QBs, ‘X-Man’ stand out at first scrimmage
The Miami Hurricanes football program got its initial on-field glimpse Saturday of what could transpire and who could make it happen during the 2021 college football season.
And it’s sure looking good in the quarterback department.
Judging by the first substantial competitive scenario in its initial spring scrimmage, UM, at least this early in the process, is in very good shape with its backup quarterback situation as starter D’Eriq King rehabilitates from reconstructive knee surgery.
Freshman Jake Garcia completed 15 of 19 passes (78.9 percent) for 188 yards and a touchdown.
Second-year freshman Tyler Van Dyke was 10 of 15 (66.6) for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Coaches said before spring practice began that
Garcia had been dealing with a foot injury he sustained at the end of his high school season and thus was limited in practice. Quarterbacks were off limits as far as tackling.
“Both of them made really nice throws,” UM coach Manny Diaz said in a Hurricanes-produced video. “It’ll be fun to watch those guys battle it out. They both moved the ball well when they were in there.”
Keep in mind that UM gave the statistics it chose to give, so some things, such as who might have thrown interceptions or fumbled, likely would not be reported.
The Canes’ first scrimmage, traditionally a situational one, was closed to the public and media. But it gave coaches insight as to what the younger players can do. “We want to keep things simple in scrimmage one,” Diaz said of UM’s seventh of 15 spring sessions. “There wasn’t a lot of scheme. ...
It’s about blocking, getting off blocks, tackling, breaking tackles, catching, disrupting.
“I thought the team played hard, I thought they played for each other. You want to see the identity of an offense and defense start to grow on these Saturdays, and I thought we did a good job of that.”
Some other quick numbers Diaz reported:
Second-year freshman receiver Xavier Restrepo, nicknamed the “X-Man,” had an eye-opening nine catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns. “He’s willing himself into becoming a guy,” Diaz said, “and he has such great competitive spirit. Those are not easy yards. He made tough catches and run after catches and breaking tackles.”
Running back Donald Chaney had a long touchdown run — “52 yards total and a touchdown, most of that coming on one play.”
“More often than
AAAnot,” Diaz said, “the defensive line did a nice job controlling the line of scrimmage.”
Leading receiver Mike Harley had two catches for 75 yards and a touchdown and “it looked like he was picking up right where he left off.”
Defensively, linebacker Corey Flagg “is continuing to make strides,” Diaz said, “and the guy that is slowly getting better and better is Avery Huff. Beyond that, Chase Smith had an interception today... and first-year safety (after sitting out last season because of health reasons) Avantae Williams had an interception as well. Good to see a couple of young guys make some plays with the ball in the air.”
Freshman kicker Andres Borregales, whose older brother Jose is headed to the NFL after winning the Lou Groza Award for UM this past season, closed out practice with a 42-yard field goal, Diaz said.
AAAgoal Friday: He maintained flexibility to acquire a top quarterback, either in the draft or via a trade, should Tagovailoa stumble in what looks to be an audition season. The odds of Deshaun Watson getting traded in the coming weeks are next to zero (he’s now the subject of 20 sexual misconduct lawsuits), but the Dolphins have the future capital to at least be among the teams in the conversation for Watson if his legal issues are eventually resolved.
“They’ve extended that window,” Jeremiah said. “Let this whole thing play out, what’s going on in Houston with Deshaun right now, and this gives them a full year with Tua to see what they can do.
Diaz was asked how the secondary looked overall.
“For No. 1, leveraging the football and not giving up explosive plays, we were solid on that,” Diaz said in a diplomatic response — understandable considering how well the quarterbacks did on the other end of that subject. “You can see the addition that [cornerback transfer] Tyriq Stevenson has made, standing out not just in pass coverage but run support and making good tackles.
“There’s always going to be good and bad of every position group in a scrimmage, but I was pleased with how they played.”
SCHNELLENBERGER TRIBUTE
Though it was a day of joy on the field for the Hurricanes, it was a somber day off it, as legendary Miami Hurricanes coach Howard Schnellenberger, who brought UM its first national title in 1983, died Saturday at age 87.
And if it doesn’t work out, they would be armed and ready to make a move for a veteran like Deshaun potentially or move up in next year’s draft.”
(An important caveat, however: The Eagles, with as many as three firstrounders in 2022, Jets and Lions can all offer the Texans a more appealing package than the Dolphins, should they also pursue Watson.)
As for what the Dolphins will do this year if they remain at sixth?
Jeremiah laid out his dream scenario:
“I ended up moving Kyle Pitts to No. 2 [on his top-50 list], behind Trevor Lawrence. I have Ja’Marr Chase three. I have the same grade on both those guys. If they came away
Diaz spoke about what Schnellenberger meant to the Hurricanes program before he discussed the scrimmage.
“I don’t know if there is Miami football without Howard Schnellenberger — not the way that we know it,” Diaz said. “It’s hard to imagine the state that this program was in when he came here. If you look historically throughout college football, there are the blue bloods, and it’s very, very hard to join that group.
“Howard Schnellenberger came to the University of Miami and he took down the establishment. And if you look at the way that they scheduled, who they played, ending with the national championship game against Nebraska, and winning that game, you could talk about the football program, [but] he elevated the entire university to a different status in the country. The entire Hurricane community will forever be in debt to him.” with either one, it’s a home run. Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are not that far behind those guys. They’re in a great spot.
But if you’re asking me what my home run pick is, and I know [Mike] Gesicki is there. I don’t care. I’m taking Kyle Pitts and we’ll figure out how to be out there with two tight ends. If I need to, I will play
Kyle Pitts at the X. Gesicki doesn’t spend a whole lot of time with his hand in the ground either. I think [Pitts] is the best football player they can get. That would be my dream scenario.”
Adam H. Beasley: 305-376-2387, @AdamHBeasley
er room where most of his teammates were older than him and speaking Spanish. Robinson’s mother was born in Chile, but he does not speak Spanish.
Despite the challenges, he had success on the field early in the season. He started the first two games and showed great promise. Then, the pandemic hit, and Robinson’s rookie season began to sour.
“Last year was tough,” Robinson said on a Zoom interview Tuesday night. “Dealing with COVID and dealing with being in a whole new environment I had never experienced before. When COVID hit we were trapped in our own house for what seemed like a year. It was tough, especially because I didn’t have any family here, so I was alone most of the time. I’m very much a family person, love being around my family, so it was hard.”
His teammates were mostly keeping to themselves to stay COVID safe, so Robinson relied on Titus, his French Bulldog, for companionship. Before the pandemic, Robinson had driven to Tampa to buy the dog.
“He’s amazing, I love him,” Robinson said of Titus. “I always had in mind when I dreamed of playing, I wanted a dog to go through the journey with me. I thought that would be cool. Now we have another French Bulldog, my girlfriend’s dog, Lulu. Dog is a man’s best friend, right? They have helped me a lot.”
Robinson said he learned life lessons from those months in isolation. “You learn how to be more independent and survive on your own,” he said.
But still, he felt distressed and uneasy, and longed for family time. On July 6, just after Inter Miami arrived in Orlando for the MLS is Back Tournament, Robinson left the team “for personal rea