Homer dazzles in first start at running back
MIAMI GARDENS Entering the season, one of the worst-case scenarios for the Miami Hurricanes was the possibility of losing preseason All-ACC running back Mark Walton to an injury.
Walton, a vocal leader and driving force for the offense, was lost for the season after undergoing surgery on his injured ankle after last week’s thrilling win at Florida State.
That put sophomore Travis Homer in the unenviable position of having to fill the shoes of a veteran playmaker and in his first test, the sophomore out of Oxbridge Academy delivered.
In his first start at running back, Homer had 20 carries for a game-high and career-high 170 yards. He also scored two touchdowns, one on a 17-yard pass from Malik Rosier just before halftime, the other on a 27-yard run in a torrential rain late in the fourth quarter that pulled the Hurricanes within two of Georgia Tech.
Miami would go on to notch a 25-24 win over the Yellow Jackets, with Homer picking up a couple of key carries that helped extend the final game-winning drive.
As has been the case since being named the Hurricanes starter, Homer was succinct when speaking to reporters after the win, but his teammates and coaches couldn’t help but rave about his performance.
“If you’ve seen him in practice, you wouldn’t be shocked,” linebacker Shaquille Quarterman said. “He’s a workaholic. He’s such a workaholic, you see him walking around the training room and he’s hurting. And you’re like, ‘You’re alright, Travis?’ and he’s just working that hard. When you see him bust plays … you see him do things like that, it’s like he earned it from Monday to Friday. It’s a testament to how hard he works over there with the offense.”
Said Miami coach Mark Richt, “Awesome. I don’t know how many carries it was, but he had 170 yards, I saw. We talked about his conditioning and he still played some special teams. He was still covering some kicks, but he’s got great vision, quickness and he secured the ball extremely well.” players inducted into Ring of Honor.
It marked the first induction ceremony since 2014, when Russell Maryland and Jerome Brown joined the Ring of Honor, which now includes 23 former Hurricanes greats.
While the formal induction took place Saturday, the five most recent honorees were celebrated at a luncheon Friday where Taylor’s daughter spoke on behalf of her late father.
Saturday, Jackie Taylor and her family were on the field as Taylor’s name — and those of his four fellow inductees — were unveiled on banners lining the upper level of Hard Rock Stadium. Miami’s
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