Saturday Highjinks and Practice Report

Never mind Black Jesus, Tan Marino, and Afro Butterfly.

According to one player's twitpic account, "This is wat spiderman does on the weekend the black spidy."

Of course.

Saturday practice report pon di jump.

QUOTES

Orlando Franklin

I'm strictly playing left tackle - I've been waiting for this since I got here," Franklin said. "I'm loving it. At the same time it's like I'm a freshman all over again.

It's quicker to process things at guard; I break the huddle, I'm still thinking guard sometimes. So I have to slow it down and go through what everyone has on the line before I go through what I have.

You have a full two groups (of line depth) going in the spring, a whole bunch of guys coming in the summer. It's going to be fun as far as guys getting better, learning their stuff.

Shane McDermott

Coaches want me to work hard on my footwork, pulling at a center spot, get to know the calls a lot better. I'm just a freshman, so it's hard to trust me sometimes. We're trying to get that trust together.

In the beginning of the week it was very tough. Now I'm starting to get the calls a lot better, the combo blocks all together. At the beginning of the week I had problems on four different plays, then I had two, and yesterday I had zero on the board. I just keep on improving.

I'm very comfortable at center (after playing mostly LG in high school). I've been working hard at that, doing snaps.

(The first full workout in pads at the college level) was a big adjustment. Coming from high school to here it's so much faster. The speed is just amazing, and the hitting is twice as much. I got used to it halfway through.

(Josh Holmes) hit me faster than in high school - it's a big transition. The first couple I was like, 'whoa, holy crap, what's going on?' You get used to it. I adapted to it.

Brandon McGee

I've gotten a lot quicker, a lot looser in my hips. We're doing a lot of lateral drills, footwork drills in the off-season. My feet have gotten quicker.

You're tired (being one of only two cornerbacks cleared physically to hit in live drills right now, with Demarcus Van Dyke) but you have to fight through the pain, through adversity. But getting a lot more reps is a great thing.

 

Leonard Hankerson

Yeah, [I expect a jump like mine from other third-year receivers], it's time for everybody to grow up and make more plays, do the little things.

 

[With Jacory Harris out], I'm seeing the same thing from all three of [the other quarterbacks] - the ball's getting there. They're doing fine.

I'm working hardest on looking the ball in, blocking, running routes.

Aldarius Johnson

[All the receivers working a multiple positions, including the slot, is] about injuries - in case someone goes down we have to know what that next guy's go.

I've improved my blocking, and finishing off every play - coming off the ball hard.

Johnson says he doesn't think any receiver unit in the nation is more talented than Miami's.

Not that I know of. And we compete against each other to get each other great.

Curtis Porter

We came out and started a little rocky [in inside run drills], but after that everything started tuning in. But everybody still has to get better

NOTES

Leonard Hankerson and LaRon Byrd both had touchdown catches in red zone drills. Richard Gordon had a 10-yard scoring catch in team drills.

Demarcus Van Dyke had an interception in team work and Vaughn Telemaque almost came up with an interception.

LT: Franklin, Cory White, Stephen Plein
LG: Joel Figueroa, Harland Gunn, Jared Wheeler
RG: Brandon Washington, Malcolm Bunche (Joel Figueroa when back from injury)
RT: Ben Jones, Jermaine Johnson
C: Tyler Horn, Shane McDermott, Brandon Washington (some reps)

Four healthy tackles are rotating for live drills - Curtis Porter, Luther Robinson, Jeremy Lewis and Josh Holmes.