After drop-off in performance, Hurricanes’ rusher Harris looking to get back on track
Hurricanes chatter: ●How has Cam’Ron Harris gone from one of college football’s best running backs in the first two games of the season to one of the least productive since?
The drop-off has been staggering, and Harris added to the intrigue by tweeting “disrespected” after Saturday’s game against Virginia, a game in which he played sparingly in the second half. The tweet has since been deleted.
In the first two games of the season, against UAB and Louisville, Harris had 26 carries for 268 yards, which is a 10.3 per carry average. In the four games since, he has 40 carries for 78 yards, which is 1.9 per carry.
So is Harris not maximizing what’s available or are there simply aren’t enough holes to run through? “Probably both,” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said.
Over the past four games, Harris has 12, 8, 12 and 8 carries. He carried only once in the second half of Saturday’s win against Virginia.
Harris had 22 offensive snaps on Saturday — much less than usual. By comparison, freshman running back Jaylon Knighton played 32 snaps on offense, freshman 21 and Robert
Don Chaney Burns
7.
Lashlee said he and running backs coach Eric Hickson spoke to Harris after his tweet. “Kids tweet a lot of things these days,” Lashlee said. “That’s kind of how kids vent, right?
The great UM teams had dominant offensive tackle play, something this group has lacked.
Right tackle Jarrid Williams has been generally competent, and left tackle Zion Nelson (who has shared playing time with John Campbell) played well against Virginia. But the triumvirate of Williams, Nelson and Campbell isn’t going to remind anyone of
Bryant McKinnie.
There remain too many quarterback pressures on quarterback
D’Eriq King (the blame is shared across the offense for that) and not enough holes created in the running game. But there are reasons for hope, according to UM coaches.
Coach Manny Diaz and Lashlee raved about freshman offensive tackle Jalen Rivers this
week. And tackle Issiah Walker, who transferred to UM after spending three months as a Gator, is highly-regarded.
“Jalen got a couple of snaps in our heavy package on Saturday; we’re excited about Jalen’s development as a tackle which is pretty unique for a guy his size,” Diaz said. “Issiah Walker has showed his skill set.”
Rivers hasn’t challenged for a starting job but is among UM’s top eight offensive linemen, according to Lashlee. Walker hasn’t been available to play because of a combination of an undisclosed injury issue and NCAA transfer rules.
What’s the general outlook at tackle?
“We think Zion Nelson has really developed and played well,” Diaz said. “Jarrid Williams has calmed some things down at the tackle position. We have to recruit to improve our roster.”
The guard play — Jakai Clark and DJ Scaife — has been pretty average. But Navaughn Donaldson isn’t medically ready to
return from a 2019 knee injury. Center Corey Gaynor played poorly Saturday.
UM has three 2021 offensive line commitments: center Ryan Rodriguez, tackle Michael McLaughlin and guard Laurence Seymore. All are highlyregarded. But then again, so were several UM recruits who haven’t panned out, including guard Cleveland Reed (now a seldomused backup) and tackle KaiLeon Herbert (who opted out of playing this season).
We’re told that more UM football players have gone into quarantine — for reasons related to COVID-19 — beyond the six freshmen who were not available for Saturday’s game against Virginia.
But athletic director Blake James said “based on our current situation, we will practice and be ready to play [North Carolina State] next Friday” on Nov. 6.
Six freshmen — receivers Xavier Restrepo and Michael Redding, linebacker Corey Flagg, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, defensive lineman Elijah Roberts and safety Brian Balom — missed the Virginia game because they tested positive for COVID-19 or were in close contact with someone who was, according to a source.
Those players spent time around each other, off the field, on Friday, according to the source.
The players in quarantine are staying either in a local hotel or the dorm, at UM’s expense. UM says that non-athletes in quarantine also are quarantined at either a local hotel or dorm.
One of the encouraging signs from Saturday: On passes thrown at least 20 yards in the air, King completed 6 of 7 for 187 yards and a touchdown. King entered the game 8 for 33 on such passes.
Jim Larrañaga said fresh
● man 6-5 small forward Earl Timberlake, UM’s highest-rated prospect since Lonnie Walker, “is kind of like a Jimmy Butler type, makes a three once in a while. He makes a mid range jumper once in a while. He’s very versatile so you will see a little bit of everything. You might see him in post. You might see him on a ball screen and kick out for a three. Very unselfish player, very good at finding the open man. Doesn’t have a selfish bone in his body.”
Larrañaga said UM’s other freshman, 6-8 power forward
Matt Cross, can shoot from “28to-30 feet but we want him to utilize the college three-point line.
DJ Vasiljevic [whose eligibility has expired] is the best open shooter we’ve had. Matt could maybe catch him.”
CHATTER
Dolphins rookie Tua Tagovailoa has picked the brain of coach
Brian Flores and defensive coordinator Josh Boyer about what he can expect from NFL defenses.
“He tries to be a sponge,” Flores said. “I think everyone can see that — players, coaches. He asks defensive players things that they saw. That’s just the type of kid he is, and it’s a good thing. Our meetings are more, I would say, me giving him the defensive perspective, and I think as an offensive player, if you understand the thought process from the other side of the ball, it can make you a better player.”
The Heat auditioned Arizona
●
7-0 center Zeke Nnaji, who was the Pac’s 12 freshman of the year last season and projects for Miami’s draft range at No. 20.
The Heat called San Diego
●
State point guard Malachi Flynn,
who also has emerged as a possibility at No. 20 if Miami keeps the pick.