IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT’SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS MONDAY!!!!!!!!!! And it’s an eclipse Monday as well, for those of you who are celebrating and hopefully not staring directly at the thing.
So grab those mugs, belly up to the bar, and let’s pour some orange and green frothy Miami Hurricanes-related thoughts tapped straight from my noggin.
Let’s get on with it.
1) The Canes’ Spring game is Saturday from Cobb Stadium on campus, home of Miami’s track team. With sooooooooooooooooo many question marks entering this season across the roster, I figured hey, I’m just gonna throw them out here one by one. Here are some things I will be looking for on Saturday during the game.
2) Who will Cam Ward connect with early? Yes, yes, I want to see how he looks, but that’s so basic and obvious that I don’t think it’s worth mentioning. That goes without saying. What I’m more specifically curious about is who he’ll look to first in the offense. Does he lock onto someone more than others, ala Tyler Van Dyke and Xavier Restrepo? Does he look to X, as well? Someone else? That doesn’t mean if he does that that person will be his go to player in the Fall, but it surely could be a sign of things to come.
3) How does Reese Poffenbarger look in a game situation? The Poffster has gotten some praise early in Spring ball, so there’s a bit of a level of intrigue there. As much as Miami QBs have dealt with injuries over the past few years, the backup QB position is NOT at all irrelevant. I’m very curious to see how he looks.
4) Does TreVonte’ Citizen’s play match what Mario said about him recently? Mario indicated that “something clicked” for Citizen a couple of weeks back. The question in my mind is whether he’s mentally over the injury and ready to give it 100% and push himself without worrying about his knee. I am very curious to see what he can bring out of the backfield. Would be super gratifying to see, given his long road back from injury.
5) How will the interior of Miami’s line look with two new starters? Matt Lee and Javion Cohen are both off to the NFL. Indiana transfer Zach Carpenter should succeed Lee at center absent something shocking in the rest of the offseason. Samson Okunlola could have an inside track to the left guard position, but that’s one that should be pretty closely watched.
6) Who’s going to make a name for himself as an absolute alpha dog on defense? Who’s going to announce his presence in the Spring game? Kiko Mauigoa did just that in last year’s Spring game, and he turned out to be solid for the Canes last year. Mario gave praise to several players a couple of weeks ago at the linebacker position as having been impressive. Who’s going to prove it on Saturday in front of the fans?
7) Can Zaquan Patterson make a push for a starting gig in Miami’s secondary? I am VERRRRRY excited about this young man. Cristobal mentioned him as a spring standout so far, which matches the hype the top 100 safety came in with. The Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna product should have a legitimate shot to earn significant playing time as a freshman, if not earn the starting gig outright. I have high hopes for Patterson.
There are plenty more things to watch for. Like, lots and lots. How will the defensive line look with a couple of new faces in key spots? Who’s going to come off the edge opposite Reuben Bain? Will Jacolby George show he was worth hanging onto after last season’s nonsense? Is Elijah Williams ready to prove he can be a force in the passing game next season?
These are just some things I went through and tagged as personally interesting to me. What are you all hoping to see on Saturday at Cobb Stadium? Let’s hear it.
Go Canes!