Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Players adapting to change of pace
How Hurricanes have fared in new up-tempo offense during first 2 spring practices
CORAL GABLES — In the two months since the Miami Hurricanes moved from Dan Enos to Rhett Lashlee, there has been a lot of talk about what an up-tempo offense would look like at UM.
Now, the Hurricanes are implementing it for the first time in practice.
The Hurricanes, who had their first spring practices on Monday and Tuesday before Wednesday’s day off, are getting accustomed to the new pace in Coral Gables.
“I think they’d probably tell you that it’s a culture shock,” said Lashlee, whose offense at Southern Methodist last season ranked third nationally in plays per game at just more than 80. “Kind of like throwing them into the deep end and letting them figure it out.”
Junior receiver Dee Wiggins said players have yet to get too confused after running a play, looking over to get the call for the next play and getting lined up correctly to quickly snap the ball and execute with all the moving parts.
“The whole idea is for it to not be confusing,” Lashlee said. “I mean, it’s a fast-moving game, anyway, and these guys have a lot of talent or they wouldn’t be here. If we can get it to where they’re reacting and playing fast, in that respect, mentally, then their
ability takes over.
“They’re not there yet. Two days in, they’re still thinking a little bit, but for them to say, already, that it’s not confusing is a good sign. You are what you repeatedly do, so we’ve got to build reps over and over and over — do the same things over and over and over again to get in those situations [so when] it’s 100,000 people watching, millions of people on TV, 3rd-and-7 and you can execute at that high level.
“It doesn’t happen by luck, it’s got to become a skill.”
The Hurricanes brought a noticeable heightened energy level to their first two practices — something that was missing during the doldrums of last season. Coach Manny Diaz said Lashlee and the other new offensive assistant coaches have made that a priority.
“They have no choice because of the energy of Coach Lashlee and his entire staff,” Diaz said. “[Wide receivers coach Rob] Likens, [offensive line coach Garin] Justice … [Offensive graduate assistant Benedick] Hyppolite has got more energy than everybody combined, so it’s already a high-energy thing.”
Senior receiver Michael Harley raved about Likens’ approach.
“He’s energetic. He’s into it,” Harley said. “He’s been coaching for 31 years. His chemistry, love for the game, just passion for the game is just different. I love the coach already. He’s getting everyone involved. Giving
everyone a fair shot. He’s just teaching me a lot.”
Harley added of Lashlee: “He’s just like one of [us]. He’s young. He’s funny. But when it’s business, it’s business. He loves everyone. He’s putting everyone in the right position.”
Offensive playmakers are enamored by the possibilities of the spread offense.
“We got the defense on their toes,” said junior running back Cam’Ron Harris. “They can’t do a lot of substituting and all that, so when we do fast tempo, we just keep the defense on their feet.”
Harris said Lashlee is confident the offense can score 35 points a game.
Miami defenders are doing their best to making the proper adjustments in practice, which can pay big dividends when facing opposing offenses in no-huddle situations.
“The biggest challenge is just getting aligned,” said senior safety Amari Carter. “We already know what we’re doing. We know the plays from a defensive standpoint. We’ve just got to get aligned and communicate quick enough while we’re already aligned and just play football.”
The players also acknowledged it may take time to get acclimated to the physical conditioning aspect of the up-tempo practices.
“We’re going to get tired, but it’s a process thing, so we have to get used to it,” said Wiggins. “As the days go by, we’ve got to get better and better at it. We’ve got to get better at conditioning. It’s only going to get us better.”