Canes Camp Report: Aug. 6
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Hurricanes continue making their way through preseason camp, and after Tuesday’s practice, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and defensive coordinator Lance Guidry spoke with reporters.
Here are some of their best quotes, along with some team notes, as Miami moves one step closer to its Aug. 31 season opener at Florida.
Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson
On how older players and how they set the tone in practice:
“There’s a difference between people that have been here a while and people that haven’t. And so, those guys are mature. They push through and practice is tough. It’s meant to be tough. Defense, going against our defense, I love it. You see everything. We’re really good up front. Our o-line’s doing a heck of a job. That’s very competitive every day. It’s awesome to watch. But, yeah, those older guys, they come to work every day, which is awesome. We just need to teach people our culture here and how we practice, and they’ll come along.”
On Samuel Brown and the receivers group:
“His effort’s good. He makes plays here and there, [but] everybody needs to be much more consistent. But that group’s competing and so we have a lot of guys that are competing and that competition in that group has elevated, which is a great thing. Those guys are fighting for reps right now and that’s awesome.”
On tight end Elijah Arroyo:
“He is a talented kid. I mean, he can do multiple things. He’s a good receiver. He blocks well. You can hand the ball to him. So, he’s got a lot of tools to work with and so he just needs to keep competing, which he’s doing. I mean, just keep banking reps and getting better at the offense. And again, he shows up every day at times, but he’s like everybody else. Can we be more consistent? Yes, everybody can.”
On balancing the rotation, given the depth in the receivers room:
“If you earn playing time, you’re going to rotate. Look, we have to trust you and that’s the thing about rotations … everybody talks about this and that. If we trust you and you’re making plays and you’re doing the right thing, you’ll rotate. But that falls on you too, as a player. You’ve got to show consistency in practice and know what you’re doing. So, yeah, I think we’ll have more rotations this year based on having more players that we trust and that are doing things the right way. So, hopefully, we’ll be rotating a lot of players, that way everybody is healthy. That’s what I want.”
On the statistical areas where he thinks the offense can improve from last season:
“Everything. I mean, look, we made – in my opinion – a good jump. But turnovers weren’t good. Red zone touchdowns were not good. Those two are the glaring ones and some of the turnover stuff happened in the red zone, so that’s double bad. That’ll take points off the board and hurt your touchdown conversion, and it’ll also hurt your turnover deal. So, we’ve got to take care of the ball better. And really, if we take care of the ball better, everything else will probably fall into place, to be honest with you. But being more explosive on offense is key, too. Yards-per-play is a stat that I track, and I think we were 20-something in the nation last year in yards-per-play. We can be in that top 10, top five, you know? And, so, we need to be more explosive when we get the ball in our hands.”
On what kind of explosive plays he’s looking for from the offense:
“A lot of that stuff is what it is. It happens in a game. But I do think the things you can get better at, like catching the ball and getting vertical quicker, that turns into explosive plays. Running backs, making the free guy miss more; don’t get tackled by the free guy. … Yards before contact, we were like one of the tops [teams] in the nation. But we’ve got to get more at that point. … So, just stressing the fact that playing fast, getting up the field and making that guy miss is who we need to be. If you want to be more explosive on offense, the plays are what they are. The touches are what they are. Once you get the ball in the hands, make a play. Have great ball security. Get up the field and make that first guy miss. That’s genetics, a lot of times, right? Recruiting, right? …
“I think we have a chance to be a very explosive team. I think that if you look at us practice, we’re making plays down the field. And we’re missing some. That deal goes back and forth; that pendulum flies back and forth. I mean, defense, we see every coverage known to man and throwing the football versus those guys is challenging at times because of what they do. Going against our defense is awesome. And I can’t stress that enough because it teaches and programs a quarterback to be in the pocket and to see things very clearly. You’ve got to be precise. So, we’re lucky to go against those guys every day, to be honest with you, because it’s challenging for the quarterback. But you grow every day. You grow every single day.”
On receiver Isaiah Horton:
“He’s playing. He’s competing. He sees the light and he can make plays down the field. He is a big, physical guy. He’s strong. He’s urgent. He’s really come a long way. I’m proud of him, but again, keep coming, keep stressing.”
Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry
On freshman defensive back Zaquan Patterson:
“I think he can be a really good football player. We’ll see how he goes throughout camp and getting ready for Florida. Of course he’s going to get some reps. He’s going to play every game, special teams. How many snaps he gets on defense, I don’t know, but he’ll play. We’re not going to spare him. He’s got a chance to be a really good one. I do believe that. We’ll just see how he progresses. I don’t think you can really predict like that. It all depends on how the game slows down for him when we get in the season. …
“He knows every check; he knows what to do. Not to say he does it right every time, but he pretty much knows when he does wrong. That’s the difference now than in the springtime.”
On building chemistry in the new-look secondary:
“We’re trying to play a lot of different guys together. We’re trying to create depth because throughout a season, you’re going to get injuries. So, we’ve got to get guys playing multiple spots. We’ve had a lot of turnovers, a lot of interceptions so far, which has been really good. And it’s come from all kinds of different people. It’s come from freshmen, it’s come from older guys. It’s come from guys that haven’t been starters. So, I think we’re doing a good job right now. Of course, we’ve got to try to get better every day and we’re only five practices in, or whatever it is.”
On transfer defensive linemen Tyler Baron and Elijah Alston:
“Big guys that can do a lot of things. Of course, Tyler can play a lot of spots. He could play the run, rush the passer well. Austin’s a drop guy, can also rush the passer. So, great additions, of course, with all the other guys. [Rueben] Bain, Jr.’s been solid. [Akheem] Mesidor ’s flying around. Really, really great effort. … I saw a lot of good things. Defensive tackles are getting some reps. When it goes live, it’s a lot different. When you get in full pads and you have some live periods, people will turn it loose, and everybody’s live except for the quarterback … you’ll see who’s really the dudes and who’s far behind.”
On defensive lineman Anthony Campbell:
“He’s starting to progress. We have some defensive tackles that haven’t gone yet, which we should be adding pretty soon. So, he’s been taking some reps. He’s been flashing a little bit more than he has in the past, which is good. But I think he knows the defense now a little bit better. He’s been a good surprise.”
On the rotation on the defensive line:
“Some years, you could play more and some years, you’ve got to roll with the guys you’ve got. This year, I think we’ll be able to play more. I don’t know exactly what that number is yet. Once we get through these live scrimmages and you see some of the younger guys, you’ll see if a guy like [freshman defensive lineman [Justin] Scott can truly play, and I think he can. But just to see how he progresses through the year, to see how much he can play. We’ll know when we get there, when we get to it.”
On defensive lineman Justin Scott:
“Really athletic, powerful, very smart. Picks up things. He’s kind of like a dancing bear, you know? Light on his feet. You can tell he’s played other sports, so he’s been a really good surprise, a really good athlete that’s powerful inside.”
“The reps that he has taken have been good. But I’ve watched him on film, you know what I mean? You know what that guys can do. We’ve watched enough on film when he came in. He’s played against good talent, so it’s just him learning the defense.”
Martinez One to Watch
Hurricanes running back Damien Martinez was selected for the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top running back.
Martinez finished 24th nationally last season with 1,185 rushing yards and had nine touchdowns during his second season at Oregon State.
A year earlier, the running back ranked fourth among all FBS freshmen with 982 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Martinez is a two-time All-Pac 12 First Team honoree and totaled a dozen 100-yard performances at Oregon State.
