Young Canes Stand Out in UM Debut

CORAL GABLES, Fla.–Several young players performed well Monday night for the Canes in either their first collegiate action, or their first significant time on the field at Miami.

Playing without a number of regular starters, players like Allen Hurns, Darius Smith and Denzel Perryman stepped in and performed well….a good sign for depth at those positions moving forward.

Here is a quick breakdown of some of those young players who stood out. It remains to be seen how much each will play going forward, but their performances Monday night surely helped each’s case to continue seeing playing time.

OFFENSE
WR Allen Hurns – Hurns might have been the Canes’ most impressive player on offense Monday night, catching four passes for a team-best 69 yards. His 37-yard grab in the second quarter was the key play on Miami’s first touchdown drive of the season as it put the Canes at the six-yard line. Three plays later Mike James scored on a one-yard TD run.

RB Maurice Hagens –Hagens only carried the ball four times, but all four went for first downs on gains of three, three, four and five. It may be a little too early to say, but it appears as if Hagens has the inside track to be UM’s go-to short yardage back this season.

DEFENSE
DT Darius Smith – Filling in for Marcus Forston, Smith played well in his first game as a Hurricane. The Connecticut native consistently moved his man back, putting pressure in the backfield. He finished the game with three tackles and one pass break-up.

LB Denzel Perryman – One of several true freshmen to play on the defensive side of the ball, Perryman recorded three total tackles (two solo). One of his solo tackles saved a touchdown the play before Vaughn Telemaque’s first quarter interception in the endzone.

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Jake Wieclaw –Wieclaw had a strong debut successfully converting all four of his attempts (3 XP, 1 FG), while also averaging 64.4 yards on kickoffs. His first career field goal – a 30-yarder – put Miami ahead 24-23 with 4:01 to play in the game.

KR Phillip Dorsett –Dorsett wasn’t overly impressive as a kick returner – returning two kicks for a combined 43 yards – but considering the conditions and it being his first career game, he faired pretty well. He also recorded his first career catch, a five-yard grab that started one of UM’s four scoring drives.

In total, 17 student-athletes made their first appearance as a Hurricane Monday night, with Smith, tight end Clive Walford and cornerback Mike Williams garnering their first starts at UM.

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