get done.”
The ACC Championship game will be played on Dec. 4 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. It will likely take another five or six weeks before we have any idea of who will be playing for a BCS opportunity. Virginia Tech (2-0) and Georgia Tech (3-1) have the early edge, but the `Canes still have them left on the schedule.
“It’s important to take care of Duke first, and then you go down the line and face each opponent individually and not look ahead,” Shannon said. “If you try to set a goal for something, you are going to miss out on the opportunity to get better during the week.
“The ultimate goal is, yes, to win the conference,” Shannon added. “The division is great, but you want to win the conference and I think the only thing you can do is to take care of the things at hand, and this week it’s Duke.”
This week, it’s Duke and the next it’s North Carolina – but first thing’s first. Shannon knows it and his players know it.
“We suffered a bad loss this past game but now we are focused on Duke,” junior center Tyler Horn said. “We are focused on what we have to get done… we know we have to win out if we are going to get to the ACC Championship game.”
Notes heading into the Duke game……
– Senior running back Damien Berry reached the 100-yard mark on the ground for the second straight game against FSU, tallying 101 yards and a touchdown on the ground in 20 carries. Berry enters the Duke game ranked fourth in the ACC in rushing (85.6 ypg) while leading the `Canes in all-purpose yards (506) and rushing yards (428).
– In addition to Berry’s success on the ground this year, one of Miami’s all-time leading rushers in Graig Cooper returned against FSU after missing three games with an injury. Cooper lined up in kick returns and saw some time at running back in the second half against the Seminoles. He finished the contest with one return for 21 yards and two carries for 22 yards.
– Senior wide receiver Leonard Hankerson had another productive day in the passing game for the `Canes, hauling in game-highs for catches (5) and receiving yards (72) against the `Noles. Through five games, Hankerson has 28 catches for 460 yards and a team-best six touchdowns. He ranks second in the ACC and 18th nationally with a 92.0 receiving yards per game average.
– Defensively for Miami, sophomore safety Ray-Ray Armstrong tied a career-high with nine total tackles against FSU. Colin McCarthy recorded eight, Vaughn Telemaque and Ramon Buchanan each had seven, while Sean Spence finished with six. Spence continues to lead the team in solo tackles (24), total tackles (43) and tackles for loss (8.0). McCarthy ranks second in total tackles (36), Armstrong ranks third (31) and Buchanan ranks fourth (25).
– In the special teams, Lamar Miller ranks third nationally in kick return average (33.40), Matt Bosher ranks 10th in punt average (45.54) and Travis Benjamin ranks 24th in punt return average (11.11). Benjamin is also tied with LaRon Byrd for second on the team in receptions (15) this year.
– Miami’s pass defense is among the best in the country, ranking fourth nationally in holding opponents to just 143.40 passing yards per game. The `Canes also rank fifth nationally in pass defense efficiency (95.87).
