@CanesFootball Prepares for Scrimmage No. 2 of #CanesCamp
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami football team returned to the Greentree Practice Fields Thursday morning for the 11th day of spring practice under head coach Mark Richt.
The Hurricanes began practice 11 at 9 a.m. on a sunny day in South Florida. The 11th practice once again placed the team in full pads as the Hurricanes ran through another day of drills and play installation.
Following practice, Richt, cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph, defensive back Corn Elder, linebacker Jermaine Grace, quarterback Brad Kaaya, defensive lineman RJ McIntosh and offensive lineman Kc McDermott spoke to members of the media.
Miami returns to the gridiron for its second scrimmage of spring camp on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Fla. The scrimmage is open to the general public and admission is free for all fans. Gates open at 12:30 p.m.
The Miami football spring schedule will conclude on April 16 with the spring game (2 p.m.) at Lockhart Stadium. The game will be aired live on ESPN3. The Hurricanes’ spring game also will be open to the public and will be free for all fans.
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Spring Camp – Day 11
Mark Richt, Head Coach
Opening Statement…
“We had team run, team blitz and then we had red zone today. We got a little scoring system. The winning team gets to watch the losing team do 25 up-downs, so that’s nice. The defense won. The defense won the team run, the defense won the team blitz, and then the offense won the red zone, but it was too late. Two out of three was already done. The defense was trying to get a clean sweep, but the offense fought back and won the last drill, so that was good.”
On playing an open scrimmage at a high school in West Palm Beach…
“A big part of this thing is recruiting. We know the Tri-County area is just chock-full of great players, and everybody is within striking distance of our campus. We thought, you know what, let’s get a scrimmage here in Dade [County] which was this past week, let’s do one in Broward which will be the spring game, and we’ll do one in Palm Beach, which is this weekend. I thought we’d go ahead and scrimmage in each one of the three counties. I don’t do that very often – have an open scrimmage, other than the spring game – but it’ll be fine, I think, for everybody.”
On the format of the upcoming scrimmage…
“Same format. What you see Saturday, it’ll be very, very close to the exact same format, which is basically stretch, warm-up, get a few kicks and extra points in, then get on the sidelines and start scrimmaging from different field positions – minus-25 drives , minus-35 drives, 50-yard line drives, plus 40 drives, we’ll have some third-and-medium and third-and-long situations, then we’ll probably go red zone again to finish up. It’ll probably look like that.”
On picking Oxbridge Academy as the site for the scrimmage…
“I didn’t really pick it. I just asked if there was a place – it didn’t have to be a high school. It could have been a venue that was open to a lot of teams. We felt like that would be a good spot to do something like that.”
On carrying on the Miami tradition, and if not “letting down” older players and alumni resonates…
“Yeah. I love the fact that we have so many great football alumni that care, that have succeeded at the highest level. They want greatness. They want excellence. I think most of them understand what the process looks like. Everybody that has come to watch us practice so far, at least to my face, said ‘I like what I see.’ I think they like how we’re structuring practice, how we’re competing, how we’re coaching, how we’re teaching, how we’re getting on them when we need to get on them – that kind of thing. I think if people know you’re doing it right, if the process is right, people know that sometimes things take time. You might strike gold early – who knows? But if we’re doing things the right way, which I know we are, and I know these guys come and see it, they gain more confidence in what we’re doing.”
Mike Rumph, Cornerbacks
On the difference between now and when he were a player here…
“When I was a player, I think the urgency was created from within the team. When I got here as a freshman, it was already here. That 5-6 team from 1997 went 5-6, but practiced with a lot of urgency. It was something that was already in place before I got here. I did go through the transition and learned that I had to be that way when I got on the field. I think that now the urgency is coming from the staff and the kids are picking up on it.”
Jermaine Grace, Linebacker, Senior
On how he thinks Darrion Owens will fit into this year’s defense…
“I don’t even know what Darrion [Owens] is going to play. It’s whatever Coach feels he needs to play and whatever fits him. I’m very excited for him to come back. He’s a great player.”
On the role he has been playing in the defense so far…
“Kind of like a rover and I love it. I feel like that is what I will most likely play on the next level, covering guys that can run and things like that. Me playing this is different [than last year]. I wasn’t covering guys man-to-man last year like I am covering Stacy [Coley] and other guys by myself. Last year, I had help in those situations. I really love what I am doing and it’s slowly helping me become a better player because I am learning to cover great players by myself and that is going to help me this year and when I get to the next level.”
Brad Kaaya, Junior, Quarterback
On what he wants the offense to accomplish in Saturday’s scrimmage…
“Just to win the day and win the scrimmage and keep taking steps forward as an offense. Keep operating and getting closer to where we can operate as a live team and live offense in a game setting.”
On how things are going…
“It’s spring right now and we will know more in fall camp. Right now, we are alright. I think the team is doing some good stuff, but there is stuff we have to work on, too.”
On how thing have been going with the new coaching staff…
“It’s been going good. I like the stuff we are doing. It’s an offense where, as a quarterback, you have to dedicate your time to it and spend extra hours. All the guys in the QB room have been doing that and it’s paying off in practice. We just have to keep going and getting better.”
On how he feels about Saturday’s scrimmage being open to the fans…
“That should be cool. It’s awesome to get up there and I know we have a large fan base there and that is important to us.”
On the other quarterbacks…
“It seems like they’re all picking up the offense really well and putting in extra work. They’ve all progressed a lot. I think Evan [Shirreffs] is doing a good job with the footwork. Of all the guys in the room, he has the best footwork right now. Malik [Rosier] has gotten better. Jack [Allison] is pretty good. He has a few things to learn, but I think he has the strongest arm out of all of us, and Vincent [Testaverde] has been doing really well, too.”
Kc McDermott, Offensive Line, Junior
On the practices…
“Our practices are super efficient. There is no period where we are straight tired and go into a hard period and we are not moving. We are consistently moving and don’t have time to think about being tired. We are focused on the next thing and they are really efficient in the way they move.”
On West Palm Beach…
“Palm Beach has a mixture of everything. You go west and you have horse country and hunting and fishing. Then you have the east side and there are beaches and ocean shacks and million dollar houses and ocean fishing. Then you have the middle, which is all working class citizens, and that is where a lot of the football talent comes from. You have some really good high school talent and then you go way west and find more talent. It’s a talent-filled area.”
On whether it means a lot to play where he grew up…
“It means a lot. I definitely have a lot of people coming out to that game. It’s right down the street from where I went to high school. I am sure there will be a lot of teachers and coaches coming. I can’t wait to get up there and see the fan base that comes out.”
On the transition from playing guard to tackle…
“There wasn’t a super transition. I played left guard for nine games last year and started there and had Trevor [Darling] to my left the entire time and Nick at center. If you didn’t notice, sometimes [Alex] Gall would come in there and play center. We all have pretty good chemistry. Danny [Isidora], of course, is our senior leader and he has always been solid there. Tyree [St. Louis] is our new addition and he is working his butt off and doing everything he can to get better as a player on and off the field. He spends a lot of time in the meeting rooms and working on his techniques. He’s doing pretty well. The chemistry we have is going well.”
RJ McIntosh, Sophomore, Defensive LIne
On how the defensive line looking and who is playing with the first team…
“Everyone has a shot. [Kendrick] Norton is there. [Anthony] Moten is there. Courtel [Jenkins] and [Gerald] Willis. We are all rotating. There’s [Al-Quadin Muhammad] and Chad [Thomas] and Trent [Harris]. They rotate us and there isn’t a definite spot. We are all competing. If you come out here and compete and try your hardest every day, then you’re going to have a chance. That’s how it is around here.”
On Saturday’s open scrimmage where the fans will be able to watch…
“It should be exciting. I’m ready for it and we are all ready for it.”
On whether the defense is more aggressive than last year…
“It’s more blitzing. We have a better opportunity to get to the quarterback quicker.”
On how hard it is to get to Brad Kaaya…
“He moves a lot and that’s a big line out there, so it’s a little difficult. But I like the difficulty. He’s a great quarterback and he moves around in the pocket. When you think you’ve got him, sometimes you don’t have him.”
On how this defense compares to last year’s in terms of simplicity…
“It’s very simple. Last year’s plays, you had to think more. I’m not saying they were bad plays, but this year you don’t have to think as much.”
