Things are about to get very interesting in Coral Gables. Today at 1 PM the University of Miami will hold their first scrimmage of the Fall training camp.
The scrimmage on the UM campus is closed to fans and the media but we will try to get you some reports and updates as they filter out to the public.
There is some fierce competition at several positions, many of which are still wide open for the taking. Hurricane head coach Al Golden has already publicly stated that the two scrimmages will go along way to settling the battles for starting roles on both offense and defense heading into the 2011 season.
There are many questions still unanswered for the 'Canes going into this season:
Who will start at QB: Jacory Harris or Stephen Morris?
What about at MLB: Jimmy Gaines or Jordan Futch?
Who will take control at CB opposite JoJo Nicholas: Brandon McGee or Lee Chambers or Mike Williams?
Can the hard charging Allen Hurns really beat out Travis Benjamin to start opposite LaRon Byrd at WR?
Which Freshman will make the most significant contribution this season?
Golden and his coaching staff will have to decided the answers to these difficult questions over the next 10 days and after the second scrimmage next week.
In addition UM is hosting "Family Day" during the scrimmage and several of the 2012 recruits that are verbal commitments to the Hurricanes are expected to be on hand. These players include: Randy “Duke” Johnson Angelo Jean-Louis, James Burgess, Ereck Flowers, Jelani Hamilton, AJ Leggett, Keith Brown, Herb Waters, Gray Crow, Dwayne Hoilett, Josh Witt, Nate Dortch, Vernon Davis, David Thompson, Drew Harris and Tyriq McCord.
We will bring you any intial reports from Greentree Field courtesy of www.hurricanesports.com as soon as they are available. Stay tuned!
NOTE: HERE IS THE UPDATE AS PROMISED. VIDEO OF UM HEAD COACH AL GOLDEN WITH JOE ZAGACKI AFTER THE SCRIMMAGE:
1st
Posted by: 27 Ave Cane | August 14, 2011 at 01:16 PM
Yes!
Posted by: MDCane | August 14, 2011 at 01:16 PM
Look at the time stamp!
Posted by: MDCane | August 14, 2011 at 01:17 PM
Wow i been coming to this blog since the Omar Kelly days and this is my first ever 1ST..lol.
Posted by: 27 Ave Cane | August 14, 2011 at 01:18 PM
Is it being recorded?
Posted by: SinisterCane | August 14, 2011 at 01:18 PM
Golden pushing the right buttons so far by: Steve Gorten August 14th, 2011 | 12:57 PM CORAL GABLES –
It is only preseason, but so far Hurricanes coach Al Golden has pushed the right buttons.
For a guy in his first season, he has already won over players’ support, and the main reason why has been his coaching staff’s creative ideas and approach to everything. It has kept the players’ interest and attention, which isn’t easy to do.
Whether it’s been having a scavenger hunt in Coconut Grove, or giving index-sized concentration cards daily to each player with three things that player needs to focus on, or putting together a “soft tape” to point out lack of toughness or having a few veterans serve as player-coaches during practice, Golden has put his master’s degree in pyschology from Virginia to good use.
He has also tried to inject some fun into training camp.
If you didn’t get a chance to see InsideTheU.com’s story about it, Golden has invited the entire team to his house Sunday night after the scrimmage for a pool party [I wish I was there to see 340-pound DT Darius Smith do a cannonball]. The ‘Canes will have their first day off Monday since fall camp started Aug. 6
.
“It will definitely be fun,” TE Cory White told InsideTheU. “He just loves for everybody to have a good time. He loves seeing smiles on all of his players’ faces. He’s a real big father-figure to all of us.”
In addition to the party for players, Golden invited prospects and their families to campus for the day Sunday.
“A lot of coaches don’t want to do that because you really don’t have control over everything, but for us we want to see how we coach, how we are, how our team reacts, all of those things,” Golden said before Saturday’s practice.
“It will be about as close as it is from being here as a student-athlete because it’s very real. It’s not like we’re over there talking to them every minute of the day.
“We’re out there coaching, we’re running the scrimmage, and they’re watching. They’ll have a chance to meet some players, have a meal with the guys, get around our deans and professors, and be around our student-athletes, which will be good.”
Sure, none of this will matter to most fans if the ‘Canes don’t win enough this season. But the fact Golden has been able to make the headway he has with this team — gaining their trust, attention and commitment — matters in the ‘Canes getting to where they want to be.
There will be some that will dismiss this as rah-rah stuff, which to an extent, it is. But it’s also what separates college football from the bland brand of the NFL.
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 01:21 PM
SIXTH .. AND YOU KNOW THIS, MANNNN
Posted by: Six | August 14, 2011 at 01:21 PM
Ahhh dammit, got sniped ... although I will take 7th, 7 is a good number for me as well
Posted by: Six | August 14, 2011 at 01:22 PM
Golden having the entire team over at his house after the scrimmage
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 01:22 PM
27th Ave and MDCane...Nice work!
Email me at: [email protected] to collect your 2011 Canespace shirts.
Posted by: SOUP | August 14, 2011 at 01:23 PM
six,
check this mini trailer for the first stop action I am working on
click the hit of the day
http://solarcane.net/
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 01:27 PM
SOUP - I have Canespace gear for 2011. Just warming up for the start of the season.
See you in New Orleans when the CANES play for the NC this coming season.
Posted by: MDCane | August 14, 2011 at 01:34 PM
Hey 13th!!!
Posted by: VA Cane | August 14, 2011 at 01:35 PM
any updates
Posted by: SinisterCane | August 14, 2011 at 01:38 PM
Wasn't the annual, "pool day," during Club Coker one of the reasons he was derided so much on the way out the door? Just move the ball efficiently, don't get anybody banged up to the point they miss the opener and have the offense only slightly behind the defense rather than the usual really behind the defense that most team's first scrimmages of the season usually exhibit and it'll be a good sign in my book.
Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | August 14, 2011 at 01:39 PM
D Berry first NFL action photo
http://twitpic.com/663rlk
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 01:42 PM
According to the reports, there is no competition between Futch & Gaines. Poor Futch. Randy ain't even use vasoline on the man. Smfh
Posted by: CoCane | August 14, 2011 at 01:43 PM
OGV
I'm hoping they control the hitting a bit cause I think the guys are going to really act out in front of the fans today.
Getting Lamar dinged isn't gonna help anybody
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 01:45 PM
2 things:
Remember at the end of the Canes baseball season when I said that Shane Rowland was transferring? He transferred to my alma mater, Univ. of Tampa ...... they're going to be stacked, again
Yesterday was going through a bunch of high school football game tape from the past year up at work, including football jamboree footage, of a bunch of stud players in the 813/727 area. Of course Tyriq McCord was one of the guys we're focusing on doing a piece on (kid was a badass last year with Ramik Wilson, who is at Georgia this year as a Frosh) .. as well as Nelson Agholor - who I wish was at this Canes practice, kid is an athlete
Last year was probably the best year in class I've seen in the Tampa Bay area when it came to kids going to play college football. Lots of studs to come out of the area
Just a few of the main ones:
Alonso - 3G Chick (Canes), Tyree Clark (UConn)
Armwood - Josh Grady (Vandy), Harvellio Buie (New Mexico)
Countryside - Tyler Moore (Nebraska), Alex Dixon (UNC)
Freedom - Keith Lewis (Ole Miss)
Gaither - Chadd Hannah (Cincinnati)
Jefferson - Andre Davis (USF), Ramik Wilson (UGA), Chris Moore (Cincinnati)
Jesuit - Anthony Harrell (GTech), Arturo Uzdavinis (Tulane), Miles Bennett (Army)
Largo - Adarious Raynor (Indiana)
Pasco - Jamie Byrd (TCU), Hakeeme Ishmar (FAU)
Plant - James Wilder (FSU), Phillip Ely (Alabama), Tony Posada (Michigan), Bobby Richardson (Indiana)
Plant City - Jordan Prestwood (FSU)
Robinson - Frankie Williams (Purdue), Ruben Gonzalez (USF), Richie Reay (FIU), Marqus Baker (Buffalo), Tevin Newman (New Mexico)
Sickles - Carey White (FAU), John Hendrick (Navy)
Spoto - Donald Smith (Iowa State)
Tampa Catholic - Hunter Joyer (UiF)
Tarpon Springs - Zach Debell (UGA)
and about 33 others that signed with FCS schools
Posted by: Six | August 14, 2011 at 01:46 PM
pool paries at the coaches house is right out of the Art Of War text isn't it?
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 01:47 PM
All of the verbal commits named in the post can't be right. When did Drew Harris & Tyrig McCord commit?
Posted by: CoCane | August 14, 2011 at 01:49 PM
solar - I started laughing when I saw the words "Red Rockets" for the band name ... where did you get a Lego guy that looks like that?
Looks like some kind of Max Payne Lego man
Gotta see if Old Skool can hook it up with the gun flash effects when he's shooting
Can't wait to see it, haha. Just from the few seconds, looks like it's going to have bad intentions ... and I like that
Posted by: Six | August 14, 2011 at 01:51 PM
CoCane, Futch's best year, the one where he's playing college football and old enough to drink legally, has nothing to do with Randy Shannon, except for the part where Shannon went out and recruited the guy to take his spot and apparently has. But Futch will always have that swag that keeps flapping his gums while doing nothing to fall back on along with his degree in . . . what's Futch's major again?
Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | August 14, 2011 at 01:54 PM
I saw Tyriq McCord walk out to practice last week with a skull cap on and a South Carolina hat on top of it
The head coach said to him, "please take that off, I don't want to start any of this recruiting news distracting crap, where is he going type stuff"
The head coach is cool as hell. Young cat, he was their OCoordinator last year
Posted by: Six | August 14, 2011 at 01:55 PM
six,
I can layer the photos and add gun flashes and have the guys flying around but what a tedious pain in the ass to do one frame at a time 15-18 frames per second.
I got to shoot 75 stop action pics for every 5 seconds of action.
I have a dozen test clips that are pretty
cool.
I get all the weapons and bad azz mini figures from a guy in China named Ka Cheng , it's his real name lol
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 01:57 PM
All of the verbal commits named in the post can't be right. When did Drew Harris & Tyrig McCord commit?
Posted by: CoCane | August 14, 2011 at 01:49 PM
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...not so LOUD!
After today U never know, right? ;-)
Posted by: SOUP | August 14, 2011 at 02:00 PM
Prestwood is at Notre Dame
Posted by: NY TROOPER | August 14, 2011 at 02:00 PM
Wasn't the annual, "pool day," during Club Coker one of the reasons he was derided so much on the way out the door?
Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | August 14, 2011 at 01:39 PM
Coker was derided NOT for having the pool party but because he forgot to invite the UM cheerleaders and Sunsations to the party.
I'm jus sayin'...
Posted by: SOUP | August 14, 2011 at 02:03 PM
NY trooper...welcome to The Space!
Post here, post often.
Posted by: SOUP | August 14, 2011 at 02:05 PM
Thanks. I was scanning for scrimmage articles and found this. Can't wait for the start of the season.
Posted by: NY TROOPER | August 14, 2011 at 02:08 PM
because he forgot to invite the UM cheerleaders and Sunsations to the party.
That's reason enough right there
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 02:10 PM
WURD ON DA SKREETZ IZ...
YESTERDAY: This staff wasnt havin anything today. Players were getting yanked for mistakes, getting a speech and damn sure didnt do it again. Lack of effort mistakes will cost em. Al was not a pleased man. The team got together and picked it up but Al was bustin from drill to drill. Sh#? goin to be heated tommorrow. You could tell these boyz want Sunday real bad. Its on time bruh!
TODAY: All about dat D. Some real violence and headknockin goin on bruh.
Posted by: SOUP | August 14, 2011 at 02:14 PM
FAMU fan day Sat
Rattlers in dress shirt tie and game jersey all at the same time, pretty sweet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf4XoS4fOXE&feature=youtu.be
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 02:15 PM
Can't wait for the start of the season.
Posted by: NY TROOPER | August 14, 2011 at 02:08 PM
U go to games at Sun Life or stuck in NY?
Posted by: SOUP | August 14, 2011 at 02:15 PM
Would like me to tell you what Futch is majoring in? Nah better not but like I said so many times about some of these players.....THEY ARE NOT SERIOUS AT ALL....average at best!
Posted by: canechic | August 14, 2011 at 02:16 PM
message to me from manny
Manny Navarro
@ @solarcane No clue Solar. #UM's scrimmage is closed to the media. #UM will send out a report later today
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 02:17 PM
Chris Freet
Small recruiting touch during break in scrimmage, as #Miami bumps hip-hop and top 25 over loudspeakers for family day crowd
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 02:19 PM
Texans have Brandon Harris doing a daily diary on his rookie season
===========================================
Brandon Harris rookie diary: Excited for Monday night
By Brandon Harris, Special to HoustonTexans.com
Posted 3 hours ago
aaRookie cornerback Brandon Harris shares his excitement for the first preseason game in his second rookie diary.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Texans cornerback Brandon Harris, drafted in the second round (60th overall) out of Miami (Fla.), will chronicle his rookie season with periodic diary entries for HoustonTexans.com.
The days are starting to get longer. You come in with excitement on the first couple days you report; everything is so new and so fresh you’ve been wanting it for a while. It’s still exciting, but the days get long. You’re waking up at 5:45 in the morning, you’re checking back in and checking out at 9:30 at night, so it gets to the point where you really have to keep pushing yourself. You really have to stay focused, and the time you get off, you’ve got to cherish it. I noticed that since I’ve been here.
When Coach Kub gives us a little time off to relax, stay off your feet. Watch some TV, eat, kick back, because I see a lot guys, they overstress it. You don’t want to get overwhelmed with the information or where you’re pressing a lot. You don’t perform at your best when you go through those moments, so I just learned to cherish every break I get.
The heat is something I’ve been dealing with. I’ve tried to get myself into a routine every night as far as drinking water, taking down Gatorades in the meetings, using those electrolyte packets and stuff like that. I try to make myself drink as much as possible. But the last two days, the heat’s probably been at its best. I felt like I wanted to get my first IV yesterday. Man, it was so hot, I almost went in and got it, but I said, ‘Nah, I’m gonna hold off on it until it’s for emergency purposes.’ So I’m just learning how to deal with it, asking other guys what they do to deal with it; trying to do what they do.
Each day, I’m feeling more comfortable with the defense. Some days are better than others. Every day is not a good day. Some days, you go out there and you’re lights out. You’re on everything. You’re making calls, you’re playing the right stuff, you’re making plays. Then I had one day where I was a little off. I was making little mental mistakes. I wasn’t in the right position. I wasn’t in the right spots where I was supposed to be. And I kind of felt a little down that day. That was one of those days you feel a little down on yourself, so you’ve just gotta go back to what you know best. Continue to study, and continue to work and get better. This is the NFL; everybody out there has talent. You can’t let one day like that ruin the rest of your camp, and I was able to bounce back from that and string together a couple of good days.
I’ve been getting some good feedback from the coaches. The coaching staff is really hard on me, though, being a rookie. Coach (Vance) Joseph, he wants to make sure that I cherish everything, that I really am studying and doing the right things that I’m supposed to do. So I’m getting no slack at all in the meeting rooms, but they do a good job of encouraging you, too.
I had a great time the past couple days with the fans coming out to practice. They’ve been very encouraging. They know a lot of information about you. I had a couple fans come and talk to me about my high school ball. They remember watching me in high school. My high school played on ESPN one game when I was a senior. They remember me going out there and handling business in high school, and they’ve been following me ever since. That’s been exciting.
Our team had a cookout on Friday. We enjoyed that; it was just a chance for us to get to bond with each other. We had some burgers on the grill and just guys playing cards and playing dominoes, just kicking it, just getting to know each other a little bit better. Those have been some of the moments I’ve enjoyed the most -- meeting different guys from different parts of the country, talking to those guys. I had a conversation with Shiloh Keo, the safety we drafted, just comparing where I’m from in Miami to comparing where he was in school in Idaho. Obviously two different places, two atmospheres totally different, and we got a chance to just talk and just share some of our experiences. I got a chance to really create a bond with not just him, but everybody else I’ve come in contact with over here.
Monday Night Football coming up, this is exciting. This is my first professional game. It’s preseason, but I’m a rookie, so this counts for me. I get a lot of reps and get a chance to see how I measure up, so I don’t even view it as a preseason game. It’s just the first game, my first NFL game. This is what young guys like me look forward to. Some of the vets, they know it’s their time to sit back and just cheer us on and see what they’ve been teaching us over the past two weeks. But for us, this is it. This is our go.
I started to visualize it yesterday morning, actually. When I came in to work, I saw all the ESPN trucks outside. They were setting up the satellites, setting up different things, and I was like, “OK, this is for real.” Then I come inside and I go in Reliant and I see now they have the grass down. The field, the stadium is set up like it’s going to be on gameday. The past couple weeks, the stadium has been set up for different events they’ve been having. They had the Governor come in with the prayer circle, and I think they had the circus before that. Yesterday was my first day actually getting to see it as the football stadium, so that was excxiting to come in and walk out on the field and just look around in amazement and be like, “Man, this is an incredible building.” I can’t wait to be out there on that field on Monday night
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 02:21 PM
Marlins attendance today is down right ugly! I can here my beer guy as clear as a bell!
Posted by: canechic | August 14, 2011 at 02:23 PM
any tweets from the scrimmage?
Posted by: mi@mic@ne | August 14, 2011 at 02:30 PM
NY TROOPER - you are correct sir, I forgot about him leaving FSU this past June
Good luck with that Jordan. Although I hate both FSU and Notre Dame, I'm sure the 2 legged female scenery is much better in cold ass Indiana than up in Tally
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nd/sports/w-lacros/auto_action/542231.jpeg
...... or not
Posted by: Six | August 14, 2011 at 02:31 PM
nothing yet mi@mi
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 02:34 PM
What happened to the canespace drone?
Posted by: mi@mic@ne | August 14, 2011 at 02:34 PM
first half photos from today scrimmage
http://ufootball.tumblr.com/post/8914935642/halftime-update-in-photos-heres-a-sneak-peak-from
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 02:37 PM
Would like me to tell you what Futch is majoring in?
Posted by: canechic | August 14, 2011 at 02:16 PM
He would NOT be the first football player to ever major in "Female Anatomy" while in college.
I'm jus sayin'...
Posted by: SOUP | August 14, 2011 at 02:37 PM
Ray Ray looks like he just killed someone
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 02:38 PM
some nice holding going on springing Lamar too lol!
Posted by: solarcane | August 14, 2011 at 02:39 PM
What happened to the canespace drone?
Posted by: mi@mic@ne | August 14, 2011 at 02:34 PM
OGV was at the remote controls and he flew it too low (after I told him not to) got it into a left hand banking turn, stalled it, and it crashed into the UM parking garage just south of Greentree and behind the UM baseball field.
Landed with a thud and UM secruity hauled it away.
Over $10K down the drain.
Posted by: SOUP | August 14, 2011 at 02:40 PM
What happened to the canespace drone?
Posted by: mi@mic@ne | August 14, 2011 at 02:34 PM
It was last seen flying over Tally. Unofficial report says it was shot down by what looked like to be a long stick with a pointy rock tied at the end of it.
Posted by: 360Canes | August 14, 2011 at 02:41 PM
Time to go to back up plan... bring out the Ultra Lights... lol
Posted by: mi@mic@ne | August 14, 2011 at 02:43 PM