Hurricanes set for first spring scrimmage

Coral Gables — Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is all for it.

When coach Mark Richt entertained the idea of having a full-contact scrimmage, Diaz was the among the first to endorse it. The Hurricanes will hold their first scrimmage Saturday at Greentree Practice Fields. It is closed to the public.

“What happens in practice verbally is that you touch the quarterback, and you say he is down and guys feel good about themselves,” Diaz said. “But in a game, he is not down. Those quarterbacks, when they know that they don’t have the force field around them, they behave differently. So I think it is a good reality check for everybody.”

The coaching staff has yet to decide if the full-contact aspect will include the quarterbacks. It is a call Richt expects to make before the practice begins. Diaz said it would benefit both sides of the ball.

“And not to mention it adds the element of the quarterback run game,” Diaz said. “So, it forces guys to stay disciplined in their assignments. And that is a challenge because to defeat the people we have to defeat in our league, we have got to be sound vs. the quarterback run game.”

Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said they are still hammering out the details.

“We may do some, we may do all, we may do none,” Brown said. “… They’ll all be live, or none will be live.”

Owens, Gordinier recovering

Junior Darrion Owens and sophomore Jamie Gordinier, both linebackers, appear healthy after battling knee injuries the past two seasons. Last year Owens was bothered by a knee injury from 2015, but he has been one of the breakout stars of the spring.

“I think with him it’s confidence,” Diaz said. “He is moving around better and certainly he is a big, strong, physical guy. Now he’s got to trust himself to go and play like that … I’ll be curious to see how he plays on Saturday.”

Gordinier, who spent last year recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, is also making strides. Diaz said his most valuable asset is he can play multiple positions.

Competition at linebacker

Junior Charles Perry and sophomore Zach McCloud are in a healthy competition at one of the linebacker spots. McCloud started last year, but Perry has closed the gap.

Diaz said the battle is going “back and forth.”

McCloud is part of last year’s freshman linebacker class that is hoping to build on their impressive debut seasons. What Diaz wants to see is for all to make the next step. The group includes Shaq Quarterman and Michael Pinckney

“If anything, they swim more now,” Diaz said. “The general curve, and it was no different with Shaq and those guys last spring, they played better in their first week and a half. The more we coached them, the worse they get, right? Because now they start to remember all the corrections. It’s like me on the golf course. The more I try to fix my swing, the worse it gets. And then eventually they will overcome our coaching, and finally start to relax and play better.”