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 

UM Canes Ray-Ray Armstrong and Seantrel Henderson are the subject of rumors -- again

A briefing for those of you wondering about the status of University of Miami senior safety Ray-Ray Armstrong and junior offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson:

I had originally heard rumors that Seantrel and Ray-Ray were dismissed from the football team, but those are apparently false. When I called UM to ask about those rumors, I was told by Chris Freet, the UM associate athletic director for communications and marketing, that UM declined to comment on anything regarding that subject and Al Golden was on vacation and could not be reached.

I also reached Ray-Ray Armstrong's dad, Albert, by phone a little while ago, and he told me he knew nothing about any Ray-Ray news.

Here's what InsidetheU is reporting:

"Armstrong discussed interaction with a booster via Twitter and the coaches have suspended him indefinitely, but as of today he has not been removed from the team. However, this situation should be closely monitored as there is current discussion within the coaching staff about his future with the team.

"In regards to Henderson, the players were given time off in between first and second summer sessions, but were expected to be back by Tuesday. Henderson arrived a day later on Wednesday and is currently serving a punishment, but is expected to return to the team in the near future."

Those last two graphs were reported by InsidetheU.com.

After speaking with various sources, and reading the report, it's obvious something is going on with these guys -- the exact extent of which is yet to be revealed by Al Golden (if, indeed, Golden reveals it).

Henderson, listed on the latest roster as 6-8 and 350 pounds, started nine of the 12 games he played in for the Hurricanes as a freshman in 2010. He played in eight games – two of which he started – after recovering from offseason back surgery as a sophomore in 2011.

    Henderson, who played in high school at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minn., was the 2009 USA Today High School Offensive Player of the Year, the only lineman to ever win the award. He was ranked as the No.2 recruit in the nation by Rivals.com.

    Henderson was suspended for the first weekend of spring practice in early March, 2012 for violating an undisclosed team policy.  He also was the subject of rumors more than a year ago that referred to him getting in trouble and contemplating transferring.

    Armstrong, who ended spring as the top free safety on the final depth chart, played in seven games as a junior in 2011, earning a start against Duke. He finished the season with 34 tackles, an interception and fumble recovery.

    Armstrong was a 2011 candidate for several national preseason awards before being suspended by the NCAA for the first four games of 2011. He was suspended for accepting impermissible benefits from former UM booster Nevin Shapiro, whose relationship with the University of Miami is the subject of an ongoing NCAA investigation.

   Armstrong also was suspended in November after going to dinner at Prime 112 steakhouse in Miami Beach with a friend who owns a public relations company that works with professional athletes, then tweeting about the dinner. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing in that situation.

    In the spring game in April, Armstrong had an interception and a fumble recovery. Many believed he would enter the NFL Draft, but he chose to remain with the Hurricanes.

    Rivals.com ranked Armstrong as the nation’s No. 13 player, regardless of position, as a senior in 2008.

    I am on vacation and will be back for the ACC Kickoff in North Carolina.

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN