The Miami Hurricanes had their 13th practice of the spring on Thursday. The session, like all others, took place on the Greentree Practice Fields at UM’s Coral Gables campus. After practice, Head Coach Mark Richt addressed the media. Here is the transcript for you:
Miami Hurricanes Football: Mark Richt transcript 4/18. Walton, Allison, Scrimmage 2 & more https://t.co/4Ovg2I0DKZ pic.twitter.com/bEnNIHRNsX
— StateOfTheU.com (@TheStateOfTheU) April 18, 2017
And here’s a video of Richt’s comments:
To give more of a look into practice, here is the recap of the day’s work, from UM Athletics:
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – With just one more practice remaining before the team’s final scrimmage at Boca Raton High, the Hurricanes returned to the Greentree Practice Fields Tuesday to begin their final week of spring ball.
Though the defense earned the lion’s share of praise from head coach Mark Richt after Saturday’s second scrimmage, rising junior defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh said he sees both sides benefiting from the competition.
“All of us [on defense] had a really good scrimmage,” McIntosh said. “And I think if we keep doing that every day, like next scrimmage, I think it is going to help the offensive line and the offense become better every day. If we keep putting pressure on them and making them better, I think we are going to be alright.”
Fellow defensive lineman Kendrick Norton, who teams with McIntosh in the middle to form one of the most imposing interiors of any team in the ACC, sees things similarly for an improving offense.
“[No.] 55 [offensive lineman Navaughn Donaldson] the freshman, he has been doing well, he has been holding his own,” Norton said. “He is running with I believe the ones [first string] or twos [second]. He has been holding his own out there. Also, Tyler Gauthier is stepping up at the center spot. He has been doing really well this season.
“But you know everybody has been coming out here attacking the days; everybody is trying to get better.”
McIntosh said that with the number of returners on defense, 2017 has the chance to be an exciting season for the Hurricanes – provided each player holds up his end of the bargain.
“I think the defense is a big part of it, “McIntosh said. “We have a lot of players coming back Everybody is coming back. I think we are a big part of this team, so we have to become better. There’s a lot of things we got to work on and I think we are getting better at it.”
A member of Boca Raton High’s Class of 1977, Richt said that Saturday’s scrimmage will be special for him a personal level.
“It’s my alma mater, and they do have a nice facility,” he said. “I’m excited about going over there. If Hard Rock [Stadium] was ready for us to play the game, we’d play there. We’d probably have TV there and all that kind of thing. Knowing we couldn’t do that, I didn’t want to go back to where we were. I felt like, let’s have a small venue, let’s make it kind of a homecoming of sorts for me, to tell the people in Boca I love them kind of deal. Hopefully we’ll have a good day.”
Team Orange will matchup against Team White Saturday beginning at noon in the scrimmage, which is closed to the public.
“It’s going to look like a game, but it’ll mostly be all ones [first string] versus ones and twos [second string] versus twos,” he explained. “They’ll just be having different color jerseys on them. It’ll play like a game, because if it’s a three-and-out, it’ll be a three-and-out.”
Perhaps – just perhaps – Richt will stop by an old haunt or two to celebrate the conclusion of a successful spring season.
“Now whenever I was in Boca, I would always go to Jerry’s Pizzeria and Fran’s Chicken Haven,” he said. “I don’t even know if Jerry’s is still open, but I hope Fran’s is, because I do hope to go back for some fried chicken.”
Interviews
As per usual, several players spoke to the assembled media after Thursday’s practice. Here are the videos of those interviews:
RB Mark Walton
DL Kendrick Norton
DL RJ McIntosh
Extras
The latest coach to be mic’d up was CB Coach Mike Rumph. Check that out:
VIDEO: CB coach Mike Rumph (@coachrumph16) mic'd up at practice. #Canes #TheU https://t.co/OlFdIs3lRC pic.twitter.com/AsBTMl7OYG
— StateOfTheU.com (@TheStateOfTheU) April 18, 2017
A daily update by Christy Cabrera Chirinos of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Canes RB Mark Walton understands why he hasn't gotten a ton of carries this spring. He still doesn't like it tho...https://t.co/DlSrH6zB25
— Christy Chirinos (@ChristyChirinos) April 18, 2017
A daily update by Susan Miller Degnan of The Miami Herald
UM tailback Mark Walton, on a ‘blocking diet,’ wants a few carries.https://t.co/kCRhKM5Ct6 pic.twitter.com/F0iGGINFvj
— Miami Herald Sports (@HeraldSports) April 18, 2017
A daily update by Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post (Matt Porter on vacation, for those wondering)
Mark Richt says starting QB role will remain 'very fluid' -- possibly including midseason hook for ineffectiveness. https://t.co/asAJYu495m
— Hal Habib (@gunnerhal) April 18, 2017
A football insider by Christopher Stock of InsideTheU.com ($)
Football Insider: 4/18 https://t.co/tJ9iylWtvK
— InsideTheU.com (@InsideTheU) April 18, 2017
That’s what I’ve got for you today. Make it a great day, guys!