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For one of the first times this fall, Miami battled nature’s conditions, and dealt with showers and some thunderstorms throughout the day on Tuesday.
“The closest [lightning] strike was like 28 miles away,” Head Coach Mark Richt said after practice. “The horn did go off because we predict lightning around here we don’t detect it.”
Due to the inclement conditions Miami went inside for about half an hour before getting back on the practice fields, and completed a short practice at around 11:30.
The ‘Canes had a shorter practice this morning due to the gauntlet ahead for the players, which includes a second practice later today and a scrimmage tomorrow.
During the media viewing of practice, many of Miami’s players were in full pads practicing, but several pivotal players ended up being listed with injuries.
Richt revealed after practice that highly anticipated freshman Ahmonn Richards was dealing with a “turf toe” type injury, and that he “has not been full speed.” Richt said Ahmonn was doing very well before his injury, and that it appears right now as if redshirt sophomore Dayall Harris is leading the way at Miami’s “X” receiver position. The severity of Richard’s injury is currently unknown, and his status for Wednesday’s scrimmage is also in question.
Luckily for Miami, Richt said redshirt sophomore receiver Darrell Langham has stepped up throughout the last two days, and is making progress during camp. Richt stated he is impressed with freshman Sam Bruce’s ball skills and competitive drive in practice.
Although he did state Bruce is behind and has a lot to learn, Richt said he loves Bruce’s skillset, and compared him to veteran receiver Braxton Berrios in his ability to still have energy on the field late in practices.
As for the men throwing Bruce and Miami’s receivers the ball, it is unclear at this point who is Miami’s backup quarterback. Richt said he hopes to find his backup at tomorrow's scrimmage, and redshirt sophomore quarterback Malik Rosier says Richt wants to see “who’s athletic”. Part of what is making this a tough battle, according to Rosier, is that Miami’s quarterbacks keep bouncing back after making mistakes in practice, and thus far reps have been evenly distributed amongst the unit.
As for how Miami’s scrimmage will work tomorrow, Richt gave several details to the media.
The 16th year head coach said it is going to be similar to what the ‘Canes did last week, including “four drives with each unit”, and several one minute drills including various third down situations.
Overall, it was a successful day for Miami at practice in Coral Gables, but the ‘Canes continue to fall victim to costly injuries. With Miami’s first game still a couple of weeks away, one can only hope Ahmonn Richards gets healthy quickly, but until we receive more updates, specifics on the situation will remain unclear.