Monday ProCanes Report: Benjamin Sets Record
The Monday Morning ProCanes report will weed through all the NFL highlights and news to bring you the information you care about the most… what the former University of Miami Hurricanes did during the week prior. Cleveland’s second-year speedster Travis Benjamin helped open Week Five in a big way for #ProCanes, pacing the Browns to a 37-24 win on Thursday night with a record-breaking performance. Veteran running backs Willis McGahee and Frank Gore added scores, extending the streak to 16 consecutive weeks with #ProCanes touchdowns, while New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham continued his dazzling start to the season with his fourth-straight 100-yard game.
Travis Benjamin (Cleveland Browns) – 179 return yards, one touchdown
After losing Josh Cribbs in the offseason, Browns fans had reason to be concerned of a lack of electricity on special teams. Those fears were put to rest Thursday, when Travis Benjamin broke a 20-year old franchise record for single-game punt return yards. Benjamin recorded returns of 57 and 79 yards, the latter resulting in a key touchdown, en route to a 179-yard performance that broke Eric Metcalf’s franchise record set in 1993 (166). Benjamin’s 79-yard return for a score, which included broken tackles and an impressive spin move, represented the second-longest of his career – just short of a 93-yard score he recorded his rookie season.
Video Highlights: Blast Off
Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis Colts) – six catches, 65 yards,
Matched up against one of the league’s premier corners in Richard Sherman, the Colts’ 13th-year wideout more than held his own with six catches and 65 yards. Wayne, who helped hand Seattle its first loss of the season in a 34-28 win at Lucas Oil Stadium, moved into 11th place all-time in receiving yards Sunday. Wayne has nearly 2,000 more yards than the next active player – fellow #ProCane Andre Johnson (11,661) – and is a safe bet to move into the top 10 by season’s end. He extended his personal record to 69-straight games with at least three catches, adding a two-point conversion play in the fourth quarter on the game-winning touchdown.
Willis McGahee (Cleveland Browns) – 26 carries, 72 yards, one touchdown
When the Browns traded running back Trent Richardson to Indianapolis early in the season, the opportunity for Willis McGahee to reunite with former coach Rob Chudzinski became a real possibility. And in the three weeks since joining the Dawg Pound, McGahee delivered his best performance Thursday night against Buffalo. McGahee rushed for 72 yards and scored a touchdown, his first since a Week 8 score for the Denver Broncos in 2012, helping lead the Browns to a 37-24 victory over Buffalo. The 11th-year veteran took 26 of the 28 carries from the backfield, cementing himself as the first-string back after taking a few weeks to find his groove.
Video Highlights: Touchdown Plunge
Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints) – 10 catches, 135 yards
No player has had a faster start to the season than Jimmy Graham, who has powered the New Orleans Saints to a flawless 5-0 record. Graham, who recorded his fourth-straight 100-yard game with a 10-catch performance in his team’s 26-18 win over Chicago, is on pace for a record-breaking season. Early projections (118 catches, 1897 yards and 19 touchdowns) would put Graham’s season as one of the best for any pass-catcher in league history. With his fourth-straight 100-yard game, Graham matched the NFL record set originally by Tony Gonzalez in 2000 but initially accomplished by the fourth-year star in 2011.
Video Highlights: 38-Yard Catch | Another For 29
TheUFootball.com #ProCanes Interview: Devin Hester
(interview conducted by Max Strauss)
HurricaneSports.com: What is like having another ProCane – linebacker D.J. Williams – in the Chicago locker room with you?
Devin Hester: “I know that D.J. has my back. He is also someone that can brag with you at the same time. He knows more about the Canes because he was there before me. It helps to have an extra guy in the locker room that is a Miami Hurricane.”
HS.com: Are there former Hurricanes teammates that you are still close with and speak with regularly? If so, who are they?
DH: “Every now and then, I talk with Tavares Gooden, Anthony Reddick, Roscoe Parrish, Kareem Brown, Terrell Walden, and Sinorice Moss. Edgerrin James and I also communicate a lot.”
HS.com: How do you think being a Miami Hurricane has prepared you for life in the NFL?
DH: “It demanded us to compete at a high level, day in and day out. The coaches did a great job getting our heads on the right track. Hats off to strength coach Andreu Swasey – we spent a lot of time with him, and he took us underneath his wing. He trained us and guided us.”
HS.com: What does Miami’s reputation as ‘NFLU’ mean to you?
DH: “It is the bond that we built there, but it is also [about] the older class of guys. I have had a few years in the Pro Bowl, and a lot of the U fellows are at the Pro Bowl – so I hung out with Reggie Wayne, Brandon Meriweather, and Vince Wilfork. I look forward to that ever year.”
