Canes Wrap Up Spring Practice
April 12, 2012
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Thursday’s practice marked the final time the Canes would hit the Greentree Practice Fields this spring as they get ready to cap off a strong spring with the annual BankUnited CanesFest and Spring Football Game on April 14 at Sun Life Stadium.
Weather Report: 78 degrees with winds out of the northwest at 8 mph and 52% humidity.
It was evident today that there is a scrimmage coming up as the team was split into their “Orange” and “Green” sqauds from the start of practice during stretching. The upcoming competition made for an extremely high-energy practice overall.
Defensive starter Denzel Perryman was as a vocal leader, often quoting famous football movies to inspire his teammates. Perryman was one of several players who have stepped up as leaders as Malcolm Bunche, Brandon McGee and Vaughn Telemaque were all actively giving advice and encouraging their teammates.
Special teams was once again the focus of the first part of practice as both teams got their turn at kickoffs and punts. Meanwhile, the quarterbacks took turns participating in a pocket presence drill in which they were circled by the other quarterbacks who in turn threw large exercise balls at them. The quarterbacks’ agility as a group seemed to have improved significantly from the start of the spring as they each dodged the balls and completed passes to tight end Cory White.
The rest of the practice consisted of live action between the two squads, and both sides looked ready for Saturday’s scrimmage. Coaches tried to simulate real-game situations as closely as possible to prepare them.
Offensive highlights included big receptions over the middle by Asante Cleveland, Clive Walford and Phillip Dorsett. Dorsett also caught a long touchdown in stride thrown perfectly by freshman Preston Dewey. Rashawn Scott continued his impressive play by turning a screen pass into a big gain and making defenders miss after multiple grabs all over the field. Dallas Crawford showed his usefulness by catching several passes all over the field, including a touchdown on the goal line. Walk-on receiver Garrett Kidd impressed today as well as he was snagging balls out of the air left and right, including one for a big touchdown.
Defensively, several players made big plays as has been the case all spring. The cornerback duo of freshman Larry Hope and junior-transfer Ladarius Gunter has been incredibly productive and they both showed it once again today with an interception and a big stop in the backfield, respectively. Defensive end Ricardo Williams was getting pressure on the quarterback consistently, and the first-team defensive line was playing with reckless abandon in general. Three-hundred pounder Curtis Porter even almost caught an interception after a ball was tipped by Perryman. Raphael Kirby did intercept a pass tipped by Luther Robinson, however, and took it back to the house for a score.
Practice today ended with high-pressure kicks by Jake Wieclaw and Matt Goudis, who were surrounded by the entire team chanting and yelling as they kicked. In addition to Wieclaw and Goudis, Coach Golden selects a player to try his hand at a high-pressure kick. Today’s cameo was Darius “Plug” Smith. Let’s see how he did…
Quotes of the Day
“This is 500-level. We’re in Graduate school now, let’s go!” Coach Golden.
Cane Spotting: The Playmaker, Michael Irvin was on the sidelines watching practice today, giving players an extra incentive to work hard and impress. Canes Micanor Regis, Randy Phillips and Travis Benjamin were also in attendance.
