8/12/2023 football Edit

Takeaways from Miami's scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium

Marcus Benjamin • CanesCounty

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@BenjaminRivals

Marcus Benjamin is a South Florida native with over ten years of experience working in sports journalism.

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After two weeks of fall camp, Miami conducted its first scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium Saturday morning. It was the offense vs. the defense, and here's how it all played out on the field. Close to 1,000 fans were in attendance.

Highlights

Photo Credit: USA Today — Tyler Van Dyke, Quarterback, Miami

The first big roar from the crowd came when roommates Tyler Van Dyke and Xavier Restrepo hooked up for about a 50-yard gain down the middle of the field against TeCory Couch. At first, it seemed the ball was overthrown, but Restrepo was able to locate the football and dove for the catch.

Ajay Allen was impressive running the football all day and nearly rushed for 100 yards on seven carries. The Nebraska transfer would hit the hole quickly and outrun Miami defenders. His most impressive was a run where he cleared the edge on the left side and cut it back to the right making several defenders miss along the way for a 40+ yard gain. He had two other runs that went for 20+ yards. Miami has that playmaker out of the backfield they were looking for in Allen.

The other big play of the day was a fifty-fifty ball Van Dyke launched to the corner of the end zone. Darryl Porter Jr. had decent coverage but couldn't outleap Colbie Young for the football, and the play would go for a 25-yard score. Porter also received a flag for pass interference on the play. It was some get-back for TVD as Porter intercepted him in the prior series.

Big Time Freshmen

True freshman defensive lineman Rueben Bain made his presence felt once again in a scrimmage. Many could feel the heat he was putting on the quarterback from the stands as he provided constant pressure.

He lined up in several positions, got to the quarterback several times, and was in on tackles from the very first play. He has an excellent chance to be a starter, and it would be hard to believe that Bain will not make a significant impact this season. I credited Bain with three sacks.

Based on what we've seen today, freshman running back Mark Fletcher will be a featured option in this offense. Fletcher scored two touchdowns from inside the ten-yard line and is in line to get several carries this season. Fletcher broke a tackle on safety Markeith Williams en route to a ten-yard touchdown run. He was also featured in the screen game.

Freshman cornerback Damari Brown was on the field much for this scrimmage. Although he did get beat by a picture-perfect throw and catch from TVD to Jacolby George, Brown was impressive in coverage contesting footballs.

Jayden Wayne was also impressive in getting to the quarterback and registered three sacks in the game against the second and third teams.

Big time transfers

Miami's work in the transfer portal continues to show on the football field. Francisco Mauigoa, the Washington State transfer, was a monster stopping the run inside the tackles. Like a heat-seeking missile, the linebacker detonates his target and puts people on the ground.

Defensive Back Jadais Richard, the Vanderbilt transfer, also was great in run support and ran-down ball carriers. Hard to believe that he will not receive plenty of playing time this year, as he did not allow any big plays on the day.

Defensive lineman Anthony Campbell, the Louisiana-Monroe transfer, had his way with the second and third time and should push for rotational playing time. He had two sacks and several tackles for loss.

Cornerback Davonte Brown was thrown to all morning, from my recollection which bodes well for the UCF transfer.

Other standouts

Starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke looked decent throwing the football throughout the day. He made some throws, and he missed some throws. Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe should have intercepted one throw over the middle, but overall, TVD played well enough that if it were a real game, he certainly would not lose it. Bissainthe overall had a strong day and has elevated his coverage skills.

Defensive End Nyjalik Kelly looks to be in top form, registering two sacks for me and a tackle for loss. Wide Receiver Michael Redding caught the most footballs on the day, catching five for over 75 yards, but much of his work was against the second and third teams.

Kicker Andy Borrelgales hit a 55-yard field goal with leg to spare, and all of his kickoffs ended up in the end zone.

Lowlights

The standout lowlight was the play of backup quarterback Jacurri Brown. Brown did not look comfortable in the pocket and threw the football inaccurately on the day. He held on to the football for way too long in the pocket, and his decisions were questionable when he did throw.

Emory Williams threw an interception toward the end of the game on a late throw to number 98 (Not on the roster). The freshman sometimes looked inexperienced but seemed more assertive in his throws and more efficient than Brown.

There were some penalties, like Te'Cory Couch grabbing Restrepo on a deep ball that could have been a touchdown. There were also a couple of fall starts and offside penalties but overall a clean game.

There was no production from the tight ends as Elijah Arroyo and Riley Williams were held out due to injury. Jaleel Skinner dropped a pass that hit him on the hands but was high. Brashard Smith had had a few catches for about 20 yards.