Graig Cooper's two TD runs and the play of impact freshmen were the highlights of Miami's spring game on Saturday. But the Ibis crew is still challenged at QB.
Not that there isn't hope. Redshirt freshman Robert Marve (shown above) displayed a strong arm and good mobility. The bad news: he's not on the same page yet as UM receivers, all of whom had a poor day catching the ball.
For some expert observations on the game we turn to Kartik who publishes Canes Rising*:
Once again I left a Miami Football related event with a real sense of impending doom for the program. We'll start with the few positives:
* Javarris James looked quick and decisive again in the running game. He's still got the size and has regained the speed to hit the hole he had as a freshman
* RB Graig Cooper. He's bigger and still as quick.
* The secondary was quite good but that maybe more to the poor competition than anything.
* Arthur Brown (true freshman LB) is going to be a stud. We knew that already but today confirmed it.
* Marcus Fortson. He was all over the place in the backfield, harassing the QBs and runner
Now the bad:
* I thought all three Miami QBs looked like Freshman, which they are but get ready for a long year. Robert Marve should have done more with all the time he had to throw
* The WRs are terrible. Just awful. Khalil Jones had three drops and the rest of WRs were unimpressive even the much touted Aladrius Johnson.
* Still no solution at TE
* Jake Wieclaw has a strong leg but got a kicked blocked
* Anthony Reddick's two ACL injuries have effectively ended his effectiveness.
* Derron Thomas suffered a nasty injury I am not sure he'll be back for a while
In other words, Miami like much of last year can run the football and not do much else consistently. But if Baby J (Javarris James) really is back and Coop stays healthy, I can see the Hurricanes being a little better than I initially thought because they may be able to control the clock by grinding it out on offense. But the bottom line is that despite all the young talent, this team is in a full fledged rebuilding mode and getting to 5-7 again this year will likely be an accomplishment.
* Check out Kartik's new site dedicated to covering basketball in the Sunshine State.
Comments? Questions? Kudos?