#CanesCamp Notebook (August 6)
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Canes were back in action on the Greentree Practice Fields Wednesday, preparing for the start of the 2014 football season.
Day two of practice was interrupted by a 90-minute weather delay, but the skies eventually cleared and the Hurricanes completed the second session of their 2014 preseason camp.
“I just told them how great it was to see a team come out after that kind of delay and have that kind of focus and energy,” head coach Al Golden said. “I thought they really competed. That was really mature, for them to be able to do that.”
For the second consecutive day, the Hurricanes were in helmets and shorts. Miami will add shoulder pads on Thursday and Friday, before transitioning into full pads for Saturday’s practice.
Several Hurricanes made highlight-worthy plays on Wednesday, including freshman Trayone Gray. In his first practice as a Hurricane, the Carol City High alum turned heads when he caught a screen pass from senior Jake Heaps and exploded past defenders to score a touchdown on his first touch of the 11-on-11 period.
“He’s big but he’s also fast. He’s athletic,” fellow running back Gus Edwards said of Gray. “Once he gets the playbook right, I think he’s going to be able to help us a lot this year.”
While several Miami players raved about Gray’s talent, Golden and the coaching staff were impressed with the freshman running back’s size and ability.
“He took that first screen for quite a long way,” Golden said. “I think we have him listed at 208 [pounds], but he weighed in at 222, so he’s a big back. We’ll see where he grows – will he grow into a wide receiver? Will he stay at running back? I don’t know. He’s young – he just got here. We just saw a couple of plays today, and we told him what to do so we could see him. We’ll look at it and see where he goes, but he’s certainly a big kid. We’re happy he’s here.”
Heaps also got freshman Tyre Brady involved early in the 7-on-7 period. The quarterback saw the South Dade product beat his man on a go route just outside the numbers and delivered a perfect pass over the top for a gain of over 40 yards. In 11-on-11s, Heaps hooked up with Stacy Coley on a wide receiver screen and the standout sophomore burst past defenders for a touchdown.
Brad Kaaya continued to connect with the veterans, linking multiple times with senior Clive Walford for first downs and finding junior Herb Waters for a 20-yard gain during 7-on-7 periods. The freshman signal caller also hit sophomore Malcolm Lewis on a deep ball down the right sideline, picking up 40 yards for the Hurricane offense.
“Really, really mature and smart,” Golden said of Kaaya. “He has shown a lot of pocket poise and presence. His length really stands out – his length and his ability to stand up and see. He’s great at the underneath stuff…so far, so good. We’ve got a long way to go.”
The passing game was not the only aspect of the offense to make some noise on Wednesday. Duke Johnson found the end zone during 11-on-11s, taking a draw play over 60 yards for a touchdown. The junior is a heading into 2014 as one of the top players in the country, earning spot on the Walter Camp, Doak Walker, Maxwell and CFPA Running Back Trophy Preseason Watch Lists.
Miami’s defense was also active Wednesday, pressuring the quarterbacks and forcing turnovers. Senior Anthony Chickillo wreaked havoc off the edge, continually getting in the backfield and picking up a sack during the 11-on-11 period.
The secondary also made some key plays during 11-on-11s as junior Antonio Crawford closed out one period with an athletic interception, while junior Dallas Crawford and senior Hugo Delapenha each broke up passes to help get the defense off the field.
Miami returns to the Greentree at 2:20 p.m. Thursday for its third #CanesCamp session. For the latest information on Miami Hurricanes Football, follow @MiamiHurricanes on Twitter and the official blog for Hurricanes Football, www.theufootball.com.
To view the photo gallery from today’s practice, click here.
