2nd spring scrimmage will be key for the QBs
The Miami Hurricanes are set to hold their second scrimmage of the spring on Friday night. As the April 17 spring game draws near to mark the conclusion of the 15-practice slate, UM offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee wants to see his side of the ball build from its performance in the first scrimmage.
“We’re just going to go out and play,” Lashlee said on Thursday. “You just want to see how guys handle being in a stadium, if they act any different than they do in a normal practice. You just want guys to go compete. You want them to be physical. You want them to play fast and just continue to execute.”
As all indications continue to be that starting quarterback D’Eriq King is progressing well in rehabbing his right knee from the torn ACL he sustained in December, the scrimmage presents another opportunity for Miami’s young quarterbacks behind him.
Tyler Van Dyke and Jake Garcia both had efficient performances in the Hurricanes’ first spring scrimmage on March 27.
“They’ve all progressed well, and you would hope that because they’re all getting probably more reps than they’ve ever got,’’ Lashlee said.
“Tyler Van Dyke, it’s funny, coming off his freshman year he may be the most experienced one we have, but I think these 10 or 11 practices this year have been invaluable for him to get so many more reps, first or second group, and be in a little bit different position.
“He’s improved a lot more from where he was last year and he should. He should be more comfortable with what we’re doing.
Lashlee said of Garcia, the freshman early enrollee: “He’s really probably supposed to be in high school going to prom in a month. For a freshman, he showed great poise and calmness and has done really good.”
He added third-year reserve signal caller Peyton Matocha is “getting more more reps than he’s ever gotten and done some really nice things. The more reps he gets, the more comfortable he’s getting.”
The quarterbacks have had their share of mishaps but are rebounding from them.
“They make a lot of mistakes. That’s what spring ball is for,” Lashlee said. “But they’re doing a good job of not repeating mistakes, which is promising. Hopefully, [Friday] night, they’ll take that next step and maybe show more maturation, maybe show just a little bit more consistency in their decision making and accuracy.”
Simpson’s impact: A focal point of the spring that Miami coach Manny Diaz was pleased with in the first scrimmage was how his defense was solid against the run.
Fourth-year defensive tackle Jordan Miller said earlier in the spring that the team went back and reviewed some of the film from North Carolina’s 62-26 mauling of UM in December where the Tar Heels ran for 554 yards, but the Hurricanes have mostly put that in the past.
In fixing the run defense, Miller and fellow veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Ford are enjoying defensive line coach Jess Simpson’s return to Miami after he last led the unit in 2018.
“He’s a great coach, man,” Ford said. “He’s focused on the little things. He’s a little-thing guy. … Having him back was like a blessing for me, being here for five years and going through so many coaches and getting him back.”
Said Miller: “With Coach Simpson being back, I really love it because he’s really technical. … I really feel myself improving because some of the moves I’m doing today I didn’t do last year.”
Simpson, a longtime high school football coach in Georgia, was defensive line coach of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons the past two seasons.
Future FAMU games: The Hurricanes added two future home dates against Florida A&M, FAMU announced on Thursday.
Miami will host the Rattlers on Sept. 7, 2024 and Sept. 10, 2026.
UM now has its full four-game non-conference slate for 2024, also playing at Florida and Notre Dame and hosting Ball State. In 2026, the Hurricanes also play at South Carolina.