South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
’Canes look able
Spring game brings out some signs of promise
FORT LAUDERDALE — Fans got their first look at the Mario Cristobal-era Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon as Miami held its scrimmage at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
The offense beat the defense 31-27 as the Hurricanes got a chance to practice their new offense and defense in a game-like situation in front of fans.
“It’s been 15 practices, and then another 15, 16, 18 days of lifting and running and meetings and all that stuff,” Cristobal said. “Certainly, there’s progress and there’s still a ways to go.
“There’s always a gap between the way you end the season and where you want to go next year. We feel like we’ve made ground toward where we want to get to. We have a lot of work to do, and we know that.”
Here are five takeaways from the game:
1. Parrish and Franklin take advantage of opportunities:
With Don Chaney Jr. and Jaylan Knighton out with injuries during spring practices, Henry Parrish Jr. and Thad Franklin stepped up to fill the void.
Parrish, a transfer from Ole Miss, and Franklin, a rising sophomore, both found the end zone Saturday. Parrish had a pair of touchdowns and Franklin scored one. Franklin showed off his power, breaking through defenders on multiple runs, while Parrish broke off some shifty runs.
Franklin ended his day with 14 carries for 60 yards, while Parrish had nine carries for 41 yards. Walk-on Devon Perry also had some quality runs.
“They’re beasts, espeically Thad,” defensive lineman Jake Lichtenstein said. “Thad is a tough guy to tackle, and he’s elusive too. He’s a big back but he’s deceptively elusive.”
2. Wide receiver miscues: The Hurricanes’ wide receivers had several drops during the spring game. Some of those were due to strong pass coverage, but others were just miscues.
Miami did not get many deep passes going in the game, with the longest pass going 26 yards to tight end Kahlil Brantley. Jacolby George did score a touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Tyler Van Dyke.
Despite some drops. Van Dyke finished 20-for-32 for 172 yards. Jake Garcia was 17-for-24 for 117 yards.
“At receiver, we were inconsistent,” Cristobal said. “Some good plays at the slot and then outside. We made some plays but you know what? When you have a quarterback like that, he’s making those throws, find a way to get the ball.”
3. Defensive line makes plays:
Lichtenstein, who transferred in from USC in the winter, made a few big plays in the spring game. He had one sack (though defensive players could not tackle quarterbacks), a pass breakup that led to an interception by James Williams and he recovered a fumble that was ultimately overruled.
“They counted it,” Lichtenstein said. “That was something coach Cristobal pulled out of a hat. But I know they’re going to count that.”
Leonard Taylor also proved disruptive, getting credited with a sack, and Cyrus Moss had a pair of sacks. Thomas Davis got good penetration into the backfield, nearly getting a sack.
“Credit to Thomas Davis —at 235 pounds, all spring he’s been a pain to block,” Cristobal said. “Every time I turn around, he’s in
the backfield. Really good player.
“I thought Chantz [Williams] did some really good things, as well. Cyrus Moss really flashed. Credit to him, he came in at 199 pounds. He’s already 212, 215.”
4. Good pass coverage from the secondary:
The Hurricanes’ secondary made itself known on Saturday.
Cornerbacks Isaiah Dunson, Te’Cory Couch and Malik Curtis were among those with pass breakups, and Couch sniffed out an end-around and tackled Brashard Smith for a 9-yard loss.
“They actually got me; it was the same exact play they got me
in the last scrimmage we had,” Couch said. “But they weren’t going to get me again.”
Safety James Williams had an interception on a tipped pass, and fellow safety Avantae Williams also made some strong plays.
“Everybody stepped up, everybody came to play,” Couch said. “That’s what it’s supposed to be. We have goals to be a ... top secondary this year. That’s one step to those goals.”
5. Brown may get on the field sooner rather than later:
Freshman quarterback Jacurri Brown showed his athleticism, breaking off a few runs. Although Van Dyke is entrenched as Miami’s starter and Garcia is ahead of Brown on the depth chart, it wouldn’t be shocking to see some packages for the freshman signal-caller to exploit his running ability.
Brown has also improved as a passer during the spring. If he keeps improving, he could make a quick impact in Josh Gattis’ offense.
“He’s definitely a weapon and a threat to the defense,” Garcia said. “He threw a ball ... two days ago in practice. I looked at him and I was like, ‘Bro, how did you throw that?’
“It was an off-platform, movement throw, and he just launched it. He has a cannon on him. He has a cannon on him, and he has some legs that move pretty fast.”