GAMEDAY PREP: @CanesFootball Heads North for Annual Spring Game

THE BROADCAST
Joe Zagacki  Don Bailey Jr. Alex Donno	Joe Zagacki Don Bailey Jr. Alex Donno	Peter Ariz

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami football team is set for its annual spring game on Saturday at Lockhart Stadium. The game begins at 2 p.m. and will be the final time Miami takes the field during spring camp.

WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
The game will be simulcast on ESPN3 and on 560 WQAM. Voice of the Hurricanes Joe Zagacki will handle the play-by-play. Hurricane alum Don Bailey, Jr. will handle color commentary. Calling the action from the sidelines will be Alex Donno.

THE GROUND RULES
-Four 12 minutes quarters.
-No kickoff to start the game. 
-The offense will never start backed up inside the 20. 
-There will be a returner for punts just to catch the ball. 
-There will be field goals/extra points, but it will not be live.

PREGAME ACTIVITIESPregame festivities will begin at 11 a.m. with the game set to kick off at 2 p.m. Autographs will take place from Noon – 1 p.m., and fans will need to claim an voucher, which will be distributed beginning at 11 a.m. Click here for more information on autograph vouchers. Parking lots will open at 8 a.m.
SPRING PRACTICE NOTEBOOK
MIAMI NAMES MARK RICHT HEAD COACH
• University of Miami Director of Athletics Blake James announced on Dec. 4, 2015 the hiring of Hurricane alumnus Mark Richt as the 24th head football coach at The U.
• Richt was officially introduced to the public at a news conference at the Shalala Student Center.
• Richt, born in Omaha, Neb., and raised in Boca Raton, Fla., returns to his alma mater after leading the University of Georgia football program for the past 15 years. During that time he compiled a 145-51 overall record and an 85-40 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
• Richt won two SEC championships, six SEC East titles and nine bowl games, finishing the season in the Associated Press Top 10 rankings seven times.
 
YIPPEE KAAYA
• Entering his junior season, quarterback Brad Kaaya currently has 6,436 career passing yards and stands fifth on the all-time career passing list at Miami. Kaaya needs 3,130 passing yards to surpass Ken Dorsey’s all-time program record. Kaaya has averaged 3,218 yards passing per year.
• Kaaya also ranks in the school’s top 10 in attempts (767 – sixth), completions (459 – seventh), completion percentage (59.8 – fourth) and touchdowns (42 – ninth).
• Kaaya has thrown just seven interceptions in his last 591 attempts. He has thrown for more than 200 yards in 19 of his 25 career games at Miami and has seven career 300-yard performances.
• Kaaya’s career home numbers (13 games) stand out: 3,305 passing yards, 27 TDs and just 7 INTs.
• Kaaya set personal bests in completions (29), attempts (49) and pass yards (405) at Florida State (Oct. 10, 2015), tossing three touchdowns with no interceptions. His passer efficiency rating was 148.8.
• Kaaya’s 405 yards were the most by a Miami quarterback vs. Florida State in the modern era of Miami football (since 1980), and represent just the 11th 400-yard game in that same timespan.  
 
ELITE COMPANY
• Miami signal caller Brad Kaaya ranked in the top 50 in eight national statistical categories in 2015.
• Kaaya also was one of just three players nationally to throw for 3,000-or-more yards, 10-or-more touchdowns and have five-or-fewer interceptions.
• Paxton Lynch (Memphis) and Dak Prescott (Mississippi State) joined Kaaya as the only other quarterbacks that have accomplished this feat. Kaaya was the only sophomore to accomplish this feat last season.
• Kaaya also is just one of three quarterbacks in school history to throw 3,000-or-more yards in back-to-back seasons.
• In addition, Kaaya is just the sixth Miami starting quarterback since 1947 to throw five-or-fewer interceptions for an entire season.
 
RETURN TO FORM
• Miami WR Stacy Coley had a dominant freshman season, earning 2013 Freshman All-America recognition and All-ACC honors after leading the team with 1,461 all-purpose yards.
• After a quiet 2014, Coley had a return to form in 2015. Despite missing two games with a hamstring injury, Coley finished second on the team in catches (47) and receiving yards (689).
• Coley’s 79.2 yards per game average in conference play ranked second in the ACC.
• Coley caught at least three passes in each of the final nine games, and had 678 yards over that span. The junior recorded a TD in back-to-back games for the first time since November 2013 when he hauled in scores against both Duke (Oct. 31) and Virginia (Nov. 7).
• Coley enters the 2016 season just 290 yards shy of cracking into the school’s all-time top 10 in career receiving yards.
• Coley needs just 14 receptions to crack into the program’s all-time top 10 in career receptions.
• Coley is just three touchdown receptions shy of cracking into the program’s all-time top 10 for career receiving touchdowns.
 
IRON CANES
• OL Danny Isidora, OL Nick Linder, OL Trevor Darling and RB Joe Yearby were the only Hurricane players to start every game last season. 
 
MAKING HIS MARK
• As a freshman in 2015, running back Mark Walton totaled 10 touchdowns (nine rushing and one receiving). His 10 touchdowns were tied for second by a UM freshman since 2000.
• With his receiving touchdown against Georgia Tech, Walton joined Travis Benjamin and Stacy Coley as the only Miami freshmen to score a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in an ACC game.
• Walton also was one of just 11 freshman running backs nationally with eight-or-more rushing touchdowns last season.
 
BADG-O-MATIC
• In 2015, Michael Badgley finished the regular season 25-of-30 in field goal attempts. His 25 made field goals ranked third in the ACC, while his average of 2.08 field goals made per game were tops in the FBS.
• Badgley tied a UM record with a 57-yard field goal vs. Georgia Tech (Danny Smith, 1981 vs. FSU).
• Badgley broke Jon Peattie’s previous UM season record of 22 made field goals, set back in 2003.
• Badgley finished the 2015 campaign with 115 points, which ranks third all-time for a single season. His 115 points in 2015 also rank as the second highest total by a UM kicker (Todd Sievers, 119).
• Badgley finished second in the ACC and 16th in NCAA in scoring, averaging 9.6 points per game during the 2015 season.
• The New Jersey native tied his own school record in the regular season finale against Pittsburgh when he connected on five field goals made. In a Sept. 19, 2015 win over Nebraska, Badgley drilled five field goals.
 
GETTING DEFENSIVE
• Miami’s +11 turnover margin ranked as the best mark in the ACC and the 10th-best mark in all of FBS during the 2015 season. The Hurricanes finished the year with 25 turnovers gained and 14 turnovers lost.
• Miami’s defense recorded 15 interceptions, which ranked 21st in FBS and fourth-best in the ACC in 2015.
• Miami’s defense held Bethune-Cookman scoreless and logged its first shutout since Sept. 2, 2010 and eighth since 2000.
 
THE SOUTH FLORIDA DUO
• South Florida products Joe Yearby (1,275) and Mark Walton (1,054) combined for 2,329 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns last season.
• Of their 2,329 all-purpose yards, Yearby (939) and Walton (438) combined for 1,377 of the team’s 1,434 rushing yards (96.0 percent).
 
PAVING THE WAY
• UM entered the 2015 season with one of the youngest offensive lines in the ACC, totaling 23 starts. Miami’s offensive line enters 2016 with 85 career starts.
• In 13 games last season, Miami’s youthful offensive line, which has consisted of a combination of one redshirt freshman, three sophomores and two juniors allowed the Hurricanes to average 401.4 yards per game in total offense.
• Miami’s offensive line allowed just 19 sacks, which ranked as the fifth-fewest in the ACC.
•In addition, the Canes ranked fifth in the nation in average tackles for loss allowed (4.20).
 
ROSIER IMPRESSIVE IN FIRST CAREER START
• Making his first start at QB in place of an injured Brad Kaaya, redshirt freshman Malik Rosier tossed for 272 yards and two touchdowns in the 30-27 win over Duke on Oct. 31. He finished the game 20-for-29 with one interception, setting career highs in nearly every category.
• Rosier’s 272 passing yards were the most by a Hurricane quarterback making the first start of his UM career away from home in 17 years. Below is a list of Miami QB first career starts since 1999:
 
Miami QB First Career Starts Since 1999
Stephen Morris (2010) – 286 vs. Maryland (Nov. 6)
Malik Rosier (2015) – 272 at Duke (Oct. 31)
Kenny Kelly (1999) – 245 vs. Ohio State (Aug. 27, East Rutherford, N.J.)
Kyle Wright (2005) – 232 at Florida State (Sept. 5)
Brock Berlin (2003) – 203  at Louisiana Tech (Aug. 28)
Ken Dorsey (1999) – 194 vs. Rutgers (Nov. 20)
Jacory Harris (2008) – 190 vs. Charleston Southern (Aug. 28)
Brad Kaaya (2014) – 179 at Louisville (Sept. 1)
Kirby Freeman (2006) – 140 at Maryland (Nov. 11)
Derrick Crudup (2003) – 80 vs. Syracuse (Nov. 15)
 
WELCOME BACK
• Running back Gus Edwards and linebacker Darrion Owens are set to return to the lineup this year after suffering season-ending injuries in 2015
• Owens suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 at FAU. The Florida native enters the 2016 season, having played in 14 career games and logging career tackles.
• Edwards suffered a season-ending foot injury before the season-opener against FAMU. The New York native enters the 2016 season with career totals of 24 games, 127 attempts, 687 yards and 11 touchdowns.
 
CAN OF CORN
• Cornerback Corn Elder emerged as one of Miami’s top playmakers in 2015.   
• Elder took the final lateral of “The Return” 91 yards to give Miami a 30-27 win over Duke.
• Elder tied for fifth in the ACC with 13 passes defended (1.0 per game).
•  Elder had a dominant outing in the Canes’ meeting with Nebraska, recording a career-best four pass breakups and a crucial INT on the Cornhuskers’ first drive in OT, which helped clinch the win.
• Elder led all UM cornerbacks in sacks with 2.0 in 2015.
• The Nashville, Tenn. native opened the 2015 campaign on a high note as he tallied three tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and one pass breakup in a win over Bethune-Cookman.
• In addition, Elder also recorded his first career punt return for a touchdown on an electric run against the Wildcats.
 
THE SPECIALIST
• Punter Justin Vogel once again proved to be a steady force for Miami in 2015. Vogel finished seventh in the ACC in punting average (42.5 yards) and 43rd nationally.
• Vogel also dropped 20 punts inside-the-20 yard line and had 13 punts of 50+ yards.
• A nominee for the 2015 Ray Guy Award, Vogel was a finalist for the award in 2014. He also boomed a career-best 73-yard punt vs. Clemson.
• After spending the 2013 season at Florida, Vogel averaged 42.8 yards per punt and 62.1 yards on kickoffs in 2014. He was named third-team All-ACC by Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.