Perryman : New Man In The Middle

Defense was the name of the game this past Friday in Fort Myers and head coach Al Golden is all right with that, barring the offense takes care of business next time.

“The defense won, that’s it,” Golden said. “We don’t rub it in their face but we show them the film and there’s no escaping that.

“The offense has got to respond. I think they did [Tuesday]. It was a very spirited workout.”

Golden went on to state that it’s a lose-lose for a head coach, regarding which side of the ball shines this time of year. When asked what would be the perfect scrimmage, Coach responded.

“If it’s sharp, we execute, they’re staying within the design of the system and guys are making plays and playing with energy and being in better condition. … For me, it’s this coordinator is happy one play and that coordinator is happy the other play, and I’m always unhappy. That’s just the way it is.”

The brightest spot of a high-flying, playmaking defense? The fact that the Canes appear to have found a middle linebacker and heir apparent to Sean Spence in sophomore Denzel Perryman.

Perryman played weak-side last season but exploded at middle last Friday night, hauling in two interceptions and registering a sack. His heads up play has coaches looking to keep him at the Mike.

For a program that became the modern-day “Linebacker U” in the late 80s and throughout the 90s, borrowing the moniker from Penn State, Miami hasn’t had much production at linebacker this past decade.

You have to go back to 2003 and the Jon Vilma / DJ Williams era of Hurricanes football to recall the last time linebacker was a true strong suit for UM.

Just look at the following season, after both had graduated, when the middle of the field was getting decimated by lesser opponents. Miami had a three-game span where it gave up a ton of yards, 100 points and went 2-1 against the likes of Louisville, NC State and North Carolina, mostly because offensive coordinators were having a field day with the confusion at linebacker.

Sure, there have been standouts here and there. Guys like Jon Beason, Colin McCarthy and Spence, but the position hasn’t lived up to the program’s expectation. Not when there was a legacy left by ‘The Bermuda Triangle’ and legends like Jessie Armstead, Darrin Smith and Micheal Barrow and now when a true freshman like Ray Lewis exploded onto the scene a year later.

It seems this Miami program only goes as far as it’s quarterback and middle linebacker takes it. Here’s hoping that Perryman proves to be the man in the middle, while the offense settles on it’s man under center.

IN OTHER NEWS : The injury bug continues biting Miami as senior fullback C.J. Holton and junior defensive end Shayon Green were sidelined in Friday night’s scrimmage and will miss the rest of spring ball. Coach Golden let it be known that neither injury is serious, but did not say if surgery would be required.

Holton was moved to fullback when former starter Maurice Hagans went down in the Canes’ first scrimmage on March 24th. With both out, this could open the door for tailback Mike James to take some snaps at fullback, as he’s been listed as second on the depth chart.

The loss of Holton and Green, coupled with the recent injury that sidelined offensive lineman Jonathan Feliciano, means three starters have gone down in the past two weeks.

For any of those critical of Miami seeking out help at the walk-on position and for scout team ‘dummies’ to beat up on, this is why. Injuries are part of the game and another part is having the numbers to avoid injuries to key players.

Here’s wishing a speedy recovery to all injured Hurricanes. – C.B.

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