Eye on the U

Hot time in MIami: Gators at Canes in football: noon on Sept. 7 on ESPN.

University of Miami tailgaters might want to get to sleep early on Friday, Sept. 6th. That's because the highly anticipated Florida Gators at Miami Hurricanes football game was announced for a noon kickoff at Sun Life Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7 on ESPN -- upsetting fans who would rather have a night game.

A night game would certainly be a great draw and the event to party around at Sun Life. UM would get heavy-duty exposure. And let's face it, night games are always more fun (unless you're on deadline or savor getting broiled outside).

Turns out that ABC has NASCAR from Richmond, Va., that night and ESPN is broadcasting the Notre Dame-Michigan football game in prime time. A game has not yet been announced for the prime-time ESPN2 slot.

"We requested and lobbied ESPN for an evening slot for the game vs #BeatUF.'' tweeted UM athletic director Blake James. "Unfortunately, they were unable to accomodate.'' 

 I just got off the phone with ESPN spokesman Mike Humes, whom I asked about the noon start.

"Essentially, we looked at all the options and this was the best available window for the game,'' Humes said. "We average probably around three million viewers for that time slot. So it wasn’t like, 'Let’s put the worst game on at noon.' The noon window does really well with fans.

"We view this as a great matchup. Scheduling games is like putting together differrent puzzles with different time zones and commitments, and this was the best window.''

 UM AD James also tweeted this: "espn/abc wanted to take game national 3:30 slot is regional coverage."

Humes said the 3:30 p.m. ABC game is Oregon at Virginia.

In other Canes football news, the Aug. 30 season opener at Sun Life Stadium against FAU will kick off at 8 p.m. Aug. 30 -- a Friday -- and will be aired by ESPNU.

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN 

Streeter's father on 1st round: "You never know what can happen"

Tonight is supposed to be a silent night for the Miami Hurricanes. Cell phones aren't supposed to ring for any of the seniors and underclassmen who put their names in for the NFL Draft. Not during the first round, anyway.

But that doesn't mean they won't be sitting around with their families, hoping, praying and anxiously waiting for the phone to ring.

"Two years ago, where did they think [Tim] Tebow was going? Didn't they say he was going in the fourth or fifth round? He ended up in the first round. So, you never know," the father of receiver Tommy Streeter said Thursday.

"They can slot you here, they can slot you there and someone can surprise you and pick you up. Jimmy Graham was going in the fourth or fifth round. He went in the third. I look at it based on the need of the team. If you're there when that team is up and that team needs you and you're high on their board, they're going to snatch you. So, I really don't care what any experts say."

Draft experts -- guys like ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay -- believe no Canes will go in the first round tonight, making it four years in a row UM gets shut out of the first round (something that hasn't happened since 1968-1972).

In his seven-round mock draft released Wednesday night, McShay projected seven Hurricanes would be chosen -- the earliest being junior tailback Lamar Miller (2nd round, 59th overall to Green Bay) on Friday. After that McShay has defensive end Olivier Vernon going in the 3rd round, 80th overall to Arizona, linebacker Sean Spence going in the 4th round, 124th overall to Buffalo, Streeter going in the 5th round, 154th overall to the New York Jets, offensive lineman Brandon Washington going five picks later in the 5th round to Pittsburgh, defensive end Marcus Forston going in the 6th round,176th overall to Jacksonville and receiver Travis Benjamin going 15 picks later in the 6th round to Cincinnati.

Some Hurricanes fans believe if Streeter is taken that low that he'll have made a mistake leaving school early. But his father strongly disagrees and says wherever his son is taken "is a blessing."

"It was the right decision 100 percent," Streeter Sr. said. "There's really nothing he can look back on and say if I stayed I probably could have been a first rounder. That's not on his mind. I think he felt like it was just time. If you looked at it, if he would played with [quarterback] Jacory [Harris] from the get-go this would have been the year he came out anyway. A lot of people can say if he stayed one more year this might of happened, he could have gone higher. But you never know what could have happened. He could have gotten injured. You can't wait on that. You make a decision and you move on."

Miller, who celebrated his 21st birthday Wednesday, was asked on an ESPN chat last night if his decision not to return to Miami for his senior year was based on avoiding injury.

“Not really," Miller responded. "I know that running backs have a short lifespan. I think I put myself in a good position to get drafted. I just wanted to take my talents to the next level and live my dream.”

Miller said he plans to spend Thursday night at his South Florida home watching the draft on TV. “Some of my friends and family will be over," Miller said on the chat. “We’ll watch it, play dominoes and cards until I get that phone call.”

Streeter will also be surrounded by family. After working out privately for the Dolphins and Patriots (who have two first round picks) his father said he has no clue which team will snap him up. But staying home and playing for the Dolphins wouldn't be bad.

"If it works out like that, it would truly be a blessing," Streeter Sr. said. "But we're not going to put our hopes up high because we don't want to have a letdown. We're putting it in God's hands. Whoever picks him that's where we're going.

"But the anticipation. Man, that's something."

Canes release final spring depth chart

HOLLYWOOD -- I'm hanging out at the Westin Diplomat Hotel and Resort today waiting on the BCS to come out of meetings and tell us what their two to three proposed plans to determine college football's nation champion is going to be after the 2013 season (here's a link to today's story).

By then, Al Golden and the Canes might actually be back on their feet and able to make a real push for the title. For now, though, the rebuilding continues.

Earlier this morning, the school released its last depth chart following spring football. With a good number of talented freshmen set to arrive -- including star cornerback Tracy Howard and running back Duke Johnson -- I expect it will look different by the time the Canes finally line up at Boston College Sept. 1.

Anyway, no major changes following the spring game except that senior Vaughn Telemaque, the guy with the most starting experience on the team, is finally back with the first team.

As for the early arrivals -- junior college transfer Ladarius Gunter is slotted on the first team at cornerback with true freshman Larry Hope right behind him. Freshman Ereck Flowers is the backup at right tackle.

Here it is (first team is followed by the second team):

OFFENSE
QB: Stephen Morris or Ryan Williams
RB: Mike James, Eduardo Clements
FB: Maurice Hagens, Sean Harvey
WR: Phillip Dorsett, Kendal Thompkins
WR: Rashawn Scott or Allen Hurns
TE: Asante Cleveland, Clive Walford, Daniel Perry
LT: Malcolm Bunche, Ben Jones
LG: Jonathan Feliciano or Jermaine Johnson
C: Shane McDermott or Jared Wheeler
RG: Brandon Linder, Jeremy Lewis
RT: Seantrel Henderosn, Ereck Flowers

DEFENSE
DE: Anthony Chickillo, Ricardo Williams
DT: Darius Smith, Luther Robinson
DT: Curtis Porter, Olsen Pierre
DE: Shayon Green, Kelvin Cain
SLB: Jimmy Gaines, Eddie Johnson
MLB: Denzel Perryman, Raphael Kirby
WLB: Ramon Buchanan, Gionni Paul or Tyrone Cornelius
CB: Brandon McGee, Thomas Finnie
CB: Ladarius Gunter, Larry Hope
SS: Vaughn Telemaqu, Kacy Rodgers, Andrew Swasey
FS: Ray-Ray Armstrong, Ali Highmsith

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kickoffs: Jake Wieclaw, Matt Goudis
Punts: Dalton Botts, Jake Wieclaw
Field goals: Jake Wieclaw, Matt Goudis
Short snapper: Brandon Linder, Sean McNally
Long snapper: Sean McNally, Ali Highsmith
Holder: Dalton Botts, Ryan Williams
Kick returner: Phillip Dorsett, Dallas Crawford
Punt returner: Phillip Dorsett, Dallas Crawford