Some Tuesday UM football nuggets:
### Coaches are so disgusted with penalties that each offensive lineman who commits one is now being required to do 250 up-downs after a game, offensive tackle Trevor Darling told me. Darling said up-downs are much tougher than push-ups.
The punishment for a penalty in practice is 50 up-downs after practice, Darling said. Only the person who commits the penalty is punished – not the entire line.
Darling said offensive coordinator James Coley implemented the new punishment, which comes in the wake of far too many false starts and holding calls.
“We can’t continue having certain penalties we’re having,” said Coley, who declined to discuss the punishment before Darling revealed it.
I asked Coley if yelling at his linemen helps.
“It helps me,” he said.
Offensive line coach Art Kehoe “is pretty mad,” Darling said. “Players in the room came to the agreement this has to stop.”
Darling said offensive linemen are contrite when they make mistakes. “Once I come to the sideline, I apologize to everyone,” he said.
### UM continues to alternate seven offensive linemen in practice, looking for the right combination. Trevor Darling, Kc McDermott, Alex Gall, Nick Linder, Sonny Odogwu, Joe Brown and Danny Isidora are essentially competing for five starting positions.
Coley said the competition to start is being limited to those seven; none of the freshmen linemen have entered the mix.
“We will work until we get the right one in there,” Coley said Tuesday. “No one has really solidified their spot."
### Al Golden, on the running game: “We would like to have a better yards per carry. We have to run the ball better. Clemson has an excellent front. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
UM averaged 1.1 yards per carry against FSU, 2.5 against Virginia Tech.
### Weakside linebacker Jermaine Grace said no thought was given to him moving to middle linebacker to replace Raphael Kirby (who’s out for the season), but that Grace will assume Kirby’s play-calling duties.
Juwon Young will take over as the middle linebacker, and Golden said Young played well Saturday against Virginia Tech after Kirby’s injury. “On the first play, he leveraged a screen,” Golden said. “Really proud of him. He let it rip.”
Defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio said “we’ve been hard on Juwon. He’s got a great skill set --- 6-3 and can run.”
### Golden, on Artie Burns, who’s tied for third in the country in interceptions with five: “His mental toughness has improved. His capacity to do work has improved. He’s working like a dog.”
### I asked Golden how encouraging it is to see some of his young high-end front seven recruits starting to make a difference --- primarily Al Quadin Muhammad, Chad Thomas and Kendrick Norton.
“It’s starting to be fun,” Golden said. “Those guys are doing a good job. They are doing their job and plays are happening because of it. Ufomba Kamalu played well the other day. Kendrick, Courtel Jenkins are really growing up. They’ve got to keep going….
“It started with Quan vs. Cincinnati doing his job every play and making plays because of it. Chad, Kamalu, Heurtelou is really steady in there. Kendrick, RJ [Richard McIntosh] will get more time there.”
### But the entire front seven simply must improve against the run. UM ranks 103rd in the country in yards allowed per run (4.9).
"It starts with one guy being out of his gap,” D’Onofrio said. “We have to do a better job of guys not getting to the second level. We have to be stouter up front.”
### Nevertheless, D’Onofrio said he is “pleased” with what he’s getting from his defensive tackles. He said he’s using six of them: Heurtelou, Courtel Jenkins, Norton, Anthony Moten, Thomas (who also plays end) and Kamalu.
He said Heurtelou is playing more than Norton, and Jenkins and Moten are playing a similar amount. He’s comfortable with the playing time he’s giving each.
### ABC assigned Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and sideline reporter/draftnik Todd McShay to its national telecast of UM-Clemson at noon Saturday from Sun Life Stadium.
Twitter: @flasportsbuzz
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