Postscripts, notes from UM's 70-3 season-opening win against Florida A&M in the start of the Mark Richt era:
• UM's 42 points in the third quarter were the most the Hurricanes have ever scored in any quarter, ever. This also marks the first time that a Mark-Richt coached team has scored 70 points.
But UM failed to equal or surpass its school record for points (77 against Savannah State). UM's point total was the fourth-highest in school history.
UM seemingly was going in for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, but Travis Homer fumbled into the end zone, creating a touchback for A&M.
• Some postgame reaction: Braxton Berrios said players gave Richt a game ball. "I really, really like it here," Richt said... Richt said Brad Kaaya "managed the game well. I thought he did a nice job."... Richt said he didn't "watch [the defense] a whole bunch" tonight because "I am focusing so much on offense." He has total trust in Manny Diaz... Richt said an incomplete deep ball to Stacy Coley was "pass interference but I'm not allowed to say."
Diaz praised his defense and said "the way we played the run was a testament" to the three natural freshmen starting linebackers. Shaq Quarterman said he and Zach McCloud and Mike Pinckney "have tremendous chemistry together."...
But of his entire group, Diaz said "when we watch the tape, players will be horrified about things we have to fix."... Gus Edwards said his conditioning is a lot better, which helped on his 74-yard run... Stacy Coley, speaking publicly for the first time in a long time, said he "wasn't too concerned" about being suspended for the luxury rental car scandal and said that he knows exactly what he did....
UM players thought the renovated stadium, plus the big crowd, delivered more of a homefield advantage than in the past. "It makes a difference in college football; it gives you energy," Kaaya said..... Kaaya said "we have a lot bigger fish to fry" than this game. "We have to win the big games."
• Brad Kaaya threw four touchdown passes: to Marquez Williams, Chris Herndon, Ahmmon Richards and Stacy Coley. Kaaya departed late in the third quarter and closed 12 for 18 for 135 yards and four touchdowns.
• Malik Rosier, on his first drive, had a 19-yard touchdown run. Through the air, Rosier finished for 1 for 3 for 15 yards. Evan Schirreffs played the last series.
• Mark Walton ran 15 times for 116 yards, Joe Yearby 7 for 105 and Gus Edwards 7 for 106.
It's the first time UM had three 100-yard rushers in the same game since against Cincinnati in 1987 -- Leonard Conley, Warren Williams and Melvin Bratton.
• Walton's 37 yard touchdown run and Yearby's 64 yard touchdown run and Edwards's 74-yard TD were the longest of their careers.
• UM’s offensive starters: Quarterback Brad Kaaya, running back Mark Walton, receivers Ahmmon Richards and Stacy Coley, tight ends David Njoku and Christopher Herndon and offensive linemen Trevor Darling, Kc McDermott, Nick Linder, Danny Isidora and Sunny Odogwu.
• UM’s defensive starters: defensive ends Chad Thomas and Demetrius Jackson, defensive tackles Kendrick Norton and RJ McIntosh; linebackers Shaq Quarterman, Mike Pinckney and Zach McCloud; cornerbacks Corn Elder and Adrian Colbert; and safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and Jamal Carter.
• That means UM started four incoming freshmen: Richards, Quarterman, McCloud and Pinckney.
Several other freshmen received considerable playing time, including defensive linemen Pat Bethel and Joe Jackson. Bethel blocked a punt in the first half that was recovered by Ryan Mayes.
• Braxton Berrios worked as UM’s punt returner and scored on a 41-yard return to make the score 56-3 in the third quarter.
• Richard McIntosh led UM with eight tackles.
• Richards’ 48-yard reception, on a bomb from Kaaya, was overturned on replay. But Richards caught his first touchdown, a 15-yard reception from Kaaya to push UM's lead to 42-3.
• Some firsts from the Mark Richt era: First interception by Corn Elder… First play from scrimmage (a 25-yard Mark Walton run)… First touchdown: Kaaya to fullback Marquez Williams for a four-year touchdown… First sack: Demetrius Jackson (who had two).
• With this nine first-half completions, Kaaya passed Bernie Kosar for sixth all-time on the career completions list.
• UM says defensive lineman Tyreic Martin did not dress. He has been dealing with a knee injury. The press box announcer incorrectly said he made several tackles in the game, but UM says he actually didn't suit up.
• Michael Badgley, who was 25 for 30 on field goals last season missed a 33-yard field goal.
• Adrian Colbert had a terrific interception on a deep ball in the third quarter.
• UM began the season with just over 40,000 season tickets sold, compared with 29,000 last season.
Attendance for the opener was 60,703 -- short of a sellout.
• Receiver Sam Bruce, one of the University of Miami’s most ballyhooed recruits, will miss a quarter of his first regular season as Hurricane.
UM suspended him for three games and though a reason wasn’t given, a source said it was the result of a photo that featured Bruce holding a gun, the Miami Herald first reported back in February.
The three-game suspension was one more than we originally expected when we reported this back in July.
According to a source familiar with the situation in February, Bruce used the photo of himself with a weapon as part of an ongoing dispute with an older, former St. Thomas Aquinas male student over Bruce’s ex-girlfriend. The source said the photo ended up in the hands of the former student, who then called police and Aquinas.
Even though Bruce was not enrolled at UM at the time of the incident, UM suspended him because it wanted to make clear that such behavior would not be tolerated by players who were intending to attend UM.
• As expected, defensive tackle Gerald Willis, was suspended for one game and did not play Saturday. Willis transferred from Florida and sat out last season per NCAA transfer rules.
Willis’ suspension, combined with Anthony Moten’s shoulder injury, left UM with only three experienced defensive tackles Saturday: Richard McIntosh Jr. (who moved over from defensive end during the offseason), Kendrick Norton and Courtel Jenkins. And Jenkins limped off in the fourth quarter, needing assistance.
Meanwhile, the suspension of the four-star Bruce left UM with only seven healthy scholarship receivers: Stacy Coley, Braxton Berrios, Ahmmon Richards, Dayall Harris, Dionte Mullins, Malcolm Lewis and Darrell Langham.
• Trent Harris played with a heavy wrap on his fractured left hand.
• UM walk-on quarterback Tucker Beirne, 19, was arrested in Tavernier early Saturday morning and charged with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence and a felony count of cocaine possession. He had a blood alcohol level of .08 or more.
The redshirt freshman is a recent graduate of Christopher Columbus High School and played one year at Aspen High in Colorado. According to the UM media guide, he set a school record at Columbus with 7,957 career passing yards
He was not set to play on Saturday against Florida A&M. UM declined to comment.
DOLPHINS NOTES
A few thoughts on the Dolphins’ 53-man roster (for the moment):
• Biggest surprise was Miami keeping five running backs. But Isaiah Pead showed enough for the Dolphins to be patient with his hamstring injury, and Adam Gase has consistently praised Damien Williams.
• With DeVante Parker nursing a hamstring injury, no surprise Miami kept six receiver. They likely would have anyway, because Griff Whalen is better equipped for the No. 4 job than Leonte Carroo or Jakeem Grant at the moment.
• Jordan Lucas won the fifth cornerback job (for now) because of good upside and quality special teams work.
• Nice job by Mike Hull leading the team in tackles and winning a backup linebacker job (at least for now), beating out James Michael Johnson.
• Terrence Fede said he has the least serious MCL sprain, and that – combined with his ability to play both end and tackle -- allowed him to beat out Chris Jones for a backup job. Julius Warmsley earned the other open job, giving Miami nine defensive linemen.
• MarQuies Gray won the No. 3 tight end job, for the moment, but probably shouldn’t get too comfortable, with better options on waivers.
• Brandon Doughty did enough last week, including the Tennessee game, to convince the Dolphins to not risk putting him on waivers and transferring him to the practice squad, at least for now. So he's on the 53. The Dolphins love his ability to find open receivers, even if he doesn’t always go through progressions exactly how they want.
• Kraig Urbik survived as the ninth lineman because of his ability to capably play multiple positions.
By the way, please follow us on Twitter. We broke 11 of the 22 cuts today on @flasportsbuzz