Eye on the U

UM women's tennis finishes Sweet 16 round at close to 1 a.m. EST -- but beats Northwestern to advance to NCAA quarterfinals

They did it again.

For the fifth consecutive season, the University of Miami women's tennis team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

The sixth-ranked Hurricanes, playing at the tournament site in Urbana, Ill., beat Northwestern 4-3. They didn't complete play until close to 1 a.m. Eastern time Saturday (match began Friday night).

The Canes get to rest on Saturday, before meeting No. 3 Texas A&M at 5 p.m. EST on Sunday.

If UM beats Texas A&M in the Elite Eight round, it would play in the national semifinals on Monday. If UM, in turn, won that match, it would advance to the national title round on Tuesday.

The Hurricanes finished as the national runner-up in 2006, but have never won a national title. 

 On Friday, it was  junior Melissa Bolivar who clinched the victory at the No. 6 spot by winning her final two games. She beat Nida Hamilton 7-6 (6), 1-6, 6-4.

 Also winning for UM were Stephanie Wagner at the No. 1 spot and Kelsey Laurente at the No. 2 spot, as well as the crucial doubles victories by Albuquerque/Riobueno and Wagner/Brittany Dubins.

 "I didn't feel comfortable throughout the match,'' Bolivar said after the match, as reported by UM sports information. "I just fought through it. You have to win, even though you're not playing your best. That's a quality we have.''

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

Tommy Streeter has grown from after thought to most targeted Canes receiver

CORAL GABLES -- Tommy Streeter was asked Wednesday about what might have hampered his ability to be more involved in the Hurricanes passing game in each of his first three seasons.

Streeter paused and then smiled almost as if he was weighing whether or not to answer the question honestly. Finally, he came out with it. "I'd say, not taking anything away from the old staff, but I felt those guys had their guys that they felt confident in," Streeter said.

Well, it's safe to say Al Golden, offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch and receivers coach George McDonald aren't lacking much confidence in Streeter. The former Miami Northwestern standout, who caught 16 passes for 286 yards and TDs combined in his first three years at UM, has seen his role shift dramatically this season.

He's grown from afterthought into one of UM's most reliable targets. The 6-5, 215-pound Streeter is second on the team behind Allen Hurns with 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. Hurns has caught 12 passes for 159 yards and two TDs. But he hasn't been UM's most targeted receiver. Streeter owns that distinction having been thrown to a team-leading 19 times.

"It feels good," Streeter said of being in the mix at receiver. "Since I've been at UM my main objective was to help this team in anyway possible."

The Hurricanes aren't exactly lighting teams up in the passing game. With tailback Lamar Miller carrying most of the load on offense, UM ranks 87th in passing. But McDonald's receivers have done a pretty good shining brightly -- especially in light that the unit lost record-setting receiver Leonard Hankerson (Redskins) and hasn't gotten much out of senior LaRon Byrd or the team's tight ends.

McDonald said Wednesday his receivers have dropped just three passes in UM's first three games. Drops were clearly a much bigger problem a year ago under Aubrey Hill.

"They're doing pretty good," McDonald said Wednesday. "But we still have a lot of work to do.

"We've caught some tough balls, but I don't want to single anybody out. But we haven't caught every ball. We're catching a high clip. Jacory and Stephen have done a good job giving us catchable balls. We've done a good job coming down with them."

McDonald said he's a big stickler for what guys do in practice and believes it has a carryover to game days. That's why he and Golden love Hurns, who plays with as much enthusiasm and energy in practice according to teammates as he does on game day.

"He comes out here in practice, dives, blocks and does the same things on Saturdays," McDonald said. "It's been real good to show him as an example to the group -- especially the young guys -- if you do the right things everyday you can be successful too."

McDonald said freshman Phillip Dorsett "has really followed Allen's lead." Golden said Wednesday Dorsett is getting about 20 snaps per game.

"Same thing with Reshawn [Scott]," McDonald said. "He had a great week of practice, so we gave him a couple plays. Like coach Fisch talks about, we want everybody to have an opportunity to go out and make plays. But in order to do that you need to come to practice and earn it. That's why you're seeing some of these new, young guys on the field."

As for Byrd, who has four receptions for 41 yards (he had 12 for 118 after 3 games a year ago), McDonald said he's "in a little bit of a slump -- just like a home run hitter."

"We've tried to have him go back to the basics," McDonald said. "As a senior, you put a lot of pressure on yourself because it's your last go-around, your last games. We just want LaRon to back to having fun. We're going to need him. He's going to come up big. It might be this week. But he's going to be in our rotation. Right now he's just playing a little too tense."

Asked if Byrd was responsible for Jacory Harris' lone interception Saturday against Kansas State, McDonald said: "He needed to come back to the ball a little harder. He pulled up a little bit and the DB was able to undercut him. So, it's just the matter of him trusting his training and coming back to the ball a little bit harder."

McDonald said senior Travis Benjamin, suspended for the opener, "is buying into what we're doing." Benjamin is third on the team with nine catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. "We're excited to have him back," McDonald said.

McDonald cited Benjamin, Hurns, Streeter and Byrd as players who have taken over Hankerson's role as vocal leaders. "I think a lot of guys are taking ownership," McDonald said. " I think everybody feels like they have a voice. It's not just one dominant guy. Everybody has made plays and earned the right to speak up. That's what we want as a team."

Junior Kendall Thompkins, who has shined on special teams, has yet to catch a pass. "He's been on the field," McDonald said. "Sometimes the ball just doesn't go your way."

THIS AND THAT

>  UM coach Al Golden thanked reporters Wednesday for continuing to bring up the lack of production from the team's tight ends.

Asked why Chase Ford, Clive Walford and Asante Cleveland have combined for just 6 catches for 48 yards, Golden said: "Some of it is just what [the defense] is giving us. Clive had a touchdown called back against Ohio State. We had a couple of other opportunities we had to give it to him and we didn't. It's as simple as that. It's a function of them running the right route, the right depth, Jacory [Harris] being precise, getting the protection on that specific play and then everybody executing."

> UM quarterback Jacory Harris said Tuesday he called for audibles "a couple times" in last Saturday's loss to Kansas State. One of them was on Lamar Miller's 59-yard touchdown run.

Asked why the passing offense was much more aggressive in the second half (Harris was 11 of 13 for 191 yards, 2 TDs) versus Kansas State, Harris said: "Coach called good plays."

> Palm Beach Post reporter Jorge Milian spotted Harris wearing a harness around his left shoulder Wednesday at practice. Harris was hit hard by a Kansas State defender on his fourth quarter touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin Saturday.

I spotted Lamar Miller no longer wearing a yellow non-contact jersey Wednesday. Golden reiterated banged up players like Miller would play Saturday. "I keep telling you guys they're playing, they're all playing," Golden said. "If the doctor tells me otherwise we'll report it. But they're all playing."

Hurricanes depth chart released for Bethune-Cookman

Here's the depth chart for Bethune-Cookman, released this morning:

 

http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/041811aab.html

 

Some things to point out: Freshman Anthony Chickillo is now starting at right defensive end, with Adewale Ojomo his backup.

Also, Seantrel Henderson, who is expected to play this weekend, is listed as the backup right tackle to Jon Feliciano. Brandon Washington is still the starter at left tackle.

Also, Tommy Streeter is listed behind starting wide receiver Allen Hurns, with an OR between Streeter and LaRon Byrd.

Also, there's an OR between co-starting defensive ends Andrew Smith and Marcus Robinson

NOTE: Please keep in mind that DT Micanor Regis again was wearing a yellow, noncontact jersey, today at practice. His backup is Darius "The Plug" Smith.

TB Lamar Miller also was wearing a yellow jersey at practice, as well as tight end Chase Ford.

Miller's backups on the depth chart, in order, are Mike James, Eduardo Clements and Maurice Hagens.

--SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

 

 

 

 

Lamar in a yellow (noncontact) jersey, but Golden said he's probable

Hurricanes running back Lamar Miller, who hurt his left shoulder in the fourth quarter of the Kansas State game, was at practice Monday wearing a yellow (noncontact) jersey worn by injured players. Also wearing the yellow jersey: defensive tackle Micanor Regis and tight end Chase Ford.

UM will not discuss individual injuries.

Coach Al Golden was asked after practice, "What was he [Miller] able to do today?'' Replied Golden: "Again, the fact that he is in a yellow is confidential. But he is obviously working hard and hopefully he'll be able to work through it.''

To Golden: "Would you say Lamar's status is day-to-day?  Golden: "I wouldn't.''

To Golden: "What would his status be?"

Golden: "In terms of what?''

Reporter: "In terms of will he play. Doubtful? probable?"

Golden: "He better be playing. So what does that mean?''

Reporter: "Is it probable now?''

Golden: "I guess you would say it's probable. But he should be able to play. I don't think there's any question he should be able to play.''

Golden reiterated that 6-8, 345-pound sophomore Seantrel Henderson, who had back surgery Aug. 8, will play Saturday against Bethune-Cookman. Golden said he is practicing at tackle, though he didn't specify a side.

The coach also said Shayon Green, coming off knee surgery, will play Saturday at defensive end.

"They're doing good,'' Golden said of Henderson and Green. "They're excited. There are a lot of guys on that sideline on the game that you've got to talk to about paying attention and focus and sideline energy. Seantrel and Shayon aren't two of them. If you just watch the game, Seantrel, he's basically on the edge of his seat every play that's going on. He loves football. Shayon loves football. It's good to have those two guys back.''

Golden again clarified the Henderson practice situation. Last week he told us that he had not fully practiced and that this week would be his first full practice sessions. Monday, Golden said, "Last week was the first week he practiced fully. Prior to that he did eight or nine, if you will, individual sessions to get him ready for that. He didn't miss too much of a beat today."

--SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

 

 

 

Al Golden talks about his team late Sunday afternoon

Here's a transcript I did from Al Golden's call with us today:

Would you like to see a more aggressive Jacory Harris, like yesterday in the second half, throwing downfield more and taking chances?

"I just want Jacory to play within the system and I know Jed wants the same thing and I thought he did a good job doing that. He threw the ball out of bounds a couple times, scrambled a couple other times and then took shots when they were there.

Again, I thought he stepped into his throws really nicely – two posts to Travis, one to Hurnsey, and he scrambled one time and hit Dorsett. He did some good things. We just have to make sure he stays within the system and take what the defense gives us."

He came alive in the second half. Why is that?

"He’s been playing pretty good football. Again quarterbacks are going to throw interceptions. We just don’t want a great number of them. Right now he’s doing what we’re asking him to do. He’s almost 70-percent [completion rate]. He’s four touchdowns and I think three interceptions. He’s executing the offense. We should have been a little better on third down, but I think some of that was due to the two penalties. But clearly he’s doing what we want him to do. He stood in there and took some hits and made some throws. I’m excited with Jacory and the direction he’s going with us."

Lamar Miller's injury status?

"It’s a shoulder injury. There’s no status and there’s really no story right now. We don’t think it’s going to be anything too bad but we’ll find out when we get out tomorrow."

On the drive where K-State got its final touchdown, Sean wasn’t on the field first four plays. Why?

"Very early in the fourth, right after the pass to travis that got you lead? It was just a situation where we were going to rest him three or four plays and then get him back out there. We try to rest the guys for a couple plays here and there and then make sure we’re not doing it in bunches. In other words we don’t want to do it at D-line in two or three spots while we’re doing it at linebacker and the secondary. We just want to give him a couple plays so we could finish the game strong."

 Brandon Washington, any reason for concern there?

"No. I think he’s going to be ok. They both got banged up in the game. We knew it was going to be a big physical team we were playing. We could see that on tape. But clearly they were that. we have some guys that are banged up, but we anticipate both those guys being back."

How is the confidence of Mike James, with his turnovers and yesterday's two unsuccessful runs? How is he emotionally?

"I think he’s doing OK. The biggest thing down there was we didn’t execute. We gave it to Mike. Mike is the same guy who finished that drive down there last week. He’s a 220 pound back. He’s a good back down in there.  Lamar was banged up a little bit. It’s good to give it to mike down there. He’s a big physical back, but we didn’t execute. Again, give credit to ks. But we actually lost a yard which left us with a fourth and 2 and clearly you don’t have as many choices as if you were left with a fourth and half a yard. We didn’t execute as a team and mike was only part of that.’’

Penalties have gone from 10 to 5 to 4. Yesterday, a couple illegal procedures killed things.

“Bad ones, yeah. Not only were those two bad but then we took possession of the ball after K-state scored and got an illegal block in the back and we started off on our own 10 which hampered that drive. The penalties overall have been better but the two on offense, our first two drives I believe, came at critical times. First time we were left with a third-and-one, then we were third-and-6, and we ended up settling for a field goal there. Then the next one was fourth-and-3, 39 or 40-yard-line. I thought it would be just as good to go for it there as it would be to punt. So we did that and we went offside. We ended up completing that ball, but we jumped just a hair too quickly. So those are significant plays, especially in a [game] that comes down to the final play of the game. Those two plays ended up being really big, costly plays for us."

 Run defense, any rhyme or reason why they were so successful against you yesterday?

"No. 1 we didn’t tackle very well. We didn’t tackle the quarterback very well. He’s a big strong runner and we knew that going in. We just had too many missed tackles on him and we weren’t as precise as we needed to be, quite honestly, on defense. We need to make sure we’re all on the same page and one guy is not playing one technique and the other guy is freelancing and the next thing you know you’ve got a big play. We had too much of that. We have to stay focused and play collectively on defense. Hopefully we’ll get that fixed here."

Chase had a huge catch but no other receptions from tight ends. Why aren’t the tight ends catching more balls?

"You guys keep asking me and I keep telling you, we’re going to keep trying to make sure we have enough plays in there to get them the ball and to make sure we’re doing what we need to do to get them the football. I thought obviously Chase made a big play there but we‘ve got to get the ball to Chase and Clive a little bit more. We’re just going to stay with it until we do it. I thought we game planned to get the ball better in Travis’ hands and certainly Alan and Street are doing much better. Dorsett showed up which I knew he would ultimately. So now we need the same out of Chase and Clive. We’ll keep working on it. It’s something important to me that we get them involved and hopefully we’ll improve that this week."

 Bethune Cookman has like 27 kids from South Florida on that team, probably many of whom dreamed at one time of playing at Miami. This is a huge deal for them, their first BCS opponent. How dangerous a week is this, when you combine their level of excitement with the potential for morale issues after loss to Kansas State. How leery are you of where things stand?

"This is an excellent opponent coming in, so very leery, No. 1. No. 2, not really worried too much about our morale as much as I am worried about just the process and moving forward. There are very few teams that have opened up playing three bowl teams to start off the season, so hopefully our kids are learning. We’re improving. We certainly have to do better in many areas. I’m not saying that. We’re playing good competition. We’re getting better. This is the next test for us. We know they’re going to come in here and fly around. They’ve had nine days to prepare for us, so I know that has got our guys’ attention. We’ve just got to stay focused on the process and get ready for Bethune. They’re going to provide us an incredible challenge on offense – multiple formations, segments of the spread option that we’ve just seen, so that will get our guys’ attention, and very aggressive on defense. Clearly this will be a great challenge for us this week."

Because they are so diverse offensively, do you have any real time in the schedule this week to certainly not look past them, but obviously then you have ACC road games the next two weeks. Can you do any planning that can carry over this week?

 "No. We’re not there right now. We’re playing too many young guys and we’re trying to settle into being a good team ourselves. We’re just trying to improve right now and we’re just trying to fix the things that we’re not doing well. For all the things we didn’t do well we had a chance to win that game. That’s ultimately on my shoulders and that’s something that I’ve got to get fixed. And that’s something that we’ve got to get fixed as an organization. Our kids are fighting back. They’re competing. They’re giving themselves an opportunity to win and we’ve got to make sure we do that. But we don’t have time to move forward right now on anything else but Bethune."

They had four fumbles yesterday and you couldn't get one turnover. How important is it that the defense starts forcing turnovers?

“It’s critical. It’s absolutely critical because I don’t know what our average starting field position is. I think it was around the 30-yard line or 29-yard line so that left us a long field the whole time. They put the ball on the ground four times and we didn’t get it. Their offense is a high degree of difficulty offense, which means it’s not only a high degree of difficulty for us to defend, but also to execute. When you’ve got a got in your face and you stop and throw the ball out to the perimeter there’s a greater chance that something can go wrong. That ball was on the ground four times and we didn’t get a turnover. We didn’t pick one off or catch one of the deflected ones and of course the one that looked like a lateral we weren’t able to get that one either. From that standpoint we need to create more turnovers."

 Will there be any changes in the depth chart defensively. Will anyone lose their job or gain a job?

"I don’t know if anybody gained or lost. We’ll sort through that here today. Obviously on the offense we expect seantrel to be back in some capacity. He’ll start off as a backup and work from there. Shayon Green on defense, we’ll try to work into the mix at defensive end. Other than that, just off the top of my head I don’t know if there are any other changes.

 We’re counting on those guys playing. They already practiced the last eight or nine days, so we’re counting on those guys getting ready to play."

 Can you clarify when Seantrel returned to practice?

"He practiced basically all last week. He has been doing conditioning. Obviously he was suited up for the game and did all the warmups. He’s feeling good and as long as he doesn’t have any setbacks we’re going to continue to move forward with him. But he’s in good shape and he hasn’t had any adverse reactions so we are expecting him to be ready to go in the game and we’ll see how he develops this week. Shayon is in the same boat, too."

With Lamar, might this game be, if he’s not hurt badly, an opportunity for him to rest up?

“All respect, we’re trying to win the game. That’s all we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get better and win the game. Bethune has got an excellent team coming back. They’re off to a good start this year. They’re going to come down here with great energy, with nine days preparation. They’re well coached and we better bring our A game, and that’s it. There is no looking ahead. There is no resting anybody. We’re getting ready for a football game. Hopefully there will be a point in our program where we’re settled in and we have depth everywhere and we’re not playing freshmen sometime in the future where that will be the case. But right now this is about us getting better and becoming a better football team."

 --SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

K-State loss evidence Canes still mediocre

There are so many ways to look at Saturday's loss to Kansas State and narrow the scope of disappointment and frustration.

> The Canes, down double digits twice, fell one yard shy of a thrilling come-from-behind win.

> It's just one loss -- out of conference and UM can still turnaround and win the ACC.

> It's Al Golden's third game as coach. Give him time. He's on the right path.

> Jacory Harris played an amazing second half -- his finish half of football since his win at Florida State his sophomore year. Maybe he's put the struggles behind him? Maybe Jacory is on the verge of a rebirth?

Me? I can't just look at it from that perspective. The losing has gone on for too long now. The same mistakes happen over and over and over and over again. Poor tackling. Penalties. Turnovers. Inconsistent quarterback play. Lack of a pass rush. Nothing special about the special teams. Stop me when I get to something you haven't seen over the last five years.

At this point, who hasn't grown tired of the day after search for a silver lining following a loss? There have been plenty of them. 36 wins. 31 losses. That's UM's record since Larry Coker took them to the Peach Bowl in 2005. Temple? The school UM used to laugh at in the Big East? After they rolled Maryland 38-7 Saturday, they improved to 30-35 over the same span. Not such a large gap, huh? Well, that view works two ways: 1. Hope for the future since Golden built Temple into a winner. 2. Man, UM has really fallen that far?

Spin it the way you like, but I see this all one way: the results on the field right now haven't changed a whole lot under new leadership. I'm not pointing the finger at Al Golden. Mediocrity became the University of Miami's middle name under Larry Coker long ago. Randy Shannon did little to erase it. All I'm saying three games into the Golden era, it's clear Golden Al has a lot of cleaning up to do to wipe the stench off the Canes.

Again, don't blame Al. I know it seemed like when he took over a wave of positive momentum was building. He did a nice job on National Signing Day. Spring football showed promising developments. Along the way, he said all the right things. Man, this guy is going to be different than Randy Shannon. With a lot of seniors and some good coaching the Canes might be pretty good. That was the hope.

Well, not yet folks. Al Golden is different and will be different than Randy Shannon. But right now, this football team still plays like it did for Shannon. One week up. Next week down. The win over Ohio State we now know was fool's gold. The Buckeyes, with worse problems at quarterback than Miami, were almost the perfect opponent for UM to play up for. They were ranked, beat UM a year ago and secretly much worse than we really knew. The Canes exposed them.

Saturday, Kansas State returned the favor. Even with Jacory Harris putting up his best half in years, UM's effort still wasn't good enough. What does that say?

Kansas State ran for 265 yards on Miami (UM is ranked 99th out of 120 teams in run defense). Quarterback Collin Klein carved the Canes up. 2nd and 29 from the K-State 3? Klein was off and running for 26. That great red zone defense for UM? Kansas State was 4 for 4 Saturday with four touchdowns. The spectacular Lamar Miller? Except for that career long 59-yard touchdown run, the Wildcats bottled him up. His 17 other carries produced 47 yards. Expect everyone else UM plays to key on Lamar until Harris proves his second half wasn't a fluke. Oh yeah, and then there was that whole 0 for 4 performance from 2 yards out to win the game. What else needs to be said? For all the talent on the Canes offensive line, UM couldn't muster two yards? Sorry. Not good enough.

The post-game explanations? All nothing we haven't heard before.

"We needed to get 2 yards and didn't do it. Its our fault," center Tyler Horn said.

"I should have put the ball in his chest," Harris said of his pass to Clive Walford on first and goal. "But I didn't. That was probably our best shot."

"Too many missed tackles," Spence said of UM's defensive woes. "We didn't get leverage. We just have to go back, keep pushing, keep grinding."

We know. We've heard it for years. But the grind has been going on a long time now and frankly it is getting old -- even with a new guy in charge.

How old? When the oldest guy in the press box -- 83-year old veteran Herald columnist Ed Pope -- says its getting old, you know it's getting old. "They got rid of Shannon for this?" Pope wondered aloud at halftime in the press box named after him at Sun Life Stadium.

It is only 3 games into this season. UM has only lost 2 games. And the Canes only finished 1 yard shy of winning Saturday. But don't confuse it. The distance between mediocrity and glory in Coral Gables is far apart.

Whatever momentum Al Golden was building -- regardless of the Nevin Shapiro saga -- isn't strong enough to make a quick and immediate impact. I'm not saying we should have expected a quick turnaround. But again, that was the hope. It's clear now it takes more than better coaching. Losing has become embedded in the Canes' DNA. That doesn't disappear overnight. Or over two or three nights.

Canes fans need to strap themselves in. The up and down ride is going to continue. As for this season, just know on days when the other team shows up with a decent quarterback it could end up being a frustrating afternoon. That's what we've learned about the 2011 Canes. The rest? All repeat history.

First option on final play in Canes' loss to K-State was shovel pass for Lamar Miller

SUN LIFE STADIUM -- Had things gone the way the Hurricanes wanted to on their final offensive play from scrimmage Saturday, Lamar Miller would have been on the receiving end of Jacory Harris' game-winning shovel pass.

Instead, Miller never got the pass because Kansas State defensive end Adam Davis blocked the lane, leaving Harris to choose between two other options: running it in himself or trying to connect with tight end Clive Walford on a pass in the flat.

"When the d-end decided he was going to be late off the ball, he kind of ruined the whole play," Harris said. "He wasn't paying attention and as soon as I said hike he got caught up in his assignment and it actually helped him. My only option was run it or throw it in the flat and I couldn't do that because they were playing man.

"They covered it pretty well. The d-end, him being late on the ball he actually played the shovel pass without knowing it. Next time we just have to run it up in there, never put ourselves in that situation again."

The Hurricanes (1-2) tried to punch it in twice with Mike James. It didn't work. So why didn't Miller -- the team's leading rusher -- get a crack? "He was too banged up," UM coach Al Golden said.

Miller injured his left shoulder with 7:55 to play in the game when he was tackled for no gain at the UM 28-yard line by Kansas State's Vai Lutui. Miller, who has suffered shoulder injuries throughout his career including last season, ran over immediately to the bench the Canes ended up punting on their next-to-last series. He returned for the final series, but had two carries for one yard before exiting and returning on the final play.

Should Canes fans be worried about Miller missing time? Well, Harris is. "Of course I'm worried about a guy that's injured," Harris said. "I don't know the extent of what his injury is, but he's a tough guy and I know he's going to be in the training room trying to get right, trying to get healthy so he can be ready next week full throttle."

The Hurricanes certainly need him. Miller scored on a career-long 59 yard touchdown run and broke the 100-yard mark for the third game in a row, finishing with 106 yards on 18 carries. He's now run for 1,055 yards 14 games into his career.

> Another injury to monitor: left tackle Brandon Washington went down with a right knee injury in the first half, but returned and played the second half.

PENALTIES HURT

The Hurricanes were only flagged four times for 30 yards Saturday, but two on the offensive line in the first quarter were "drive killers, energy vampires," according to Harris.

The first -- a false start on redshirt freshman right tackle Jonathan Felicano -- turned a 3rd-and-1 at the Kansas State 17 into a 3rd and 6. UM ended up settling for a field goal. Sixth-year senior Joel Figueroa came in for the injured Washington and was called for a false start on 4th-and-4 at the Kansas State 37. UM decided to punt.

SPENCE: "MISSED TACKLES KILLED US"

Sean Spence tied a career high with 14 tackles. He also had a sack, two and half tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

He was one of the few on UM's defense to have a good day as Kansas State scorched the Canes for 265 yards rushing and scored touchdowns on all four of its trips into the red zone. UM had only given up one touchdown defensively in nine trips into the red zone in their first two games.

"Goes back to leverage, we had a couple of run misfits, a couple of missed tackles -- nothing we can't correct," Spence said. "You have to give credit to their quarterback. He did a great job. We knew going into the game he was their best runner. Watching him on film he did everything today he did before."

The play that stung Spence the most? The 26-yard run K-State quarterback Collin Klein had on 2nd and 29 from the Wildcats 3. "It took a lot of air out of us," he said. "We had the crowd in it. They were backed up on the goalline and popped one on us right up the middle. It deflated us."

ARTHUR BROWN GOES HOME HAPPY

Former Hurricanes linebacker Arthur Brown, who transferred to Kansas State after the 2009 season, finished with six tackles for the Wildcats -- fourth best on the team in his return to Miami.

“One of the last things I heard when I left Miami is I’ll always be family," said Brown, who shook hands with Spence before the game. "There was a lot of excitement more than anything."

UM center Tyler Horn said: "Arthur is a stud. I knew that from when he was here."

Bryce Brown, Arthur's younger brother, played and had a pass thrown his way that fell incomplete. He did not, however, have any carries.

Gameday blog: UM vs. Kansas State

Herald Sports Writer Manny Navarro will be here to anchor the blog, answer questions and share his thoughts on both Twitter and our blog. Remember, inappropriate or obscene comments will not be tolerated and will be deleted.

SUN LIFE STADIUM -- Your Miami Hurricanes (1-1) will try to make it two wins in a row for the first time since knocking off Maryland and Georgia Tech last November when they host Kansas State (2-0) at Sun Life Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

> ABOUT K-STATE: It's hard to tell exactly how good the Wildcats really are. They struggled to beat Eastern Kentucky 10-7 in the season-opener. The Football Championship Subdivision Colonels (1-2) lost to Chattanooga last week and were less than two minutes away from an upset against K-State before quarterback Collin Klein connected with Chris Harper on a 33-yard touchdown pass with 1:39 to play to really the Wildcats. Last week, K-State rolled 37-0 over Kent State (5-7 last year).

Former Canes linebacker Arthur Brown leads the team with 19 tackles and a defense that ranks first nationally in three categories -- scoring defense, pass efficiency defense and total defense while also ranking second in pass defense and eighth in rushing defense. Offensively, K-State really is a one-horse team led by Klein,a 6-5, 226-pound junior who leads the team with 217 yards rushing and is 22 of 39 for 202 yards passing and 2 TDs, 1 INT in two games. 

> ABOUT THE CANES: Miami, coming off its 24-6 win over Ohio State, didn't suffer any major injuries against the Buckeyes and figure to use the winning formula this week as last week -- a lot of Lamar Miller, Mike James and a defense that gives up yardage, but not points.

> MY PICK: UM 33, K-State 9. Unless Canes quarterback Jacory Harris starts being careless again with the football there is no reason UM shouldn't win this game and fairly comfortably. Scrambling quarterbacks always give UM trouble. But if Klein can't connect with his receivers, you don't have to respect his arm much. The story here will be UM's defense and how they hold an opponent out of the end zone for the second week in a row.

Seantrel worked out today and Jacory was asked about public criticism

There was big news today at Canes practice -- big as in 6-8 and 345 pounds.

Offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson walked off the practice field into the areas where reporters gather to wait for interviews. He dropped his yellow jersey (designated for injured players) and shoulder pads onto the ground and put that large body into an even larger tub of ice water.

Henderson had back surgery Aug. 8 and back then, the prognosis was not great. Some, including insiders among the UM staff, believed he might miss the entire season. But Wednesday he worked out on a limited basis, and Canes fans should be rejoicing. The UM O-line has already gotten better after some switches for Ohio State, and if Henderson should actually get back into the lineup this season, just think how much more dominant it could be.

"He worked out today with full gear on,'' UM coach Al Golden said of Henderson Wednesday. "I know he was excited. "He's in the ice. Takes the whole tub. We'll see how he reacts tomorrow and go from there.''

When asked the difference between "working out" and practicing, Golden said, "Practicing is a different animal. The fact that he lost so much weight is really going to help him with his conditioning.

 "He'll be able to do even more and more and more Friday and more Saturday and we'll just keep going. We expect him back next week.''

Henderson was slated to play left tackle before this season, but Golden said Tuesday that where Henderson ends up on the line depends on the progression of the other linemen. Brandon Washington moved from right to left tackle for Ohio State.

As for quarterback Jacory Harris, the man this O-line aims to protect, he spoke to the media Wednesday. And, as usual, the "i" word came up. Harris threw two interceptions against Ohio State on Saturday, and explained he is blocking out public criticism.

"I really don't care about what's thought about outside as long as within this program they still believe in me, still trust in me. I know that decisions could have been made different. I'm not really worried about it. People say whatever they want to say."

Is it tougher to block out mistakes because they're talked about so much?

"Not at all. [I'm] still the same person. I know that those are things that can be corrected. If I just do what I'm told then they won't be there.''

Harris was pleased with how he managed the game and that the team obviously came out with a victory. "That's all that matters at the end of the day.''

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

Al Golden transcript from Sunday recapping the Ohio State win

Transcript of Hurricanes coach Al Golden's teleconference with reporters Sunday recapping the Ohio State win.

Do anything to celebrate your first win at UM?
"Besides sit in a traffic jam? [Laughter]. No. My kids were at the game. My six and four year old were at the game. I got to see them right after the game, so that was nice. Other than that, we just kind of were a little bit wired when we got home. Then I just went to bed, got up and started all over today."

Your thoughts on the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC?
"I think it's tremendous for the ACC to bring those types of media markets to the ACC. Incredible move. I think Commissioner Swofford and the presidents of the ACC. [New York] No. 1 media market in the country. Pittsburgh. To bring those TV sets, kind of exposure to our conference is a win win and a tremendous move."

How you plan to counter teams keying on Lamar Miller after his great start to the season?
"I don't think anybody game plans to stop the run better than Ohio State has the last seven years. I think clearly we still have some things we have to iron out in the passing game. But with Hurns, Benjamin, [Streeter], those guys providing a passing threat and a deep vertical threat, we'll be able to remain balanced. We'd like to be a balanced team. We got in a situation where we got ahead last night and ran the ball the last nine minutes of the game. I think our staff would like to stay as balanced as we can."

What do you have to iron out in the passing game?
"We protected the passer a lot better in this game which was a concern. We made some really good throws on third down. Our third down conversions were good. We've been excellent in the red zone. Both quarterbacks have been really be good in the red zone. We have to eliminate the interceptions and we just have to make sure we can be as precise as we can be in our offense. I think we will be. We want to be a balanced attack. We got ahead and ran the ball a little more than we w wanted to do and we wanted to keep doing it."

Your team had a big day on pass defense, allowing just four completions for 35 yards. What are your thoughts on their effort?
"I thought we put good pressure on the quarterback, which was good. I think having JoJo Nicolas at safety for a second game -- he had two weeks to prepare -- that helped tremendously. Sean Spence was in there getting us in the right formations, the right adjustments, right defense, helped tremendously as well. I think it was a combination of a lot of different things. We were getting more pressure than we had been from our four man rush. Sean made a big difference for us."

Red zone defense has been exceptional thus far (1 TD in 9 drives). Reason?
"I think it's a mentality. We're trying to finish halves and we're trying to finish games. I think we're in good condition. I don't think there are any lapses in focus or any diminish in our effort down there. I think the defense has been letting all the previous plays go that have allowed a team to arrive in the red zone. Their mentality right now is just to play the next play or the next series. We haven't conceded anything on defense. When a team gets down in the red zone and gets moment, it becomes psychological and it overwhelms the physical aspects of it. Our guys are mentally tough and in good condition and finishing those drives better. I think on offense we're making better decisions down there for the most part. We just have to continue to protect the ball better. It was big."

Did you ever imagine finishing Saturday's game with a nine minute drive right down the field on Ohio State?
"We wanted to finish the game on offense. We wanted to be able to pound it at the end. Again, it was a great test for us. It's just a team that has not let up a lot of yards rushing. It doesn't matter if its Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa, they've only given up 10, 100-yard rushers in the last seven years. That's unheard of in college football. I was proud of our effort, clearly having two running backs who had carry the load helped there. I thought the offensive line played well. I thought there were some really good second level blocks and a lot of good second effort play by our running backs -- especially Lamar."

What did you think of Jonathan Feliciano's first career start?
"I think he did good. He's a guy that really prepares hard, very bright young man. Powerful. He's 320 pounds. So he gave us size and strength in there. At the same time, he wasn't overwhelmed by the moment against a really good team. That was positive."

What did you see on film from Jacory Harris' two interceptions last night?
The first one he came because he came off his initial read too quickly and he went to his secondary read and didn't put enough loft under the ball. The second one, we said last night after the game he had to go to his checkdown. But his checkdown wen the wrong way. Again, we can't heed the quarterback so it's no excuse. We can't compound a bad situation in that the checkdown is not where he needed to be in that situation. He should have thrown it out of bounds. He tried to make a play and ended up costing us."

Were you satisfied with Jacory's play?
I'm satisfied. But look, I'm like everybody else. We don't want to be a team that has lots of turnovers. We got to get that fixed. It's a situation where he did manage the game very well. He did make some really good throws on third down to help us have a good conversion rate on third down. He really managed the game well. He got us in the right plays in that nine minute drive at the end of the game. He made two really big-time throws in the red zone. Did a lot of good things. I wish it was his second start with us, but it was his first. I expect him to be much improved against Kansas State."

Dalton Botts appears to being a really good job punting. Your thoughts?
"He's a very mature young man, very process driven. He just takes care of business. Hopefully he'll stay focused. He's been very good. We expected him to bee this good once we saw him in training camp. He's carried over into the games. That was a pretty big stage there Saturday night and he wasn't phased. So we're excited about that. We have to continue to cover kicks really well for him, but so far, so good."

Kendal Thompkins tackle on punt return defense was really big. Can you talk about that?
"It was a big-time effort. He did a really good job keeping the ball in front. We kind of got on different levels there which was unfortunate. But again, you have to give credit to their returner. I thought he did a nice job. I think it was Hall on that one. That was a big play. I think our kickoff unit was good, which he was on. Kendal's starting on three special teams units for us."

Do you have to calm guys down after this 1st win?
"We told them last week, we're going to be consistent. We're going to be the same coaches everyday. We're going to be the same team and the same players everyday. I hope they understand. I hope they enjoyed it, slept well last night. But we had a good day so far today in terms of guys making their commitments to study hall, training room and all that, which shows me they're taking a mature approach. We'll be back out there tomorrow, get ourselves ready for a really good Kansas State team. It's going to be a great challenge for us on Saturday."

Can you decipher anything from Kansas State's two wins over Eastern Kentucky and Kent State?
"To me, I just look at them as a team. When you evaluate their team, we look at their personnel and then we look at their schemes. Other than that, it's really important for us to focus on improving ourselves. Again, we because we had the staggers in terms of guys being suspended, I really expect our guys who played in their first game to make improvement. I expect Ojomo, Forston, Harris and Benjamin to make a lot of improvement from last week to this week. I would prefer to have continuity. But getting that win and getting stronger and having two weeks of the same lineup will be really important for our team."

Did you make it out of the game Injury free?
"So far it's look like we're injury. We'll learn more about some guys in the next 24 hours. But it looks like we're injury free."

Can you talk about Brandon Washington's first start at left tackle?
"We want to settle in. We want to make sure we're playing the best five. Brandon is a guy that can play all the spots up front. We'll see how it evolves. The standard is higher for Brandon because he's talented. We need him to perform better, play better and practice better on a daily basis. Again, it was a good test against a very good defensive line. That 52 and 54 were as good as anybody we'll see. We had our hands full with those guys. Hopefully, we'll continue to make progress. Brandon has to continue to play at a high tempo and carry it over into the game."

Can Lamar Miller maintain this pace? Thoughts on Ohio State win and more

Now with the Pitt-Syracuse-ACC news out of the way, here are some thoughts on last night's 24-6 win over the Buckeyes. The Canes (1-1) will host Kansas State next week at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

OFFENSE

> What else can you say about redshirt sophomore Lamar Miller's performance Saturday other than it was special? Since 2005, Ohio State had only allowed 10 players to run for more than 100 yards against them. Miller became the 11th after the first quarter with 115 on nine carries. He finished with a career high 184 on 26 carries. Heisman talk? Maybe not yet. But after three weeks of college football, Miller ranks fourth in the nation with a 151.5 yard average on the ground. Only South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore (178), San Diego State's Ronnie Hillman (165.67) and Michigan's Denard Robinson (153.0) are averaging more. The question is can he keep up the pace? Miller said he wasn't gassed after Saturday's game. But 26 carries a week for 184 yards will wear on anybody. By the way, can we now refer to Miller and Mike James as Batman and Robin? It's pretty clear after James fumbled again Saturday (UM caught a lucky break when it went out of bounds) who the hero and who the sidekick is.

> UM coach Al Golden told us Jacory Harris "would show us all Saturday night." He sure did. Harris showed us all he's still the same interception prone, soft tossing, queasy-stomach producing quarterback we've seen since the Heisman talk died down two games into the 2009 season. Harris finished 16 of 23 for 123 yards and it was clear from the get-go Jedd Fisch didn't want him throwing deep as his four passes flew in distance less than five yards. But once Ohio State started stacking the box, UM needed Harris to throw the ball downfield and he simply couldn't do it consistently. Outside of a pinpoint 29-yard pass to Tommy Streeter right before the half, Harris only completed three other passes for more than 10 yards. Sorry, but unless UM can steamroll every team it faces on the ground, that's not going to be good enough to help the Canes offense the rest of the season. By the way, it looks like until Harris totally implodes, he'll remain the starter. Golden made it clear he remains committed to J-12 in his post-game assesment: "I thought he made some big time throws, had command of the offense. There are some things we have to fix. But I believe in the kid. He's going to have a really good year for us."

> Sophomore Allen Hurns had another nice game (six catches, 54 yards, 2 TDs) and has clearly become the go-to receiver. But outside of Hurns and a couple Streeter catches, UM got very little from its other receivers. Did anybody see LaRon Byrd after he was underthrown on Harris' first INT? The tight ends were also nearly invisible again, finishing with two receptions for five yards. Although it must be noted Clive Walford would have scored on a pretty 15-yard catch and run before the half had it not been for an illegal formation penalty.

> Lastly, UM's revamped offensive line looked very good. The Canes didn't allow a sack and helped produce 240 rushing yards. To steal a line from Golden, the moment didn't look too big for new left tackle Brandon Washington or freshman right tackle Jonathan Feliciano. Outside of two false starts and that one illegal formation penalty, UM cleaned up its penalty problems on the line.

DEFENSE

> Ohio State’s quarterbacks looked really bad, but the Hurricanes played a big part in making them look that bad. Darius Smith and Anthony Chickillo each had sacks and there was enough pressure throughout that it didn't allow Braxton Miller or Joe Bauserman time to find open receivers. The Buckeyes offensive line hadn’t allowed any sacks in its last 90 pass attempts, the third-longest active FBS streak entering the game. The Canes also produced two turnovers -- an interception by JoJo Nicolas and a Marcus Robinson forced fumble in the 4th quarter that was recovered by Mike Williams. FYI, UM gave credit to Micanor Regis for the forced fumble in the final game starts. Replays showed otherwise.

> As for the pass defense, the Hurricanes allowed only 35 yards passing and four completionss -- 22 of those yards came on the Buckeyes’ final two plays of the game. That's a huge improvement over the way UM looked at Maryland when Danny O'Brien had four completions and 35 yards before the opening drive was over. How much credit the defensive backs deserve is iffy. But there were only a couple times when Ohio State receivers were open and the pass simply didn't get there.

> Golden was right -- linebacker Sean Spence was a huge difference maker back in the lineup. He deflected a pass that was intercepted, made a key third down stop on the third possession of the game and led the team in tackles along with Jimmy Gaines. Spence had six tackles in all. You want to talk about a guy UM can't afford to lose. Sean Spence is that guy. How did the other returnees from suspension do? Marcus Forston had two tackles. Adewale Ojomo had three tackles and a quarterback hurry.

> UM's red zone defense -- albeit with a few breaks -- has been a pretty big story so far this season. Between Maryland and Ohio State, opponents have been the Canes' red zone nine times. But they've only scored one touchdown -- the opening drive at Maryland. UM allowed 19 touchdowns in 50 drives into the red zone all of last year, the 7th best red zone defense in the country.

SPECIAL TEAMS

> Dalton Botts averaged 47.8 yards on four punts, but got a mega assist from receiver Kendal Thompkins in coverage. Thompkins fought off a blocker and made the speedy Jordan Hall go airborne before tumbling to the ground on a huge play in the third quarter. If Thompkins doesn't make the tackle, maybe last night's game goes a different way.

> Travis Benjamin’s 27-yard punt return in the first quarter was nice to see. It was his longest return since last year's touchdown at Ohio State. But Benjamin never got a chance again, calling for fair catches on five other punts.

> Jake Wieclaw is beginning to look like a pretty good replacement for Matt Bosher. He had four kickoffs Saturday for an average of 58.2 yards. Ohio State started only one drive beyond the 30-yard line -- it's last when the game was already decided.

COACHING

> The only head scratcher came when Golden opted to choose to kick a field goal late in the first half instead of calling a time out earlier and taking at least one shot at the end zone. Golden later said because Harris had already thrown two interceptions he simply wanted to avoid a pick in the end zone. It makes sense when you consider the Canes got the opening kickoff of the second half anyway.

> Other than that, credit defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio and offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch for coming up with better game plans this week. Fisch called for a lot of toss sweeps on offense -- avoiding the middle of that solid Ohio State defensive line. And he didn't ask Harris to throw deep very often.

> D'Onofrio got burned a little by Jordan Hall, but quickly figured a way to slow OSU's running game down after a big first half. The Buckeyes had 134 yards at halftime. They had 13 carries for just 40 yards in the second half.

ACC accepts Pitt, Syracuse as new members

Well, it's official. The ACC will be adding two former Canes' Big East rivals to the conference: Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

Sunday morning the ACC announced that its council of presidents unanimously voted to accept the Panthers and Orange, a move that increases its membership to 14 and sends the Big East scrambling to replace two of its cornerstone programs.

The big questions now: When exactly will Syracuse and Pitt make the move? And is the ACC done expanding?

"We are constantly evaluating the competitive landscape to ensure the conference's viability for years to come, and this, I believe, has staying power," ACC commissioner John Swofford said on a conference call this morning.

"First of all, we are very comfortable with this 14. The only thing I would add to that is that we are not philosophically opposed to 16. But for now we are very pleased with this 14. We think it is just an excellent group."

Sunday's announcement is just another sign college athletics is likely headed toward building 12, 14, and 16-team super conferences -- with the Big 12 Conference and Big East being the two that get picked apart.

Last year, Colorado left the Big 12 for the Pac-12, Nebraska left for the Big Ten and now recently Texas A&M made its intentions known it will be joining the SEC. The board of regents at Oklahoma and Texas are supposed to be meeting Monday to discuss the possibility of the universities leaving the conference too.

It's been speculated Texas, a super power with its own TV network, could end up joining the ACC, the Pac-12 or just going independent. If Texas comes to the ACC, it could bring Texas Tech with it. There are also reports two more Big East teams -- Connecticut and Rutgers -- are also under consideration by the ACC.

While there have been reports the SEC is potentially interested in taking Florida State and Clemson from the ACC, Swofford confirmed Sunday 11 of 12 conference presidents unanimously approved raising the ACC's exit fee to $20 million (up from $12 to $14 million) for any member leaving the conference last Tuesday -- a strong move to keep ACC schools from leaving.

With Pittsburgh and Syracuse's additions Sunday, the ACC has now taken five teams from The Big East. In 2004, UM and Virginia Tech left the Big East for the ACC. A year later, Boston College followed. As for how long it will take for Pitt and Syracuse to actually start playing in the ACC, no one is really sure yet. The Big East's exit fee is $5 million and schools wanting to leave must provide a 27-month notice.

Swofford said adding Pitt and Syracuse schools allows the league to renegotiate its 12-year, $1.86 billion television contract that began this season, "and we're confident that will have a positive impact." Translation: More big TV bucks for the ACC and its schools. Also a new possibility: the ACC Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York. 

So what do you think of the additions? How does this help or hurt the Canes? And what should the ACC do next? Are you pumped about returning to the Carrier Dome or Heinz Field every few years?

Personally, I'm not. I feel this is huge for basketball and not as big a deal in football. Pittsburgh has nine national championships in football, but the last came in 1976. The Panthers have won just two Big East titles (2004, 2010) and have played in a BCS bowl game just once (2004). Since it's last trip to the Orange Bowl in 1998, Syracuse has had six losing seasons and been to just four bowl games.

Now, if the ACC can add Texas to the fold, it makes this an entirely different story -- and potentially makes the ACC the most powerful conference in college sports. But I don't see that happening. 

Canes-Ohio State post game video

Here are the post-game video interviews taped by Hurricanesports.com

VIDEO: First-ever Hurricanes Walk at Sun Life

SUN LIFE STADIUM -- Before butting helmets with the Buckeyes Saturday, the Hurricanes began a new gameday tradition with the first Hurricane Walk in school history at Sun Life Stadium.

The Band of the Hour, team mascot Sebastian the Ibis, team cheerleaders and hundreds of fans lined up outside of Gate H and formed a "human tunnel" to welcome players and coaches as they walked into the stadium.

Of course, the first Hurricane Walk didn't go as smoothly as planned. Ohio State's buses pulled in first, driving right through the tunnel to drop of their players and coaches before UM arrived about five minutes later on foot. UM fans rocked the buses carrying their players and coaches before coach Al Golden got out first and walked through the crowd.

Sophomore running back Eduardo Clements carried a pair of boxing gloves around his neck as he walked through the crowd. Quarterback Jacory Harris walked alone, jamming on his headphones.

"It's about time," said Canes fan Will Boehmer, who drove down from Margate outfitted in green and orange for the game and inaugural Hurricanes Walk. "We need to get closer to the players. We feel so far away at times. It gets the players pumped up before the game."

Gameday blog: Canes vs. Ohio State

SUN LIFE STADIUM -- The Miami Hurricanes will attempt to give Coach Al Golden his first win at UM -- and avoid their first 0-2 start since Lou Saban was coaching the team back in 1978 -- when they take on the 17th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Plenty of storylines, which we've pretty much covered all week in the paper. But a few more interesting stats before we get into a quick look at the game.

UM has lost four games in a row and is in danger of losing five in a row for the first time since that aforementioned 0-2 start in 1978. The Canes actually lost six straight to end the 1977 season and then those first two, falling to Florida State 31-21 at home, before winning at Kansas 38-6 the following week to end the losing streak.

Of course the big story in this one is who is back for UM and Ohio State after serving suspensions.

Back for UM: quarterback Jacory Harris, linebacker Sean Spence, defensive tackle Marcus Forston, receiver/punt returner Travis Benjamin and defensive end Adewale Ojomo.

Back for Ohio State: starting running back Jordan Hall, top junior cornerback Travis Howard, a Miamian out of Krop High, and backup safety Corey Brown.

> UM lost 36-24 in Columbus last season thanks to four Jacory Harris interceptions. Harris is making his first start since he threw three interceptions in seven pass attempts before being pulled for Stephen Morris in the Sun Bowl loss to Notre Dame. But he's supposed to be a different guy in Jedd Fisch's offense. We'll see.

> With Terrelle Pryor now with the Oakland Raiders, the Buckeyes have two new quarterbacks themselves. Fifth-year senior Joe Bauserman, an efficient pocket passer who has yet to throw a pick in two games, and freshman phenom Braxton Miller, who reminds many of Pryor and will be the wildcard on offense for Ohio State in this game.

> Defensively, there are some doubts about the Buckeyes' young defensive line, especially in light of the injury to veteran defensive end Nathan Williams and the close call last week in a 27-22 win over Toledo. But Ohio State's track record on D is still one of the best in college football.

> OSU is 10th nationally in overall defense (allowing 214 yards a game) and 16th in scoring defense (allowing 11 points). The Buckeyes rank seventh in both sacks and tackles for loss. Their No. 4 ranking in rushing defense (an average of 40.5 rushing yards allowed) will be challenged by UM tailback Lamar Miller, who gained 119 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and had 222 all-purpose yards in UM’s opener at Maryland.

> MY PICK: UM 27, Ohio State 23. Oddsmakers somehow have the Canes as a two-point favorite in this one. Common sense tells you otherwise. Ohio State is 2-0, ranked 17th in the country and UM is 0-1 and still has the questionable Harris under center. But Vegas always makes a lot of money for a reason. And I'm agreeing with them here. UM will find a way to win even with a few Jacory INTs.

FYI, there will be no CoverItLive broadcast today. Follow me on Twitter at Manny_Navarro. Feel free to comment below as you follow the game on ESPN.

UM cornerback recruit Larry Hope released from hospital with stitches following big scare

Luckily for 2012 UM cornerback commitment Larry Hope the six-inch gash in his head he sustained Thursday night turned out to be "nothing more than a really, really big scare."

Hope, a 5-11, 174-pound senior at American High in Miami, sustained a nasty gash running from below his left eye to the back of his head after he was sliced by an opposing player's facemask while making a tackle in a game against Braddock at Tropical Park. Hope was injured because his helmet was jarred loose, leaving his head exposed to a pile of oncoming players coming to help make the tackle.

Hope, who was bleeding profusely according to witnesses, was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital and accompanied by his father. That's where he said he was treated and given "about 10 to 12 stitches and released shortly before 6 a.m. this morning."

"It was definitely a scary experience -- first time I'd ever been in a helicopter and not for the reason I wanted," Hope said. "My helmet was buckled up right. It was just one of those freak things. Now, I have to wait for the stitches to come out in five days before I can get cleared and back on the field. But believe me, I'm trying to put my helmet and shoulder pads on quickly as I can again."

Hope is one of many local recruits invited by coach Al Golden and his staff to attend Saturday night's game at Sun Life Stadium against Ohio State. "I'm still going to try and make it if I can," Hope said. "I'll probably just wear a skully or a cap to protect my head."

Hope, considered a 3-star recruit by Rivals, said he remains committed to the Hurricanes "despite the whole Nevin Shapiro, booster thing."

"I'm still a Hurricane," Hope sai.d. "They know I'm committed. Just like other commits, I'm speaking to the coaches on a daily basis, observing what's going on. Teams are still coming at me, offering me. Texas Tech and Duke are the two coming at me hard. But right now, unless things change a lot, I'm going to be a Cane."

Canes CB recruit Larry Hope suffers 'six-inch gash' in head Thursday after being cut by another player's facemask

American High cornerback and University of Miami commitment Larry Hope was injured and airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital Thursday night after suffering a gash on his head in a game against Miami Braddock at Tropical Park.

American High athletic director Marcus Gabriel said Hope (5-11, 174) was injured near the start of the second quarter when his helmet came off and he was sliced by another player's facemask on the left side of his face and head. The gash ran to the back of Hope's head according to Gabriel and other witnesses. Gabriel said Hope bled a lot, but was alert and calling for his father, who rode along with him to the hospital.

"The cut looked like a Nike Swoosh," Gabriel said. "It was pretty deep, about six inches wide. They said it was a head trauma and taking precautionary measures, which is why he was airlifted. But they didn't think he was in any real danger."

Hope's teammate Roderick Carter, also a defensive back, was airlifted to Jackson after suffering a head injury later in the game. Gabriel said Carter was hurt with 8:08 left to play in the fourth quarter. After making a tackle, Gabriel said Carter fell back down to the ground and was complaining of neck pain. But according to Gabriel, Carter was moving both his arms and his legs.

"Roderick was able to push off with both hands and his legs," Gabriel said. "He was complaining about chest and neck pains. But they wanted to take him for precautionary reasons."

Gabriel said officials decided to call the game after that injury with Braddock leading 40-21.

Canes tight end Blake Ayles (concussion) out for the year

CORAL GABLES -- Blake Ayles' career at the University of Miami won't get started anytime soon. The senior tight end and transfer from USC was ruled out for the season Thursday after suffering a concussion early in training camp.

Ayles (6-5, 265) was expected to provide leadership and experience to the tight end unit. After being tabbed as the second-best tight end in the country coming out of high school, Ayles played sparingly at USC and caught just 14 passes for 182 yards and 1 touchdown in 27 games with the Trojans.

Ayles, who has a history of concussions, has never redshirted and could seek a medical redshirt to return next season. Ayles joins tight end Cory White and walk-on linebacker Eric Lichter as Hurricanes ruled out for the season.

Also ruled out for Saturday's game vs. Ohio State: offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson (back surgery); defensive tackle Luther Robinson (leg); defensive tackle Curtis Porter (finger) and defensive end Shayon Green (leg).

> UM coach Al Golden told reporters Thursday Marcus Forston and Micanor Regis will start at defensive tackle and Mike Williams will get the start over Lee Chambers opposite Brandon McGee at cornerback Saturday.

Golden said that no starter has been determined in the battle between Anthony Chickillo and Adewale Ojomo at defensive end and it will be a game-time decision. Golden said Travis Benjamin and Allen Hurns will be UM's starting receivers.

Brandon Washington could start at left tackle vs. Ohio State; Feliciano moving up, could start at RT

CORAL GABLES -- Brandon Washington spent his senior season at Miami Northwestern protecting Jacory Harris' blindside. The 6-4, 330-pound junior, selected to the All-ACC First Team as a guard last season, may get a shot to do that again Saturday against Ohio State according to coach Al Golden.

Washington, who started at right tackle against Maryland, practiced with the first team Wednesday at left tackle. Redshirt freshman Jonathan Feliciano (6-5, 320), meanwhile, was running with the first team at right tackle. Sixth-year senior Joel Figueroa, who surprised many when he beat out redshirt freshman Malcolm Bunche in training camp to win the starting left tackle job versus Maryland, was practicing as the backup at right tackle Wednesday. 

While Golden said the team makes sure to work different combinations, the final decision won't be made on who starts where until coaches sit down and talk about it Thursday.

"As we always do, we always work all different kinds of combinations during the week," Golden said on Wednesday's ACC Coaches Teleconference. "We've had Brandon at left [tackle] just like we did before the last game. We've had Brandon at right. We've had Fig at left and Fig at right. We've had Feliciano at right guard and right tackle and we've had [Malcolm] Bunche] at left tackle and right tackle. We're going to continue to do that. As the coaches choose the starting lineups here [Thursday], we'll go from there. But Brandon has and will continue to work at both left and right."

The bigger news could be that Feliciano, a former standout at Davie Western High, could crack the starting lineup. He didn't play a down last season and was on the scout team.

"Feliciano is playing good football right now," Golden said. "If he's not in the top five right now, he's probably No. 6 or No. 7. Clearly, he's put himself in the top five or six offensive linemen on the team. We just want to make sure we get the best five on the field. He's made a lot of progress in the off week. I know I said that during training camp too. He's garnered more time. We'll decide who is going to start where and how much they're going to play as we get into tomorrow as a staff. The biggest thing is we continue to build depth there."

Golden said after Wednesday's practice Ohio State will be "as physical a team as we'll see."

"They're extraordinarily physical, rugged, high motor guys and excellent at hand-to-hand combat," Golden said. "We have to play a physical brand of football. That's their strength in addition to the speed they have on the perimeter."

Golden said Tuesday sophomore All-American Seantrel Henderson, who was expected to be the team's starting left tackle before having back surgery in August, is a making a lot of progress in his rehab and could return sooner than later.

“I’m pleased with him," Golden said. "I know he’s excited. He can sense that it’s closer than he thought... I don’t know what that means because I’m not the doctor and I’m not going to sign off on it. They’ll tell us when he’s ready to go, but you can sense it -- he’s out there Sunday running around. I think he gets the sense that it’s going to be sooner rather than later.”

A FEW MORE TIDBITS...

> Golden said redshirt freshman David Perry is back at tight end after playing defensive end against Maryland. Perry (6-7, 260) has been moving back and fourth between the two positions.

> Golden said "cornerback play will determine if [senior JoJo Nicolas] goes back to cornerback" once Ray-Ray Armstrong is done serving his four-game suspension. "If those guys continue to improve then we'll keep JoJo at safety," Golden said.

> Golden said three players are competing for the two starting defensive tackle jobs -- junior Marcus Forston, senior Micanor Regis and junior college transfer Darius Smith. "The other competition is [Olsen] Pierre and [Jalen] Grimble to see who will be the fourth," Golden said. "That won't be determined until game time."

> Golden had high praise for sophomore Jimmy Gaines, who made his first career start at middle linebacker against Maryland. Gaines had 7 tackles (1 solo) in the game.

"Jimmy Gaines has played like a Miami Hurricane," Golden said. "Jimmy's first play and last play looked the same. He was relentless to the football. He's one of the models for us in what it should look like on defense. He's a cerebral player, a smart player. We're excited about his future."

> Golden said freshman cornerback Thomas Finnie is progressing. "Finnie is almost 180-pounds now; he was 160 when he came in," Golden said. "He's made a commitment. He's a tough kid, he loves football and his reps are just going to continue to increase as the season moves on."

> Despite getting burned on a big pass play versus Maryland in the fourth quarter that led to the Terrapins go-ahead field goal, Golden said junior Brandon McGee has pretty much won one of the starting cornerback jobs moving forward. On the other side, it appears fifth-year senior Mike Williams and senior Lee Chambers will split the bulk of the playing time.

"McGee made a lot of progress. He got beat off the press late in the game and [Danny O'Brien] made a perfect throw. McGee is working harder, a little more mature, is fighting through discomfort a little bit," Golden said. "And on the other side it's a good battle. Both guys are hungry, haven't played a lot of football certainly here at the University of Miami. Both are scratching and clawing to play and it looks like they'll share time going into the game."

> Golden said he would like to get his tight ends more touches this week versus Ohio State. Asante Cleveland, Clive Walford and Chase Ford combined for three catches for 10 yards against Maryland.

"Hopefully they've kind of settled in now, get a chance to move forward," Golden said. "[Walford is] athletic, can get down the field, knows how to get open in space. He's got good hands. Anybody at our scrimmages in the spring would say that's a guy we have to get the ball to, and they're right. We have to do a better job as a staff and as players of doing that. Hopefully he'll be more involved this week."

Golden counting on Jacory Harris, others to provide leadership that was lacking at Maryland

CORAL GABLES -- UM coach Al Golden hasn't been shy throwing the L-word around lately. 

Golden said there just wasn't enough of it against Maryland in part because of the suspensions to seven starters. But with five guys back this week against Ohio State, Golden isn't expecting there to be a lack in leadership. In fact, he's expecting to see more of it from others.

"Well, now with Jacory [Harris] back and [Sean] Spence back and [Marcus] Forston back, yeah," Golden said Wednesday when asked if he is satisfied wit the amount of leadership on the team. "But clearly there was a void. I think JoJo [Nicolas] has stepped up. But we need other guys to step up. We need Tyler Horn and Harland Gunn to step up. We need LaRon Byrd to step up, some other guys on our team quite frankly to step up and lead. We need leaders at every position and not just seniors."

The truth is Golden is putting a lot of his eggs in Jacory Harris' basket. He's been asked countless times about his decision to make Harris UM's starting quarterback and why he's confident the turnover-prone Harris will be different in Jedd Fisch's new offense.

Wednesday, Golden was asked again how much confidence he has in Jacory.

"I'm very confident," Golden said. "Jacory has established that he's the starter right now. He's mature. He's worked really hard for this opportunity, and I'm excited about the opportunity he has and the opportunity we have as a team with him leading us Saturday."

Tuesday, during his weekly press conference with reporters, Golden was asked where he's seen Harris' improvement from the Sun Bowl, where he threw three interceptions in seven pass attempts before interim coach Jeff Stoutland pulled him for Stephen Morris. Golden said critics need to realize "this is a different time, different place."

"He's a different player," Golden said. "Jacory is the guy this Saturday. He's established that, has had a great camp, great demeanor. Sometimes we don't let people grow, develop, want to look at things they've done wrong. Let's look at what he's done right. I really believe Jacory will show us all Saturday night.

"He's done a great job. I just want him to go out and relax, play his game, don't make it bigger than it is and do what he's been doing since we've been here. So I'm excited about Jacory and I know in my heart he deserves this opportunity Saturday night."

It's clear a big reason Golden has put Harris into the starting role is because he believes UM's offense will run better in and out of the huddle, a problem at Maryland when the team drew back-to-back delay of game penalties and times seemed out of sync. Golden has said it is the quarterback's responsibility to avoid substitution mishaps and illegal procedure penalties.

"Again, we feel Jacory gives us the best opportunity there getting us in the right formation, the right call, get the snap off on time," Golden said Tuesday. "There's no excuse for anyone who plays quarterback for the University of Miami not to get this squared away."

HERE'S WHAT ELSE GOLDEN HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT...

-- Golden said Wednesday that Ohio State will be "as physical a team as we'll see."

"They're extraordinarily physical, rugged, high motor guys and excellent at hand-to-hand combat," Golden said. "We have to play a physical brand of football. That's their strength in addition to the speed they have on the perimeter."

Golden said he's preparing the team to see two quarterbacks Saturday. Ohio State has listed fifth-year senior Joe Bauserman (6-1, 230) and freshman Braxton Miller (6-3, 210) as co-starters. "When Braxton is in there it looks a little more like last year," Golden said. "Joe is more efficient, over 70 percent completions for his career, no interceptions thus far, so he knows what to do with the football. They'll take shots when Joe is the quarterback, not that they won't with the other kid. We'll get ready for both of them. We'll see what Saturday night brings, but we expect both of them to be in the game."

Golden said doing a good job covering 6-5, 245-pound tight end Jake Stoneburner will be a big key for UM's defense on Saturday. Stoneburner leads the Buckeyes with eight catches, including four for touchdowns in two games. "Excellent football player, can make catches across the middle, can open his hips and catch back shoulder pad, also catch the corner routes," Golden said. "He's an excellent tight end, a complete player. For us we're going to have to make sure we have the right matchups on him, don't give them a lot of time to throw the ball. He's one of the keys for us this week."

-- Asked if he expects his team to play a more physical style of grind-it-out, football Saturday on offense, Golden said: ""We want to be balanced. We weren't as balanced as we could have been [at Maryland], most particularly in tight situations because of the way it ended up going. We didn't get as many possessions, weren't getting as many stops on defense, barely made them punt. We made them punt one time in the game. Collectively between not stopping them and our mistakes on offense it kind of came unraveled for us a little bit."

-- Saturday's game will be the first game for Golden at Sun Life Stadium. Asked how he expects to feel running out of the smoke for the first time, Golden was pretty funny on Tuesday. "I don't even know where the tunnel is," he said. "I don't get too caught up in that stuff. When they point me to the tunnel I'll start running."

Mike James: Wet and hopefully not wild!

Few will forget University of Miami running back Mike James' fumble at Maryland. James can't get it out of his mind.

As he was sprinting down the sideline, the ball was knocked loose by a Maryland defender and landed in the arms of lineman Joe Vellano, who rumbled for a 30-yard touchdown with 47 seconds left in the first half.

Fellow running back and James' apartment mate Lamar Miller said James obsesses on his mistakes and won't let them go. James, who calls himself a perfectionist, agrees. The only thing he vows not to let go in UM's home opener Saturday against Ohio State: the football.

What has James done to prevent fumbling against the Buckeyes? Wet his whole body at practice using a water bottle  -- and run!

"Oh man, I'm more than motivated. I've been mad for 12 days,'' James said Tuesday after practice. "Every night I got to sleep thinking about it. I wake up thinking about it. I go to class thinking about it. Everything else is irrelevant. I'm just ready to play the ball game.''

 James said he has been wetting his arms, his body and the ball. "Usually in the middle of practice I just wet my whole body. Just in case it rains or I'm too sweaty I'm preparing for that. I get my whole body wet. I get a water bottle and just spray my whole body down. I used to do it my freshman year, but I just got back doing it.

"I should have never stopped."

James finished with 12 carries for 34 yards and a touchdown at Maryland. He also caught two passes for 21 yards.

Miller carried 18 times for 119 yards and a touchdown. He caught two passes for three yards, and returned four kickoffs for 100 yards.

--SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

Al Golden talks after Monday's practice -- No player access today

 

How was practice?

 “We had a good tempo. Having some of the leaders back makes a big difference. Good start. We didn’t go too long. We don’t want to go too long but it looks like we retained our conditioning and we’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

 

 Nothing has been normal the past three weeks, how tough is it going to be to have a normal week with an actual game on Saturday?

“Tough? No, it’s going to be fun. It has been an extraordinary three weeks. Let’s leave it at that. That’s what it has been and hopefully today is a return to normalcy, a game week. And hopefully our guys will respond to the consistency of routine.”

 

The guys that didn’t play last game, how sharp have they been in practice? How ready are they?

 “Pretty sharp. They worked as hard as anybody. We’re talking about leaders now, in addition to the guys that have the most experience. They kind of are the glue. They hold it together. You can see that evident out there today with Sean [Spence] and [Marcus] Forston and Jacory [Harris], so it’s nice to have them back certainly.’’

 

What were your impressions of the Ohio State game?

“Just that the cage is rattled now. If they were caught off guard in that game they’re not going to be this game. It’s an exciting opportunity for both teams. So we’ll get their best – we know that. Certainly they are encountering some of the issues that we had. Some of their top players and some of their best players were out for the game. We’ll see. I don’t know who they’re going to have. I finally know who we’re going to have, so we’ll go forward.’’

 

Does that make it tougher to prepare no knowing?

 

“No. After the last three weeks, as long as I know who we have, I’m good. I’m good.’’

 

Did you pick up more than you thought you might because the Ohio State game was closer than you thought?

 

 “Yeah, I don’t think they could have held any cards back. They might have before that. I think everybody knows Toledo is a talented team. They’ve got some difference makers on the perimeter and I thought their offensive line played really well and again, their returners and their skill kids were very good in that game. Again, they got probably Ohio State in the right spot. They’ll regroup and now we’ve got to get our focus and move forward.’’

 

You guys scored two touchdowns against Ohio State last year on kick returns. How much can that part of the game help you this year?

 “It’s got to help us. We have to build on what we did. I thought our coverage units were good the other night. We netted 38 [yards] on the punt and we picked up 12 yards every time we exchanged kickoffs, which is good. But we need to do better on the return game aspects of it. Certainly, we did that last year. So that’s going to be challenge. But certainly our playmakers have got to make plays, no question.

 In terms of this season, Jacory has talked about it in terms of being a last chance. Are you comfortable with him having that sort of thinking, or would you rather have him not think about it with the added pressure of this being the last go-around?

 “That’s probably a good sound bite or good headline but I think right now he’s just approaching it one day at a time. He’s been collecting good days – he’s been doing that since January. Obviously we had an unfortunate setback over the last two weeks but I think he’s in good shape. Mentally he’s strong. He’s been resilient. All we just need him to do is go out there and play, run the show for us and compete. We don’t need him to do anything else but be himself Saturday night.’’

 

You’ve made a lot of position moves just to get guys ready. In the long run, is that going to help you, just the fact that a lot of guys had to work in uncomfortable situations?

 

“It created some depth, most particularly with the young guys. Moving David Perry from offense to defense and then back, and Marcus Robinson from SAM to defensive end, and JoJo [Nicolas] from corner to safety, that doesn’t necessarily help – unless they’re going to stay there. Every move that you have to make in a situation requires two moves, because we didn’t have the depth just to have them ascend on the depth chart. It required lateral moves, which made things difficult. Again, I think we added some depth, we built some depth, and there should be no game-day jitters for a lot of guys this game.’’

 

Will those guys stay in the positions you switched them to?

“We’ll see, right? I don’t know. We’ll see how… We’re still not back to where we need to be. We have some injuries and we still have some suspensions. We’ll see what transpires when they come back.’’

 

What have you seen in Jacory’s preparation over the last week to show he’s taken the reins and understands the responsibility of being the starter?

 

“I just think he’s focused right now. He’s done a good job all camp. He’s just got to be himself. Block out everything external and just run the show one play at a time. And just enjoy it. Enjoy the journey. That’s what he’s got to do.’’

 

Do you have a better feel as to defensive tackle Curtis Porter and whether you’ll get him back this week?

 

“I don’t. He’s got a finger [injury] and it’s been holding him back to this point.’’

 

Do you have a relationship at all with [OSU coach] Luke Fickel.  Do you feel for him for what he’s going through? It’s a different situation but there are obvious parallels?

 

“I don’t know Coach, but obviously I have a great deal of respect for him. I know [OSU offensive coordinator] Jim Bollman. We were together at Virginia. And I just have a great deal of respect for Ohio State.  They won six Big Ten Championships in a row and it’s a great challenge for our team here on Saturday night in South Florida. It should be exciting for us.’’

--SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

Golden: Bye week not necessarily a huge help before Ohio State

CORAL GABLES -- Bye weeks are usually seen as an advantage. A team gets an extra week to heal up and prepare for their next opponent.

But according to UM coach Al Golden, that doesn't necessarily apply this week for his team, which hosts 15th-ranked Ohio State a week from Saturday.

UM has only been able to practice twice since arriving back in Coral Gables Tuesday morning. And Golden said the Buckeyes, who beat Akron 42-0 last week and host Toledo Saturday in Columbus, likely won't have to show much on offense or defense before playing the Canes. UM, meanwhile, according to Golden "had to show every card we had Monday night."

"Maybe if we had material, but we really don't have any material to go on," Golden said when asked if an extra week to prepare for the Buckeyes has helped. "We don't know what they're doing. They obviously have some suspensions they're trying to work through too. [So, the bye] I don't think it's as big a factor as you want it to be.

"We're not going to chase ghosts. We're just going to be fundamentally sound. Again, we have enough issues ourselves that we have to fix. That's our focus right now."

Golden originally had three practices lined up for his team this week following Monday night's loss at Maryland -- Thursday, Friday and Saturday. But he said he decided to scratch Saturday in part because he was pleased with Friday's practice and because he didn't want his team to practice "seven out of eight days or eight days out of nine."

"If we were going to play all those young guys again we would have needed tomorrow. But clearly, we have some relief with the guys returning," Golden said. "Hopefully we'll get some more with some injured guys being cleared to play -- [defensive back] Kacy Rodgers included. He was going to start on three special teams and had an injury two days before the game."

Of what he has been able to gleam from the Buckeyes, Golden said: "I'm starting to get a fix on who they are from a personnel standpoint and it's impressive. It's a combination of talent, speed and toughness. They're a rugged team. They're tough. They try to make it into one on one battles. I'm learning a lot more about them. We're seeing how they're developing this year in terms of personnel. I think we've changed more on offense and defense and special teams than they have and they will. But again, we had to show every card we had Monday night, playing an ACC game and I don't believe they've shown many cards at all at this juncture."

MORE NEWS AND NOTES

> With three returning starters coming back on defense for Ohio State, Golden said the only freshmen he expects to still be in the mix for playing time on defense are linemen Anthony Chickillo who "is fighting for a starting job right now, Olsen [Pierre], [Jalen] Grimble ... [and linebacker] Denzel Perryman [who] really showed up."

"He has a good approach," Golden said of Perryman. "I think he studies. When you ask him questions about the game plan on special teams he has the answers. I think the coaches on defense are confident he is a guy who prepares. When he was in there the other night he did a really good job for a first timer being out there. Those are the guys and there is a whole boatload on special teams that will continue to compete."

> Golden said the return of linebacker Sean Spence and defensive tackle Marcus Forston will be big for UM this week, especially in light of leadership "that was clearly absent in the [Maryland] game."

"I thought [safety] JoJo Nicolas did an excellent job. But that was clearly a big part [of what was missing]," Golden said. "Again you have to give Maryland credit. They knew we didn't have a lot of depth and really didn't have leadership and those were the two things they went after. They made us run side to side early in the game, chase the ball. They knew we didn't have many replacements and they made all the formations really difficult, exotic almost because they knew we didn't have the guys out there to get us in the right formation."

> Golden said there has been no update on the playing status of senior receiver Aldarius Johnson, who was suspended indefinitely according to UM for breaking team rules. Johnson's name no longer appears on UM's roster. It was reported he lied to NCAA investigators when they questioned him about his relationship with imprisoned and notorious former booster Nevin Shapiro. Johnson's mother said her son also broke team rules for posting a tasteless message on Twitter.

"Aldarius is going graduate in December. We're committed to make sure he finishes his education," Golden said. "Other than that, I don't know what the NCAA investigation is going to yield."

Safe to say, I'm not counting on Johnson being back this season.

> Tight end Blake Ayles (head injury) and defensive tackle Curtis Porter (finger) have not returned to practice yet according to Golden. At the moment, you would have to assume both are very questionable for Ohio State.

> Golden said the sub-standard play of UM's offensive line Monday "had a big impact on the game. "You can't keep getting penalties because you have to abort your running playaction game and end up being a drop back team. And that's really not who we are right now," Golden said. "We don't want to be that type of team. That's it. Hopefully, a lesson is learned. It's my job to get it fixed."

> Golden had high praise for both Allen Hurns and Tommy Streeter Friday and said freshmen Rashawn Scott and Phillip Dorsett "are making it hard right now" to keep them off the field.

"Hurns is in a different league right now because Hurns is in tremendous condition. He's a finisher. He's a really reliable player, very consistent," Golden said.

"Streeter has made tremendous progress. That was evident in the game. Not just catches, but tough catches in traffic. So, he's made a lot of progress. Now, he has go to develop -- they all have to develop -- the consistency and mental toughness and approach that Allen Hurns has. He is the model for us right now at wide receiver in terms of what we're looking for. He'll block. He'll clear it out when he's not getting the ball. When he does get the ball, he'll tuck it away. He's physical. He's not afraid to lay out for balls. We need more guys doing that. Streeter is going in the right direction. But I really think he needs to take the next step, push his threshold this week."

Jacory Harris, Stephen Morris share thoughts on QB situation

CORAL GABLES -- Two days after being renamed UM's starting quarterback by coach Al Golden, senior Jacory Harris apologized to Hurricanes fans and UM President Donna Shalala on Friday for breaking rules as a freshman that cost him a one-game NCAA-mandated suspension.

Harris said he felt literally sick and had an anxiety attack watching the Canes lose at Maryland Monday night despite a gutsy effort from sophomore Stephen Morris. Harris described how anxious he was to get back to school the following morning at 7 a.m. to break down film before Golden and assistants even walked through the doors to get to work themselves. But mostly, Harris said, he's just happy knowing he's been given another shot to lead the Canes.

"It's always a great thing to have the starting job, but you just have to go out there and do something with it," Harris said. "That's what I've been doing, concentrating on the things we have at hand with Ohio State, leading the team by example and doing the small things: executing, small things like operations, making sure we get in and out of the huddle, just having fun."

The last image Canes fans have of Harris is of a quarterback whose career was close to flat-lining. You remember: Sun Bowl, Notre Dame, Dec. 31, El Paso, Texas. Harris was 4 of 7 for 37 yards and three interceptions against Notre Dame. With 11:13 to go in the first half, he was benched and replaced by Morris.

But Golden insists Harris is a different quarterback now, a far less turnover-prone passer in Jedd Fisch's safer offense. Harris says he is too.

"People only remember the last time you were on the field. That's fair," Harris said. "But going through the spring, summer and camp with this new offensive coordinator has helped me out, made me smarter, made me able to be a better quarterback. I feel better going into this situation, going into Ohio State. I just believe if I execute the right way, make sure my playmakers get the ball and not make a lot of plays by myself, everything should fall into place."

Harris said despite the suspension and despite his struggles in the past he has more confidence than he's ever had in his career. "A lot of it is due to the system and a lot of it has to do with changing my mindset, recognizing this is my last year, this is all I got left and I can't let my teammates down anymore," Harris said.

"I can't do the things I've done in the past and I have to find ways to get better. That's pretty much been my mindset."

For Morris -- who was 16 of 20 for 167 yards before he threw interceptions on each of UM's final two drives Monday -- he's taking the news of his demotion in stride.

"I wasn't disappointed," Morris said of not getting the chance to compete for the starting job this week as Golden had originally said he would. "I thought whatever Coach Golden and Coach Fisch decided I just moved on from there. There's nothing more to say about that."

But there's also little doubt in Morris' mind, he played well Monday at Maryland. Some have argued maybe well enough to keep the starting job.

"I thought I did good. Coach Fisch told me I was 15 for 18 before the last two minute drives. Having that completion ratio is pretty good," said Morris, who finished 19 of 28 for 195 yards, two interceptions and a first half fumble. "Last couple drives we just needed to execute a lot better. Other than that, from an operational standpoint, getting personnel in and making sure we have the right personnel and groupings, we needed to be better.

"I take that on me. That's mostly my responsibility to make sure we have people in the right group, substituting correctly. I take that as a quarterback."

When asked if he thought rallying UM to a victory Monday night might have won him the starting job, Morris said: "Not at all... I don't think about it like that."

Maybe that's true. Maybe everybody knew Harris was going to be named the starter this week anyway. Golden made it pretty clear Thursday Harris won the job in camp -- even though for weeks he'd been saying it was "neck-and-neck" and battle.

Either way, Morris isn't to blame for Monday's loss. In fact, it seems like it was his teammates who let him down.

The back-to-back delay of game penalties? "Noise issues," Morris said. "The o-line really couldn't hear me. The receivers couldn't really hear me and they were literally right next to me. It was loud. Just making sure everybody is in the right spot at the right time, we really didn't have that. A couple times we had the wrong personnel in. We should have just ran with the plan instead of just doing other stuff we tried to do."

The game-sealing interception return for a touchdown by Cameron Chism late in the fourth quarter? That's a play Morris said the team "reps a lot of times." Tommy Streeter, his intended receiver, could have fought for the ball a little harder.

"It's one of our money plays that we like to play a lot," Morris said describing Chism's Pick-6. "It was man-on-man, Cover 1, mostly just man across the board. Trips was to my left side and they were all covered up. It was just one on one with Streeter on my back side and I forgot the DB. It was a good matchup. I like the matchup, better than my three receiver side. I took my drop and threw the ball there and [Chism] made a good play on it.

"If I had to do it over again I would have done the same exact thing. I would have wanted my receiver to be more physical. That route is a very physical route. I'm not asking much from him other than understanding that he needs to come down with the ball especially in a crucial situation like that. But at the same time I'd take the same play. I have all the faith in Streeter. As soon as the play was over I said 'Bro, forget about it. We got to move on and try to score.' But I have all the faith in him. We work on it everyday in practice. I know he'll be fine."

For now, Morris will go back to being Harris backup. And Hurricanes fans will cross their fingers and hope Golden made the right choice.

Right from the coach's mouth... Golden on Jacory and Stephen -- and more

AL GOLDEN BEFORE THURSDAY'S PRACTICE

How did Stephen Morris take the decision?

 “Stephen is a great kid. He’s a hard worker. He’s just going to keep putting his head down and going to work. He’s not a guy that pouts. He never has been. Those two have been exceptional in the way they’ve handled the entire competition. Unlike many other positions, theirs is played out publicly and they’ve both done a great job with it.”

 Going back to basics now?

  “Yes, you’re exactly right. We’re just trying to improve our team right now.  We have so many things we need to improve. We’re trying to find some continuity in our lineup. Because we haven’t had continuity in any of our lineups for two weeks. Hopefully this gives us an opportunity to have some opportunity and coach guys at the position they’re going to play in the game and improve our game.”

 Can the depth chart change before Ohio State?

 “Sure. It can change. You can ask me that question three weeks from now and I’ll say the same thing. How they practice is who starts the game. How they play in the game and who finishes the game. We had that happen at a lot of positions the other day. Obviously Streeter was on the field at the end of the game because he really performed well during the game. But Streeter didn’t start the game. There’s a great example right there of our methodology occurring in the game.”

 Jacory, what made him earn the starting role?

  “He earned it in training camp, his body of work, his experience. And clearly there were some things in the game the other night that I think his experience and his maturity would have helped immeasurably. That’s the decision we made and that’s the decision I informed them both of yesterday morning.”

 What changed your mind?

 “You said you’d let them compete over these three days of practice? Watching it two or three times and looking at the whole team, the needs of the whole team and clearly having a chance to sit down with all the coaches, too. It was a combination. In many respects, if there are things going on in the game, that maybe you look at it and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on in that play?’ There are many times we don’t know all the pieces of the puzzle until we can get everybody together. From that standpoint we wanted to make sure we talked to everybody and communicated to everybody on the offense, staff and players and find out what things went wrong most particulary with the operation and get them fixed.”

 Did Chickillo show you that much Monday night?

  “He did a good job. the moment wasn’t too big for him, which was good. I think we played 22 guys in the game and that was their first college game and for 12 guys that was their first start. We learned a lot about guys as individuals, both guys who played in the game and guys who started in the game. for a lot of guys the moment wasn’t too big, and for Jake it wasn’t too big. He kicked off exceptionally, his field goal was excellent with 4 minutes to go in a tight spot in the other end zone. I thought Dalton Botts did a nice job, Chickillo was one of those guys we mentioned, Allen Hurns, his first spot, Lamar Miller, really his first time being the guy. I can go on and on. A lot of them responded well.”

 Second team offensive line, three of those guys are at different spots?

 “It’s been interchangeable and it will continue to be. For us if we can get the 10 that can go into the game that but right now we feel like we have 8 that can go into the game – Feliciano, Shane and Bunche being the next three, and then we’ll go from there. Wheeler is close, Jeremy Lewis has done a good job so there’s some depth there that we’re building. Feliciano has really done a good job and has earned the right to be able to play both guard and tackle.”

 You’ve had a few days where you could have held off on announcement?

 “I know what I said after the game, so it would be in my best interest to announce it on Saturday and not have to deal with it. But the reality of it is I had a chance to sit down, watch the game several times, meet with the offensive staff, meet with guys on the team and evaluate it. I slept on it, felt good about it, made a decision and that’s pretty much who I am. So that’s a decision we made and we’ll move forward from there.”

 Is Jacory getting extra reps? Was that a factor, is it right now?

 “No. He’s been good. He’s been good. Even the reps he couldn’t get with the varsity he took a lot of reps on scout last week and he stayed after and threw and that type of thing. He was in there at 7 a.m. grading tape Tuesday morning so he’s engaged. His attitude has been great. Again, I think Stephen is going to glean a lot from this experience. He learned a lot. I think he’ll be ready, even more prepared the next time his opportunity comes. But it’s a great opportunity for Jacory and a well deserved opportunity for Jacory, to be honest with you.”

 Did Hagens win his role Monday night?

 “He’s been good. again, he doesn’t get enough credit for the blocking that he does. He did a nice job blocking. Clearly, he has become a guy that can help us out on short yardage, which is great.”

 It was stated earlier 3 practices you were going to wait to decide the quarterback?

   “I thought after the game that we would let them compete. That was my first… Obviously I wasn’t really thinking right after the game, what are we going to do on Thursday? But my natural instinct is to say let them compete. I evaluated it all day Tuesday, kind of slept on it Tuesday night and then informed both of them on Wednesday that that was the direction I wanted to go and it was primarily because of the body of work that Jacory put together in training camp, his experience and obviously what we saw in the game. The things we needed in the game were really things that we thought Jacory could give us at this stage.”

 You had said several times Jacory and Stephen were neck and neck. In retrospect, was Jacory ahead most of the time?

 “They were, they were right there. And again, it was preemptive. But again, if you take the body of work before that, Jacory was probably slightly ahead and going into that final scrimmage that was the scenario. Again, I’m looking at who gives us the best chance to win and I’m also looking at, what things did we need in that game to win, and we needed to have a better operation on offense, we needed to get out of some plays, we needed to get in some formations, some other formations and I think his experience will make a difference for us in the second game.”

 Do you look at last year’s game at all against Ohio State, how Jacory did. Does he look at film?

 “Or do you forget that and move on? We look at it from a personnel standpoint. They haven’t changed that much and I don’t know if they’ll have a struggle this weekend but they didn’t have one last weekend. To the degree that they have to struggle to win, we’ll know if that’s who they are or if they’re just keeping it basic because they don’t want to show anything.

 “If I’m Jacory, I’m not looking at that. He’s a different person and a different player than he was last year.”

 Wieclaw’s kickoffs, it seemed like he was able to pull everything down into a corner. Was that by design?

  “He was tremendous. He put it right where he wanted to put it. I always tell him, tell us where you want it and we’ll cover it. Sometimes he likes to go to the right, sometimes he likes to go to the left, again it depends on the conditions and the wind and all those things. He did a tremendous job for us. I think we picked up 12 yards in field position everytime we kicked off or returned, or they kicked off and returned. We were starting at the 33 and I think they were starting at the 21.”

 Do you leave that decision to the kicker as far as flirting with the sideline or as far as him saying I want to go for this hash?

 “When we get there, if he says, ‘Coach, I think I’d like to go right to right going this way,’ or ‘left to left,’  or ‘middle to right or middle to left,’ whatever the case is, we let him choose and we’ll cover accordingly. If we get the right kicks, which we did the other night, we’re set up to go to the middle, to go to the right, or to go to the left, depending on what the conditions are.”

 Three passes for 10 yards to tight ends. Is that satisfactory?

 “No. We were expecting much more. We have to do a better job of getting them in the game, most particularly getting Clive touches. We didn’t do a good job there. Again, we’re playing with a lot of guys there that haven’t played a lot. Clive hasn’t played a lot of football. For our entire team this was a great experience in terms of building depth, a lot of new faces playing, a lot of new guys starting, so hopefully we’ll learn a lot from that.”

 Mike Williams and Lee Chambers co-starters?

 “Lee played really well. Not that Mike didn’t fare well. But Lee played play well.  So we’re going to let them compete.”

 SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

 

Canes depth chart for Ohio State week

UM released its depth chart for the Ohio State game on Sept. 17.

OFFENSE
QB: Jacory Harris | Stephen Morris | Spencer Whipple
HB: Lamar Miller | Mike James | Maurice Hagens
WR: Allen Hurns | LaRon Byrd OR Tommy Streeter
WR: Travis Benjamin | Kendal Thompkins OR Phillip Dorsett
TE: John Calhoun | Asante Cleveland | Chase Ford | Clive Walford
LT: Joel Figueroa OR Malcolm Bunche
LG: Harland Gunn | Jeremy Lewis
C: Tyler Horn | Shane McDermott
RG: Brandon Linder | Jared Wheeler
RT: Brandon Washington | Jonathan Feliciano

DEFENSE
DE: Andrew Smith | Marcus Robinson
DT: Darius Smith | Olsen Pierre OR Jalen Grimble
DT: Micanor Regis OR Marcus Forston
DE: Anthony Chickillo OR Adewale Ojomo
WLB: Sean Spence | Denzel Perryman
MLB: Jimmy Gaines | Gionni Paul
SLB: Ramon Buchanan | Jordan Futch
CB: Mike Williams OR Lee Chambers
CB: Brandon McGee | Thomas Finnie
FS: Vaughn Telemaque | Andrew Swasey
SS: JoJo Nicolas | AJ Highsmith

SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Jake Wieclaw | Matt Goudis
P: Dalton Botts | Jake Wieclaw
KR: Lamar Miller AND Travis Benjamin
PR: Phillip Dorsett or Travis Benjamin

Golden's teleconference transcript from Tuesday

UM coach Al Golden spoke with reporters for nearly 20 minutes Tuesday on a tele conference. Here's what he talked about:

> Do you plan to take the quarterback competition beyond this week and into the Ohio State week or will it be decided before then?

"We'll take a look at it here in this off week and go from there. We'll determine that as we see fit. We'll allow those guys to compete here Thursday, Friday, Saturday and then figure it out."

> Will the Maryland game also be taken into consideration when you pick a starting quarterback or do you start fresh?

"We're evaluating everything. We need to improve our team here the next three days before we can even start thinking about Ohio State. Clearly we'll have a different team this week than we did last week. We have to get some guys that have been getting reps some reps and go back from there."

> The defense appeared to settle in after a rough first quarter and played well in the red zone. Was it guys simply adjusting?

"I think it's a function of we had 12 guys in the game that really hadn't played for us or ever had a start. And we had two guys in JoJo and Marcus Robinson playing a position they hadn't played all camp. There was a lot of moving parts there. There was a lot of fires we were trying to put out. And clearly the pace got us early in terms of just not reacting and settling in. Once we settled in... If you had said to me that they were only going to score one touchdown against our defense I would say that's great. I mean that's what we needed in this game given the amount of guys we were missing on that side of the ball. Clearly some of the distractions on that side of the ball. But we didn't play well as a team, didn't protect the ball well enough on offense to do that. And clearly we didn't get off the field well enough on defense. On third down we didn't make them punt. That's clearly on the defensive side."

> Can you explained what happened on the illegal formation that wiped out Lamar Miller's run to the three-yard line in the fourth quarter?

"We had a player that misaligned. It's as simple as that. Just a critical, critical error in a part of the game where that could win the game. You're talking about a 16-play, nine minute drive. Let's say it takes two or three more downs to get in from where that run ended up, you're talking about not much more time left on the clock and a six or seven point lead at that point."

> How do you think Stephen Morris played?

"The positives were that he made a lot of good throws. He stepped and threw, made a lot of good throws. He was 19 for 28. From that standpoint you can see what he's capable of doing. The negatives were a bad interception [returned for a touchdown], which wasn't all his fault. We didn't run the route the way we needed to run it at a critical time. We fumbled the ball within field goal range, that's three points there which could be the difference in the game. Just too many operational things that the quarterback is responsible for that we need to improve. Clearly, a lot of those situations we got in either from an operational standpoint or confusion coming out of the huddle we have to get cleared up. That has got to come from the quarterback position. There's no other way to do that. We need to improve as a team, and certainly Stephen does in that area as well."

> What are you hoping to see Thursday through Saturday from your quarterbacks to determine who starts that maybe you didn't see in camp?

"It wasn't my choice that the quarterback competition ended two weeks ago, even before our second scrimmage. We had to completely go a different direction than we wanted to, had to remove Jacory [Harris] from it prematurely. I wanted them to at least get a chance to compete and win [the job] on the field. Certainly Spencer [Whipple] then got all the second reps. That's a lot of time invested in one of the two guys you think is going to be a starter and you have to actually throw it out the window. We'll evaluate it here tonight some more. We didn't get back till 5:30 [in the morning]. I haven't even sat down and talked to the staff yet. I've watched it with both sides, but in terms of sitting down with the staff and choosing personnel, that's something we have yet to do today."

> Lamar Miller got 18 carries. Is that more or less what he's capable of or do you want him to touch the ball more?

"We wanted to get him more carries. When you have penalties you're in a lot more second and longs and third and longs than you want to be in. So by virtue of that you can't run the ball or stay with the plan that you had. He had four returns for 100 yards. He had two catches out of the backfield for minimal yards and 18 carries. We're trying to get his plays from scrimmage, touches up to 25 between receiving and rushing. We got that at 20. We would like to get that a little bit more, but you have to stay on schedule to do that. And clearly turnovers and penalties are a big part of that."

> How did the defensive line perform and how much does it help to get Marcus Foston and Adewale Ojomo back this week?

"It's going to help a lot. Clearly Olsen Pierre is playing his first game, [Anthony] Chickillo is playing his first game, Darius Smith is playing his first game. [Jalen] Grimble is playing his first game. There's a lot of guys there that didn't have any college experience that we were playing with at those positions. That was going to be a difficult chore prior to the suspensions. We knew what we were up against, didn't get the push we needed to get. We didn't get the get-off that we needed to get. Any criticism in that realm of the game is absolutely accurate. We missed some opportunities to get the quarterback on the ground. We have to do a better job with that. So we need to learn a lot. We need to improve this week before we start getting ready for Ohio State."

> Besides Jacory Harris, if other players had won a starting job before the suspensions do they have to win the starting job all over again?

"Each one of those is going to be determined individually over the next several days. We're just trying to wrap up this game before we move on. We're not even practicing tomorrow so we have a chance to sort that all out as a staff."

> What were some other good things you saw from the team?

"I thought our special teams, Jake (Wieclaw) had a pressure kick there with three minutes to go in the game that gave us the lead which was real good. We returned our kicks out to the 33 and held them to the 21-yard line which was a good exchange for us on special teams. That was Dalton Botts' first experience - he ended up netting 38 [yards]. He didn't crush the ball but had good height on it which is what we needed against a good returner. And we protected well there. From that standpoint that was good. Clearly we built depth. We're in really good condition. We faced a lot of plays on defense without having to sub as much as we would normally want to. The kids kept competing. And on offense we had a nine-minute drive there in the fourth quarter. Obviously we're in better condition, a nine-minute, 16-play drive. And on defense we only gave up one touchdown. There's going to be some positives here, but clearly too many negatives to overcome as a team. We knew what we had to do in terms of as a team to win this game. We had too many penalties and turnovers to overcome."

> Did you escape the Maryland game injury free?

"I think so. We'll see. It sounds at this point that we are."

> Did any of the freshmen stand out to you?

"I think Denzel [Perryman] and Anthony Chickillo showed that the moment wasn't too big for them. They both did a real good job. That was really their first [game]. We're playing a lot of freshmen. Those two look like they were fine with the moment as was Phillip Dorsett. Phillip was ready for his opportunity. Hopefully that's something they won't be overwhelmed in terms of the settings. Clearly we built some depth with some of the young guys."

> Can you critique the cornerback play?

"I think it got better as the game went on. Too many quick screens out there that we didn't really tackle well, defeat blocks well - both Brandon [McGee] and Mike Williams and Lee Chambers, we can do a better job there. Other than the deep one Brandon gave up I thought our coverage was okay. As a unit we just gave up too many yards. We were good in the red zone, just didn't get off the field on third down."

> How did the offensive line perform?

"Not up to our standards. Figs [Joel Figueroa] is over at left tackle now. From our standpoint with the experience we have it didn't equate. Some of that was the penalties and just getting out of whack. What I mean by that: If you're not staying on schedule you're easier to hunt from the other team's standpoint. We got off schedule quite a bit because of our penalties and our operation. We just made too many errors up front at tight end and offensive line. Hopefully we can settle in and learn from this. But not what we needed from our offensive line at this point."

> Can you assess how Joel Figueroa played at left tackle?

"He's just not filling in. Figs is a good player. Like all the offensive lineman he made some mental errors. We have to address it as an offensive unit, offensive line group. We had way too many mental errors. Figs was certainly part of that as well. We need to really improve going into this next game."

> Maurice Hagens had a pick fourth down conversion. Can you speak on that and his overall performance?

"Maurice, he did a really good job blocking for us and a really unselfish player. He made some really good plays for us, did a good job with the short yardage conversions, most particularly the fourth and one basically with the game on the line. We were just trying to keep the ball there and convert because clearly we weren't stopping them like we would want to on defense. We thought it was better to go for it there and Maurice fortunately made us right in that situation."

> With all the scrambling you had to do in a week or so with the suspensions how hard is it to hang on to that no excuses mentality?

"We're going to hang onto it. Bottom line, we had enough talent at the game to win. We weren't going to win that game by one-third or two-thirds of the operation hitting. The only way we were going to win that game was if all three [offense, defense and special teams] hit. The offenses needed to help the defense. To be honest, special teams was the only one of the three that executed the way we needed to win. That's the bottom line. It wasn't a great team effort. There were ebbs and flows in the game where we played well, where we settled down. I mentioned the red zone defense before. I mentioned the special teams before. Clearly there were some big plays on offense, some good throws and some big runs. But we just didn't operate well enough. The thing that's bothering me the most is the penalties and turnovers. We have got to get those corrected if we want to run the type of offense we want to run."

> The 499 yards allowed on defense, how does that get corrected?

"It gets fixed clearly with six guys returning and then two other guys [back] from injuries. You're talking a minimum of eight guys returning to the defense that have played a considerable amount of football for us. That will be part of it. The other part is continuing to improve. We still have a lot of guys that played for us that either had not started or had not played. Mike Williams, Brandon McGee, Jimmy Gaines, Lee Chambers, Darius Smith, AJ Highsmith. So, there were a lot of guys on the field that had not started at their position or had not played. What we need to do is settle in over the next three days, improve our defense, improve our team. We can't make excuses, but at the end of the day we let up too many yards and didn't get off the field enough on third down and that's something we have to get fixed period."

Golden, Morris post-game comments on WQAM

Here's what quarterback Stephen Morris and coach Al Golden had to say after UM's 32-24 loss to Maryland Monday night to WQAM.

AL GOLDEN

- Penalties and turnovers hurt... "That's the end all right there. I just got done telling the team don't make excuses, we had enough talent to win. Made too many turnovers and had too many penalties. Really, too many silly operational penalties that we have to get fixed. That starts with me. We'll take a hard look at it, make sure we have the right groupings in there and all that. We can't overcome that in this opener."

- Effort of the team... "I thought we competed and everytime Maryland took the lead we responded. Right up until the end when we threw the interception I thought we were going to respond again and go right down there and kick a field goal. We competed. But if you don't play smarter and more disciplined you can't win that game. If you would have told me going into the game we'd hold them to less than 20 points on defense with all the changes we had, I would have taken it. We gave up two offensive touchdowns and 10 penalties."

- Special teams... "I thought we made a lot of progress in our kicking game tonight. I thought we covered kicks well. I thought we returned the ball better than they did. We outnetted them there. We just didn't execute as well as we needed to on offense."

- Vaughn Telemaque had a big game on defense, what did you think his and the unit's effort... "When you're playing that wants to throw all over the yard like that, you have to win on third downs and you got to win in the red zone like that. And we had a couple stops in the red zone which was critical when you play a team like that, holding them to a field goal. They probably had us 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 in yardage midway through the first quarter or the end of the first quarter. The guys were hanging in there, making plays in the red zone. After all that, whatever it was 10-7. We changed leads probably 3 times."

- Lamar Miller and Mike James ran hard, you had 40 rushes for 172 yards rushing... "I was trying to get that number up a little bit higher. Lamar had 18 [carries] I think. But if we don't get silly penalties he probably gets 25. We put ourselves in second and forever and long third downs where you really can't run. So, that was unfortunate. We get down to the 5-yard line there with four minutes to go in the game and it comes back and we ended up settling for a field goal. He went around left end there and we were lined up wrong. And they were right. We were lined up wrong. We got to get that tightened up. And again, that starts with the coaches and me."

- Were you happy with the running game and particularly the running of fullback Maurice Hagens... "Maurice - particularly short yardage - has to be a factor for us. He does a good job blocking. But if you want to play the game that way -- which we set out to do in this game because we wanted to control the clock and we needed to help our defense -- you can't turn the ball over and you can't have penalties. You can't stay on schedule and play the way we wanted to operate today getting silly penalties."

- What do you have to work on before Ohio State... "We're just going to go back. I don't know how many guys we're going to get back. But between injuries and suspensions, I'm sure it's close to 10 [players] when you think of all the guys we didn't bring on this trip. We'll bring in some reinforcements. That should help us on special teams and clearly give us a little more depth. We just need to go back to work and the good news is the things we did wrong are fixable. The bad news is it's been an emphasis since I arrived. The operational penalties game out of left field. I don't know if it was poise. We won't know until we get back and they convey to us what was wrong in the huddle and what the issues were."

- Overall feeling on Stephen Morris' performance... "Some of the operational penalties were his. He has to get us in and out of the huddle and on the line of scrimmage, obviously take care of the clock. A couple times we didn't do that. I thought he was going to get a couple of them off or I would have burned some time outs. But he made some good throws, stood in the pocket. Some other times he showed courage on some of his throws. But the one down the stretch he was late on, you can't be late down the stretch to the sideline No. 1. When you're in the fringe, you have to protect the ball. And we didn't do that."

STEPHEN MORRIS

- On turnovers and penalties... "We can't turn the ball over like that, as many times as we did, fumbles or whatever it the situation -- me, myself included. We just have to go back on film and get better with that."

- Lamar Miller, Mike James ran well... "I expect that from both of them. Both of them are great backs and understand the offense very well. Our offensive line did a great job opening holes for us and we just have to convert."

- Any surprises from Maryland... "Not at all. The coaches did a great job of game planning. Offensively we had everything we wanted. We just didn't convert on a couple times. That goes on the players fault. We just have to go back and get better on it."

- Were you happy with the 60 minutes of effort... "That's something coach Golden has been preaching. Every single time we try to go out on the field, we make sure everybody is giving it their all. It was a team effort. We just have to push ourselves a little bit harder."

- What did you learn about yourself... "There's a lot of things I did good and a lot of things I did bad. I still have to improve which is something I have to go back and look at and just try to get better."

Gameday blog: Canes at Maryland

Al Golden and the Miami Hurricanes will open the season tonight at 8 at Byrd Stadium against the Maryland Terrapins on ESPN. You are invited to join The Miami Herald's live Gameday Blog and participate in our in-game discussion throughout the game.

Herald Sports Writer Manny Navarro will be here to anchor the blog, answer questions and share his thoughts on both Twitter and our blog. Remember, inappropriate or obscene comments will not be tolerated and will be deleted.

Here are some news, notes and keys to the game before kickoff. FYI, the forecast is calling for a 90 percent chance of rain in the area.

- UM will be without eight suspended players for the opener including five starters on defense: DT Marcus Forston, DE Olivier Vernon, DE Adewale Ojomo, S Ray-Ray Armstrong and LB Sean Spence. Look for several freshman and fresh faces to play a vital role in UM's defense.

- Sophomore middle linebacker Jimmy Gaines, one of three non-freshmen making their first career starts (cornerback Mike Williams and defensive tackle Darius Smith are others), has the responsibility of calling plays with Spence out. Gaines, a standout throughout fall camp, will have to show leadership beyond his years for the Canes defense to have a good day.

- With three starters out on the defensive line, expect to see a lot of freshmen Anthony Chickillo, Olsen Pierre, Jalen Grimble and David Perry -- the second-team defensive line. Chickillo has shown in practice he's physically strong enough to battle with college-caliber players. But it's questionable how all the freshman will do in their debuts.

- UM produced two sacks and two quarterback hurries on Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien, the ACC Offensive Freshman of the Year, in last year's 26-20 come-from-behind win last year at Sun Life Stadium. O'Brien finished a mere 9 of 28 for 134 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT thanks to some solid pass defense. UM had eight pass breakups in the game, seven by the secondary. With safety Vaughn Telemaque the only returning starter back from last year's game -- and questions abound at corner -- it will be imperative for the Canes to create pressure on the quarterback and help Brandon McGee, Mike Williams and freshman Thomas Finnie ease in. Maryland, by the way, finished second in the ACC in points scored last season with 32.3 a game. The Terrapins bring back just five starters on their offense, but O'Brien and three starters on the offensive line are among them.

- Offensively, sophomore Stephen Morris will get the start in place of the suspended Jacory Harris. Of course, last year Morris rallied UM to victory versus the Terps by tossing a 35-yard TD pass to Leonard Hankerson with 37 seconds left to play. But before his final drive when he went 4 for 4 for 60 yards and a touchdown, Morris struggled versus the Terps, going 14 of 26 for 226 yards and 2 INTs. New offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch has geared the team's offense for Morris and Harris to check down and make safer reads. Expect UM's tight ends, which didn't make a catch last season against Maryland, to be much more involved.

- Two players who can take a lot of pressure off Morris are running backs Lamar Miller and Mike James. Both had big contributions against the Terps last season. Miller ran for 125 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown and had two catches for 20 yards. James had 10 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown.

- UM has new players at three key special teams positions: sophomore Dalton Botts will handle the punts, junior Jake Wieclaw will handle field goals, extra points and kickoffs, and freshman Phillip Dorsett will return punts.

> PREDICTION: On most days, I would take Miami's talent over Maryland's talent. But in this case, the Canes are playing shorthanded -- very shorthanded --  on defense. Only three players who started in last year's win over the Terrapins (Nicholas, Telemaque and Buchanan) are scheduled to start in this year's game. The big losses for me are Vernon (sack last year vs. Maryland), Spence (3 tackles) and Armstrong (5 tackles, INT). It's not that I don't think UM's defense can step up and answer the bell. I think they will play inspired. But you are asking a lot from a lot of guys making their first starts playing on the road, in bad weather conditions and in a hostile environment. There are bound to be lapses and mistakes. I think we'll see a big night from Miller and James again. But it probably won't be enough. Maryland 26, UM 24.

An inside look at the Maryland Terrapins

Hi from just outside College Park, Md., where there's a 60 percent chance of rain tomorrow for the game. Canes fans, bring your orange and green ponchos! 

Patrick Stevens, who covers Maryland football for the Washington Times, joins us tonight for an inside look at the Terrapins before they meet Miami on Monday night. Patrick's blog can be found here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/d1scourse/

For the five questions I answered about the Hurricanes, see the Washington Times here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/d1scourse/2011/sep/4/out-of-town-q-and-a-miami/

1. What about Danny O'Brien makes him so valuable, and can he produce a better game than he did a year ago at Miami?

*** O'Brien possesses plenty of skills that make him effective --- a strong arm, superb pocket awareness and an ability to distribute opportunities among any of his receiving options. But most of all, he's smart. Really, really smart, and it is his ability to read situations effectively that helped him with the ACC's rookie of the year award a season ago.

   Still, probably his worst game came against Miami. He was 9-for-28 for 134 yards, a touchdown and an interception against the Hurricanes, who possessed probably the most athletic defense Maryland encountered last season (though Clemson would also be in that conversation). With Miami short-handed on defense because of all the suspensions, look for O'Brien to have a more typical performance this time around.

2. With Miami dealing with its suspensions, what will Maryland look to do to take advantage (especially on offense)?

*** If there's ever a game for Maryland to eagerly attempt to pound the ball up the middle, this is it. The losses for Miami on its defensive line (as well as the absence of linebacker Sean Spence) are going to make it awfully tempting for the Terps to hand it off to Davin Meggett a ton and see what happens. The bulk of Maryland's roster, after all, was recruited to play in a physical, pro-style system.

That said, the presence of O'Brien and an offensive coordinator with a history as a spread devotee (Gary Crowton) suggests the Terps will try to do open things up beyond simply a power running game, regardless of Miami's roster woes.

3. How much of an impact will backup tailback D.J. Adams' suspension have on Monday's game?

*** It will probably be most noticeable in the red zone. Adams, a sophomore suspended for Monday's game for of a violation of team rules, rushed for 11 touchdowns last season in 67 carries. It's OK if Miami fans don't remember him --- Adams made only a cameo appearance in the game last November

--- but Adams had eight of his touchdowns in Maryland's final four games.

With him out, it means starter Meggett is the only running back available with any career carries. Redshirt freshman Jeremiah Wilson (a converted defensive back) and true freshman Justus Pickett will be Meggett's immediate backups. Here's guessing Meggett will surpass his career-high of 18 carries on Monday.

4. Which defensive player has the chance to make the biggest impact for Maryland on Monday?

*** That would be Kenny Tate, an all-conference safety now listed as a linebacker (but in reality probably not doing all that much different from a year ago). Tate, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound senior, was recruited to Maryland as a wide receiver but enjoyed a breakout season last year (100 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and three interceptions). He's capable of making life difficult for even the best opposing offenses.

A few other names to keep an eye on: The tackle tandem of A.J. Francis and Joe Vellano, both of whom started throughout last season; middle linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield, who slides over from the weak side after the graduation of Alex Wujciak; and defensive end David Mackall, a sophomore and a converted linebacker whose skill set gives him a chance to be Maryland's best pass rusher since Shawne Merriman.

5. Just how will Maryland look in its first game with new offensive and defensive coordinators?

*** Good question. Maryland has played things exceptionally close to the vest since Randy Edsall was hired in January, and Monday's game will be a fine barometer to determine the value of that strategy of secrecy. With Tate functioning as a linebacker/safety hybrid, Maryland's main look defensively will essentially include five defensive backs. That's a good thing for the Terps given their personnel limitations --- at the two true linebacker spots, Maryland has exactly three scholarship players who have been with the team since the spring.

Offensively, it's a bit more of a mystery. But given Crowton's spread proclivities and the presence of a veteran receiving corps (four wideouts with 10+ catches last season return, even if star Torrey Smith turned pro), it seems likely Maryland will rely on plenty of three-receiver sets even if it only lists two wideout spots on its depth chart this week. Also, expect Meggett to be a three-down back. That's fitting for Edsall -- a year ago at Connecticut, tailback Jordan Todman ranked second nationally with 334 carries.

Golden talks new additions: OL Hunter Wells, DL Corey King and Junior Alexis

The Miami Hurricanes had their final practice Saturday morning before leaving for Maryland, giving coach Al Golden a chance to talk about the three late additions to the team's roster.

They are: February signee Corey King, a 6-1, 270-pound defensive tackle from West Boca Raton, and two late surprise additions, offensive tackle Hunter Wells (6-4, 283 from Canton, Ill.) and defensive lineman Junior Alexis (6-2, 240 from Los Angeles Crenshaw High).

"This year we knew we were going to be recruiting basically right up until the last day we could get student-athletes in just because of our unusual circumstances," Golden told reporters Saturday. "We're pleased with those guys that they could join our team -- and obviously at positions that we just don't have enough depth right now."

Golden said King arrived Friday. Wells has been with the team for two days. Golden said Alexis "has already been fully integrated" -- meaning he's been here for more than five days.

Of Alexis, Golden said: "Real tough kid. Obviously [defensive line coach] Jethro and [recruiting coordinator] Brennan [Carroll] knew about him and had a chance to evaluate him and knew a lot about him. He was at Crenshaw, a kid we thought really hard about bringing in January. We had the room to bring him in now. So we chose to have him here and train him rather than a JUCO, community college or prep school. He looks great is closing in on 270 right now. I'm sure he'll be at 285 by the time close in on the spring."

Of Wells, Golden said: "Hunter is a big, physical kid. He's over 300 pounds, about 6-foot-5. He can really run well."

Golden confirmed what we and other outlets reported last night that February signees Antonio Kinard and Kevin Grooms won't be playing for the Hurricanes because they didn't qualify in time.

Asked if Grooms, a star running back from South Broward High, won't be on the team at all, Golden said: "Not at this point. He's not going to be able to join us at this point and we're still working through that."

A FEW MORE TIDBITS...

> Asked which players pushed to be the last to make it on the travel bus to Maryland, Golden said: "Well, Kacy Rodgers did. Then he got a little head injury, which he'll be fine, but that was really disappointing. Eduardo Clements made a fantastic push down the end. Rashawn Scott made a great push down the end, Dallas Crawford, some of the young linebackers. There was a lot of push down the end, especially from a special teams standpoint, to get on that plane. We'll have a couple empty seats than normal. But we're excited about the group going."

> Golden said safety Andrew Swasey, who is not on the two-deep, "is doing great. He's starting for us on two or three special teams. He is clearly in the mix at safety. Andrew has done a great job, obviously still learning the job."

> Golden said former defensive tackle Jeremy Lewis is making a nice transition to offense. "He's doing great. He made the travel squad. He's shown a lot of progress. He's had as good a camp as anybody. He's in good shape and he's really doing a nice job for us at guard."

DT King, OT Wells get into UM; DL Kinard, RB Grooms don't

CORAL GABLES -- UM coach Al Golden said Friday morning that by the end of the day there would be some clarity pertaining to players with NCAA clearinghouse issues.

A UM official provided some of that, confirming that defensive tackle Corey King (6-1, 265) and offensive lineman Hunter Wells (6-6, 280) have joined the team. Not getting into UM from the 2011 signing class: defensive lineman Antonio Kinard and former South Broward running back Kevin Grooms.

The UM spokesman also said there is no official word yet from the NCAA regarding the waiver quarterback Ryan Williams has been seeking.

> Safety A.J. Highsmith, who will serve as the team's emergency quarterback Monday night at Maryland, said he's taken the bulk of his snaps under center after practice with a couple teammats.

"They gave me a package and after practice I work with a few guys on it," Highsmith said. "It's pretty basic, just throwing here and there. Hopefully it doesn't have to happen [where I have to play QB], but I'll be ready if needed. It's basically early installs."

Kevin Grooms, UM's only RB signee in 2011, has Friday flight scheduled to Marshall according to coach

CORAL GABLES -- South Broward running back Kevin Grooms, one of the most highly-touted freshmen in UM's 2011 signing class, is likely heading to Marshall and not the Hurricanes backfield.

Grooms, at two-time All-Broward selection who ran for 1,363 yards and 20 TDs as a senior, has been battling NCAA Clearinghouse issues since signing with UM in February. His qualifying test score was red-flagged by the NCAA.

Groom's high school coach Allen Held told The Miami Herald this morning the 5-10 pound, 170-pound speedster already has a 5 p.m. flight scheduled Friday to fly out to Marshall if his issues with UM aren't cleared up.

"He's been trying to work things out with UM, but they want to send him to a junior college and just don't have anything set up for him yet," Held said. "Virginia Tech told him they could put him in a prep school. But it looks like Marshall is the best situation. They can put him in a program, have him sit out the year and then play in 2012."

Grooms was the only running back UM signed in its 2011 signing class. The Canes have one of the nation's top high school running backs in Miami Norland's Duke Johnson already lined up for the 2012 class.

UM coach Al Golden said Friday the school would know later today if Grooms and two other signees dealing with clearinghouse issues -- defensive end Corey King and linebacker Antonio Kinard -- would be getting into school.

UPDATE: Grooms told Canesport.com about 10 minutes after this blog was first posted: "It's just between Miami and Marshall right now. I don't know which one I'll choose."

Despite what he told Canesport, it's still a safe bet Grooms will not be a Hurricane this season.

Golden expects Streeter to play Monday night at Maryland

CORAL GABLES -- Tommy Streeter, who had arguably the best training camp of any player at UM before coming down with an undisclosed injury earlier this week, is no longer wearing a yellow non-contact jersey and is expected to play Monday night in the season-opener at Maryland.

"It looks like he's through the woods," UM coach Al Golden said Friday morning before his team took the field at Greentree Practice Field. "We'll see how he responds today. He looked good yesterday. We're counting on him right now."

Streeter, who had three TD catches in the team's first scrimmage of fall camp, had two more in the final scrimmage and led all players with seven catches for 148 yards. But when the depth chart was released Tuesday, he was listed on the second team behind LaRon Byrd and alongside true freshman Rashawn Scott.

It's likely he'll play a bigger role in Monday's opener now that he is healthy.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES FROM GOLDEN FRIDAY...

> Golden said he'll have his team sleep in late Monday to "shorten the day up" before the 8 p.m. kickoff. "It's hard [having to wait all day], but you have to deal with it. It's part of the job. We have to get to the point where we're executing regardless of the circumstances."

> Golden said he'll learn later today if three players dealing with clearinghouse issues -- running back Kevin Grooms, linebacker Antonio Kinard and defensive lineman Corey King -- will get into school. I'm not counting on it

> The one special teams job still up for grabs has now been taken. Golden said junior Jake Wieclaw, also handing the field goal and extra points job, beat out freshman Matt Goudis for the kickoff specialist job. "They're both ready," Golden said. "But right now it looks like it will be Wieclaw."

> The battle for the left tackle job is still ongoing, but sixth-year senior Joel Figueroa is still ahead of redshirt freshman Malcolm Bunche. "They're going to continue to battle," Golden said. "But Fig is doing a really nice job. Again, Bunche is young, doesn't quite have the experience. But they're both doing a nice job."

> Sophomore linebacker Kelvin Cain didn't appear on UM's two-deep roster, but Golden said he's still showing a good attitude. "There's a lot of guys in that boat right now that maybe played or had a significant role at some point. But there's a lot more competition right now than in the spring," Golden said. "At least [Cain] has got a good attitude."

> With Travis Benjamin suspended for the opener along with four other players, it's opened the door on kickoff and punt returns for others to step up. Golden said Lamar Miller and Brandon McGee will handle the kickoffs and true freshman Phillip Dorsett will handle the punt returns.

Asked if he was a little nervous putting a true freshman back to return punts, Golden delivered a one word answer: "Yes."

"We're playing a lot of freshman under the lights in a big setting," Golden said. "But you got to make sure believe in them, have confidence in them, train them under all those circumstances. Ultimately, you have to cut the cord and go let them do it. He's gifted. He's got talent. He's returned punts for a long time. This may be his first time in college, but he's been doing it for a long time. I think he'll do very well."

> Asked if UM might feature just one tailback in Monday's game, Golden said Miller and Mike James will platoon. "If we get a hot hand, we'll leave one in," Golden said. "They kind of sub each other anyway. If someone gets a long run or a considerable amount of reps successively they'll rotate."

As for the team's third back, that hasn't been decided yet, though, sophomore Maurice Hagens is listed there on the depth chart. "Eduardo [Clements] is there as well," Golden said of the team's third back. "Mo is kind of an H-Back, fullback for us. But he's also a good one-back runner. Of course, Eduardo has had a really good camp too. Who we put in there third, I don't know yet."

> Asked if his new kicker and punter might be ready to deal with the pressure on Monday night, Golden said he does because he's already placed them under "extreme pressure" in practice. "Not just live situations, but the whole team standing around them as they kick or punt," Golden said. "We get after them pretty good. The idea there is to make the game easier for them and let them have fun."

> Golden said getting the butterflies out of the stomach of his freshmen shouldn't be difficult.

"It should seem normal to them," Golden said. "They've been in the rotation played with guys who have been in games. Hopefully those guys will mentor them. I've never been opposed to playing freshmen. I think they've earned this. I think they've come in in good condition. If they weren't ready, we wouldn't play them. They just have to go out there and do what they've been trained to do."

Grimble confident he, UM freshmen will be ready for opener

CORAL GABLES -- At 6-2, 280 pounds Jalen Grimble came to Miami physically prepared to do battle in the trenches as a true freshman.

But since his arrival, he's picked up a few technical pointers he believes has better prepared him for the Hurricanes season-opener Monday night at Maryland.

"When I first got here, we were doing one-on-ones and I went up against [All-ACC offensive lineman] Brandon Washington. I will just say it didn't go as planned," said Grimble, who admitted he was put on his backside by the 6-4, 320-pound junior.

"Here they teach you to use your inside hand. I wasn't taught that in high school. Over there, it's go get the quarterback.

"I wouldn't say it is [tougher in college], but it is a lot different. The playbook is bigger. The guy next to you is just as good as you. That is where your technique comes into play. Whatever the coaches tell you, you have to do it and if you don't, there is a chance you will not succeed. Coming from high school to college was a big jump, but I have adjusted."

The Hurricanes certainly hope so. In an ideal situation, UM wouldn't need to rely on a true freshman to serve as a backup in his first game in college. But because of suspensions and injuries on the defensive line, Grimble is one four freshmen listed on the Canes' second team. He is currently listed behind junior college transfer Darius Smith at defensive tackle.

Although Grimble has played both end and tackle since arriving at UM, he's been focused more at tackle lately. And he feels prepared to wage war in the middle.

"D-line is d-line," Grimble said. "If you put me on the d-line anywhere I will play it. Here, I move back and forth. It just depends what personnel we are in."

One might imagine the big stage of playing on ESPN Monday night would make a true freshman a little uneasy. But Grimble had plenty of experience playing on national television when he was at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High.

"You can block the cameras out and the crowd out," Grimble said. "In high school I played several games on TV. Football is football to me."

Grimble said he is confident that he and the rest of the freshmen can contribute Monday night and help fill the big void left by seven suspended starters.

"All I can say is you'll have to wait and see on Monday," Grimble said. "As far as I know, my team will be fully prepared. But Sept. 5 will be the real test."

Even with suspensions, D'Onofrio says he isn't scaling back Canes defense for Maryland

CORAL GABLES -- With five key pieces on his defense with 66 combined career starts suspended by the NCAA for Monday's season-opener at Maryland, one might imagine Hurricanes defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio would be a little nervous this week.

But the Al Golden's right hand man is hardly shaking in confidence with what he has left. In fact, D'Onofrio said Thursday he isn't planning on scaling back any of his defensive plans for the Terrapins just because linebacker Sean Spence (29 career starts), safety Ray-Ray Armstrong (4) and defensive linemen Marcus Forston (13), Olivier Vernon (13) and Adewale Ojomo (7) will sit out.

In his mind, it's "a next-man in mentality" -- basically what many of his players have been saying now for more than a week.

"It's definitely calmer. There's nothing else you can do," D'Onofrio said of the Hurricanes' mood now that they know who will be out and for how long. "At the same time I think we had a little bit of foresight when this thing first happened that we may have to alter some plans and do some things, which gave us some time to think `If this, then that.' We started to get some guys enough reps early on that I think it's going to help us come Monday night.

"We do have some guys that have played football for us. There's some youth in the two-deep, but if you look at it guys like Marcus Robinson and [Micanor] Regis and Andrew Smith and [Ramon Buchanan] Buck, JoJo Nicolas, Vaughn [Telemaque], those guys have all played a lot of football for us. They'll have to carry us through."

Eight of the 11 players slated to start Monday's opener for the Canes do have starting experience. Those guys are: safeties Jojo Nicolas (18 starts) and Vaughn Telemaque (24 starts); cornerback Brandon McGee (1 start); linebackers Ramon Buchanan (12 starts) and Jordan Futch (2 starts, 16 career tackles); defensive linemen Andrew Smith (7 starts), Micanor Regis (10 starts) and Marcus Robinson (11 starts). But still, when you look at the team's depth chart, there is clearly a lot of inexperience.

At cornerback, where fifth-year senior Mike Williams (0 starts, 18 career tackles, 4 pass deflections in 14 games at Wake Forest) will start opposite McGee (a junior with 17 career tackles and two pass deflections in 21 games), the backups are senior Lee Chambers (a converted running back who made two tackles on special teams last year) and true freshman Thomas Finnie.

At middle linebacker, sophomore training camp standout Jimmy Gaines will call out the plays in Spence's absence. But Gaines comes in with one assisted tackle and six games of experience as a true freshman. The backups at linebacker: junior C.J. Holton (12 career tackles in 25 games) and true freshmen Gionni Paul and Denzel Perryman.

On the defensive line, where three starters will sit out, Robinson, Regis and Smith provide plenty of experience. But big 6-2, 360-pound defensive tackle Darius Smith, who is expected to start next to Regis at tackle, is one of four players on the two-deep on the defensive line that hasn't taken a snap at the Division I level. The others: freshmen Anthony Chickillo, Olsen Pierre, Jalen Grimble and David Perry.

A scary, nightmarish scenario? "It is," D'Onofrio said of the youth and inexperience on UM's defense. "But I haven't been in many ideal situations over my career. I coached eight years at Rutgers and Temple off the bottom with 53 scholarship players at Temple and everything else. I'm not used to exactly having everything at my disposal. I'm just prepared for these type situations, really don't worry about what happens - just coach the guys you can coach and play ball."

If anything has helped, D'Onofrio said, it's that the team has spent a lot of time preparing for possible situations when leaders might be out on offense and defense. Remember those days in camp when Spence, Vernon and Ray-Ray grabbed a ballcap, whistle and coached? That's what Golden had his team preparing for.

So what will D'Onofrio's overall message to his defense be Monday night? "Just be who we want to be," he said -- regardless of who is missing.

"From the get-go when we got here we talked about turning on the tape and seeing a group that really played with a lot of passion, energy, played tough, playing for one another, a group that loved one another," D'Onofrio said. "Really that hasn't changed, and we need it moreso. We need some guys to step up. I'm excited about the guys who have their opportunity, am excited to watch them play."

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES FROM THURSDAY...

> After battling a few minor injuries, freshman defensive end Anthony Chickillo appers to have settled into one spot.

"We had him working both of our defensive end spots, which are a little bit different," D'Onofrio said. "We're asking guys to do different things on those spots, trying to find the right combinations. He had a couple injuries, a couple things inbetween. For him to get the continuity, it wasn't really smooth. But I think he's got it back now and is headed in the right direction."

> Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien was the ACC Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2010 after throwing for 2,438 yards along with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. When looking at film on O'Brien, D'Onofrio said he impressed by the poise O'Brien plays with.

"Anytime you can come in that young and play that well and poised, it's a probably a kid who has done it all his life," D'Onofrio said. "He's probably a kid that got the ball when he was 8-years old and could do it. Those guys are rare and special. Some of those quarterbacks just have it, can see the field, make the checks, are smart, see it quick, can make a good decision. He's got all those intangibles."

D'Onofrio said the key for UM will be trying to make Maryland's offense -- which also has talented tailback Davin Meggett -- one dimensional.

"They have a veteran offensive line, four or five starters back. The tight end's a very good player and obviously [Davin] Meggett at tailback, he averaged almost six yards a carry," D'Onofrio said. "When a team is two dimensional and can throw it, you have to figure out a way to get the run stopped and make them one dimensional. I don't think it's any secret. Every defensive coordinator talks in those terms. There is challenges. They have veteran wide receivers, don't have a lot of guys back that had the number of catches but have been in and around the program for three and four years. So I expect them to be a huge test for us."

> Asked to comment on senior linebacker Ramon Buchanan, D'Onofrio said he "has stepped up quite a bit. He's really been a guy that's being consistent. He's bringing intensity, enthusiasm, great effort to practice every day. That's what I'm excited about - the consistency. Not high one day, low one day. He's really been consistent."

> Of freshman defensive lineman Jalen Grimble's play in camp, D'Onofrio said: "Jalen's been good. He's talented. He's played two sports for us. We're trying to figure out the best combination. he's played some end, played some tackle. We're kind of settling him in right now inside. These guys are all getting better right now over the last 10 days or so when we kind of moved forward, figured out we have to get some of these guys ready to go, get them in one spot [and] honed in on a game plan. I think we've improved a lot."

Quick practice report -- Herbstreit extra

Because of the craziness of the past two weeks, media access, understandably, has been altered a few times. This morning, we originally were supposed to get players and coach Al Golden before practice, as we usually do, but that session was changed to early afternoon.

UM has said the eight players suspended by the NCAA for Monday's opener at Maryland are allowed to practice. I do know the five who were suspended for one game were all out there -- quarterback Jacory Harris, linebacker Sean Spence, receiver Travis Benjamin, defensive tackle Marcus Forston and defensive end Adewale Ojomo.

Not sure about  Dyron Dye, Olivier Vernon and Ray-Ray Armstrong -- they WERE in their position meetings this morning and probably practicing, too.  I do know that Aldarius Johnson, who has been suspended indefinitely and not expected back, was not out there.

Safety A.J. Highsmith was with the defense for the 15 minutes we're allowed to watch. Al Golden said yesterday that A.J. would be the third quarterback against Maryland.

Also, Tommy Streeter, who had a really good fall camp, is now wearing a yellow noncontact jersey. He was running around on the field, however, with his position group early on. Golden had mentioned a couple days ago that he had some type of injury.

HERBIE WEIGHS IN

   I caught some of ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit on WQAM this morning. He was basically amazed at all the allegations included in the Yahoo! Sports report, and said he thought UM players fared very well with the NCAA considering the allegations. He said he felt very bad for Golden. Who doesn't?

   He also said he believes if Stephen Morris has a great game on Monday, he should stay in as the quarterback for Ohio State. Coach Golden said yesterday he will reopen the qb competition after Maryland, in fairness to Jacory, who basically was scaled back after he was declared ineligible.

    "Based on what we saw the last couple years and watching Stephen Morris last year play, if he goes in based on what has happened with the suspensions and he plays well I think to me there would be no reason to go with anyone else but Stephen Morris the next week.''

 

   SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN