Seems every spring in Coral Gables there are new names coming out of the woodworks. Guys getting it done at Greentree, setting expectations for a breakout season, only to leave fans disappointed come fall.
Eventually something has to give, with spring success turning into first downs and touchdowns in fall and come August, with so little depth at wide receiver, the Canes are hoping the Rashawn Scott can duplicate his March efforts.
Scott shone in Saturday’s scrimmage at Ted Hendricks Stadium, taking a short pass from quarterback Ryan Williams, capitalizing on a block from tight end Clive Walford and rumbling sixty-two yards down field for a score.
Scott finished the day with five receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns; a much-needed day for the sophomore who spent half of the 2011 season laid up with a shoulder injury that required surgery.
Head coach Al Golden was quick to praise Scott’s effort and results. “That’s the way this kid works, period,” Golden said. “It’s the same guy every day. He’s got the work ethic, he’s got the toughness, and he’s got the skill set. He has a chance to have what amounts to a rare combination.
“He’s just very consistent, and the slant he caught for a touchdown is a) Something that’s been missing from our repertoire, and b) Something he does in practice.”
Golden talked about the opportunity in front of Scott due to the departures of Tommy Streeter and Allen Benjamin, as well as the injury keeping Allen Hurns down right now.
The receiver position is wide open and if not Scott, then Phillip Dorsett, Kendal Thompkins or the five other receivers coming on board in a matter of months.
Scott’s highlight reel is limited. The three-star prospect out of Melbourne Central High helped on special teams the first six games of 2011 and had one reception in a loss to Kansas State. As a senior he rushed for 945 yards, had 845 receiving yards and threw for 565 yards, accounting for thirty-one touchdowns.
Scott wound up choosing Miami over West Virginia, Michigan State and South Florida, among almost two dozen offers.
Hopefully Scott breaks the trend of springtime flashes in the pan, carrying over March’s success to August when this offense will be in need of playmakers.
IN OTHER NEWS : UM’s offensive line took a hit days back when left guard Jonathan Feliciano went down with a right-knee injury when running back Eduardo Clements fell into him. The redshirt sophomore was hurt in Saturday’s scrimmage and will miss the rest of spring ball.
Jermaine Johnson will fill in for Feliciano, making a first-team line that also includes Malcolm Bunche, Shane McDermott, Brandon Linder and Seantrel Henderson.
– Defensively, cornerback Brandon McGee is climbing the depth chart, moving from third string to first and earning a coveted black jersey, given for effort on the field and in the weight room. Golden praised McGee and offered some words of motivation for the senior defensive back.
“I see a kid that’s very talented, that’s willing, that’s working hard,” Golden said. “We just have got to get him to the point where he has enough confidence to then go out and make plays, not freelance, but go out and finish plays.”
On the leadership front, McGee is also stepping up and acting like the senior he is, reaching out to other cornerbacks and trying to lead both verbally and by example.
“My phone is always open for those guys,” McGee said. “[Early enrollee] Larry Hope, sometimes he’ll hit me up and ask me to go watch film. When they make mistakes in practice, I’ll pull them off to the side and try to clean up their technique, just telling them what to look for on the field. And I emphasize don’t make the same mistake twice. If they hear coaches getting on me for a mistake, I tell them to listen so they don’t do the same thing. That’s the one thing that makes coaches hot.”
Besides his efforts with Hope, McGee has also been in constant contact with freshmen Deon Bush and Tracy Howard, who he had some thoughts on.
“I’ve seen him work out. He has good hips, quick feet,” McGee said of Howard. “He’s a competitor, talks some trash. I like that about him. I’m just excited for him to get here. To see a guy like that work and be able to help him through the process is going to be good.
“It’s never easy. No matter how talented you are and what kind of expectations are placed on you, it’s never easy to make that transition from high school to college. I’m going to be there to help him along the way and that’s something I promised his parents I would do. Him and Deon.”
– Lastly, for those who subscribe to Canesport.com, there’s a solid little blurb on running back signee Danny Dillard of Venice.
Dillard will attend this weekend’s scrimmage in Fort Myers and being from that region, that was the gist of the story, but the real meat had to do with Dillard’s thoughts on competition, as well as those who questioned his signing with Miami after the Canes had locked down Randy ‘Duke’ Johnson.
Dillard made it clear that high school was high school and college is college. He’s headed to ‘The U’ to compete and isn’t backing down from Johnson’s skills-set or accolades.
Dillard pointed out that they’re different style backs, with him the more bigger-bodied athlete and Johnson a smaller, shiftier player. Dillard also made it clear that he feels he has a chance to play right away and is doing all he can do on his own right now to work his way into the starting line up.
While there’s nothing new about this type of story, as a fan, you hope there are more cases like this during the Golden Era. More stories of talented kids who could’ve been selfish, going elsewhere and seeking immediate playing time, but instead bought into the coaching staff, are sold on the direction of the program and aren’t afraid to go up against top-flight incoming talent in effort to win a starting role.
A kid like Dillard seems a far cry from a back like Storm Johnson, who ran from competition this time last year.
Let’s home this is one more step in the right direction for a program starved for team-first, competition-hungry athletes. – C.B.