UM FOOTBALL UM quarterbacks make good first impression Robert Marve, Jacory Harris and Cannon Smith put on an aerial display that pleased coach Randy Shannon. University of Miami quarterback Robert Marve directs the offense during a scrimmage Thursday at Traz Powell Stadium in North Miami. According to unofficial statistics, Marve completed 13 of 18 passes for 104 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. The 2,500 or so University of Miami football fans who packed one side of Traz Powell Stadium on Thursday night witnessed something so foreign, so shocking, it might have left them wondering if they were seeing things. They were: a sustained aerial offense. And after watching new quarterbacks Robert Marve and Jacory Harris open the first intrasquad spring scrimmage with nine consecutive completions -- not to mention a 50-yard pass by Cannon Smith to tight end Richard Gordon -- they likely left with something they might not have had in a long, long time: hope. ''A lot of completions, a lot of completions . . . It was great to see,'' a visibly pleased coach Randy Shannon said of his young newcomers after the 90-minute practice. ``[Receiver] Aldarius Johnson made a couple of plays tonight, the young running backs did a nice job and the quarterback play was pretty good. I saw a redshirt guard, Joel Figueroa, block and do some things, [defensive tackle] Marcus Forston, [linebacker] Sean Spence made a lot of plays tonight. ''And the quarterbacks managed the game and moved the ball down the field,'' Shannon said. ``But like I told those guys, we have to score points. We feel like if we can give our quarterbacks time, we can move the ball down the field.'' MARVE CONFIDENT Marve, a redshirt freshman wearing No. 9 on his orange jersey, appeared poised, confident and deadly accurate. He opened the scrimmage with five completions during the Canes' only touchdown drive -- 65 yards on 10 plays, capped by a juking, impressive 8-yard run by Javarris James. Marve began the night by connecting with Sam Shields for 9 yards. A couple plays later, he hit Shields for another 5, and then eventually completed passes of 6 yards to Graig Cooper, and 4 and 9 yards to Kayne Farquharson. Two of Marve's third-down conversions on the scoring drive were made with passes. He also threw deep passes. One was batted down near the end zone on a beautiful play by cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke. Another, to Farquharson, was underthrown, and Farquharson dropped the other. And yet, another seemed to hit Shields in the hands, but bounced away. Marve, who ran fast and seemed calm and in control when he left the pocket, got the ball back at least four times. According to unofficial statistics, he completed 13 of 18 passes for 104 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Freshman Jacory Harris, just weeks out of high school, also impressed. He hit his Miami Northwestern teammate Aldarius Johnson his first two plays, for 4 and 8 yards. He also completed passes of 17 and 11 yards to Farquharson during that initial drive. Harris completed 11 of 14 for 78 yards. And Cannon Smith completed 2 of 4 passes for 54 yards. Smith got three series. Shannon wouldn't let his players talk, but former UM star running back Edgerrin James was on the scene, and very happy with the practice. ''They looked good -- and calm,'' he said of the quarterbacks. ``They were getting pressure coming and still looking extremely good. Their decision-making is great. When they saw nothing there, they didn't force it. [Marve] would go to the line of scrimmage and knew exactly when to cross it and when not to. Those guys are big-time.'' Defensively, sophomore Allen Bailey, who was converted from linebacker to defensive end, crunched Shawnbrey McNeal in the backfield for a 4-yard loss. He also sacked Harris for a 14-yard loss, and combined on a sack with Darryl Sharpton and Eric Houston. Linebacker Sean Spence also made some big hits, including one on Cooper for a 5-yard loss. On special teams, the Hurricanes made 1 of 2 field-goal attempts. The first, attempted by walk-on Alex Uribe, was from 41 yards, hit the left upright and bounced wide left. The next, kicked by freshman Jake Wieclaw, was good from 43 yards. The biggest negative was that centers Tyler Horn, Matt Pipho and Xavier Shannon had problems snapping. Horn sent some high snaps and Shannon sent one bouncing. One of the snaps was fumbled by Smith, and then recovered by defensive end Adewale Ojomo.
Robert Marve is going to be a hell of a college quarterback. Hopefully he won't get in any more car accidents.
I hope so. Did you know his father played with the buffalo bills? http://www.buffalobills.com/news/AlumniSpotlightEugeneMarve.jsp
I'm very excited for these young quarterbacks to step in. I have a lot of confidence that Marve can be a star for this team, with all the things he does well, I think the Canes found a guy who actually has the mind to succeed. If he doesn't, there's still Jacory, who (once he gains 30 lbs) can be an effective QB in his own right. Now just random notes: Aldarius is going to be a stud. He's just going to be lights out for his entire career as a Cane. I can't wait to see how the running backs develop once the passing game actually shows it has some life. Javarris was already on his way to being a hell of a player, this will only make him better. The defense should be stacked with the young guys getting time. Spence and Brown could both start at LB, Forston will start, and Bailey will provide a sick bookend for Eric Moncur. I'm thinking after next year, Moncur could be taken higher than Calais will this draft. DVD is a player too at corner, hopefully it's him and Chavez Grant starting at corner at some point. The older guys on the D are what really concern me. Glenn Cook is still there somehow, and I'm not really expecting a T-Good like jump from him (or Sharpton for that matter). Randy Phillips is still too big/slow to be a corner, just like he's been for 3 years prior. And who knows what they'll get from Reddick.
Wasn't Ryan Moore supposed to be a stud? Aldarius looks like he'll be a big time player, but you never know until the season is in full swing.
The difference between the two of them is that Johnson seems to want to be a great player. Graduating early, working hard in spring ball, making people notice him rather than just living on his reputation, all things that give me confidence in Aldarius. Of course nothing is a given, but he's on the right path.
Don't forget Kyle Wright. Look at Patrick Turner, the wideout on Southern Cal. I believe he was the nation's top recruit coming out of high school, and he hasn't even come close to living up to all of the hype that surrounded him early on. He was supposed to be the next Calvin Johnson. You can NEVER tell with these kids. A 5 star player could not work out, like Ryan Moore...and a 2 star could contend for the Heisman and National Championship this year, like Pat White.
So much of it comes down to coaching and putting the talent in the right position to develop and win. same goes for the pros, and i have detailed how the Jets CS did a lousy job last season with not making good halftime adjustments and not properly utilizing the personnel they had, not to mention their poor track record on bringing in FAs up until last week. Coker was horrible- a bad recruiter, a bad motivator, bad with Xs and Os, a horrible gameday coach. He won a NC with Butch Davis' team. The dropoff in talent at the U the past few years directly corresponds to his crappy recruiting decisions. Wright had three or four OCs during his career at Miami- that is going to hurt the development of any QB. His OL sucked- in his first start he was sacked 7 times and probably suffered from PTSD.
Check out Miami Sports... BBall - Going to NCAA Tournament. Picked last in ACC...Have Faith in Haith! Baseball - 9-1 8th in the Nation. Football - #1 Class according to ESPN and moving in the right direction. Nice.
Schnellenberger's son passes away Posted on Mon, Mar. 10, 2008Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email BY PETE PELEGRIN Howard Schnellenberger with his son Stephen.Stephen Schnellenberger, the son of Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger, who had been battling a rare form of cancer passed away at the age of 48 on Sunday. ---------------------------------- ''Stephen has been an example of mental toughness, strength and will and left this world with the same fighting passion,'' Howard Schnellenberger said in a statement. Stephen Schnellenberger was diagnosed with a rare form of endocrine cancer at age 2, and had undergone operations to remove his thyroid and adrenal glands and a kidney. ''Stephen in the early years when he was first diagnosed with cancer and it looked like it was going to dramatically affect his life became an inspiration to his brothers, [mother] Beverlee and I,'' Howard said. ``He played football, baseball, cross-country and golf as hard and as good as he could. Later years as well as becoming an avid bike rider.'' Nine years ago when Howard took the FAU coaching job, Stephen was working as an insurance broker and running a camp for kids with cancer. Then five years ago when recovering from an operation, Stephen fell into a coma. During colon surgery, Stephen's heart stopped beating and his brain was deprived of oxygen for nine minutes. ''This was a nightmare for all of us,'' Howard said. ``It was a major set back that I didn't know he could recover from. However, his strong will and determination brought him to a quality of life that was greater than I could have imagined. The most important thing was that he always had a great disposition.'' Growing up, Stephen was a ball boy for the Dolphins when Howard was an offensive assistant and later followed his father on the sideline at the University of Miami. ''Both with the Dolphins and at UM, he was on the sideline with me and became an integral part of the game,'' Howard said. ``While at Florida Atlantic University our home games became a highlight for him. It was probably the happiest days of the week. It was really great to see how our team responded to him. They always made sure to say hello and whether we had a win or not they would always be with him at the end of the game.'' Stephen attended every FAU home game this season and his father's last football game at the Orange Bowl last November when FAU defeated FIU. ''[Stephen] was absolutely beaming,'' Howard told The Miami Herald in November. 'He was able to talk a little, say some words, or at least move his lips. I'd say, `Steve, what is two plus two?' And he'd whisper, 'Four.' ''
The biggest surprise about the Canes, is that the all of the recruits they signed from Miami Northwestern were eligible. That is unreal, especially for a high school they were going to shut down a few years ago, and they were going to kill the football program this past season. It will be interesting to see how many of them make it.
I remember reading an article a while back about how hard Miami Northwestern's coaching staff worked to get their players ready to work hard on the field and in the class room. Looks like their hard work will pay off. I wish the best for all of those kids. I didn't like the hiring of Randy Shannon...I thought they should've hired an outside guy, instead of someone who had already been there -- but Shannon has brought in some players that have the potential to be big time players in college and in the NFL. Hopefully the Hurricanes will get their offense going, because the defense can always play with the best.
UM's three young QBs show progress UM's coaching staff is excited about the progress made by the Hurricanes' three young quarterbacks. Posted on Wed, Mar. 19, BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN MiamiHerald.com Jacory Harris, Robert Marve and Cannon Smith conceded Tuesday that, at times, they astounded even themselves. ''Yeah, it surprised a lot of people,'' a grinning Harris said. ``It even surprised us. At the end we were like, `Hey, Miami is throwing the football!' ``It's a big turnaround.'' After a week of hitting the beach, visiting family and old teammates, tossing the football and ''chilling,'' the Hurricanes returned to Greentree Field. ''We were a little off at the beginning of the day,'' Harris said. ``I'm not going to lie. I kind of struggled with some of the signals and I made a couple of bad plays. The week off I kind of forgot about the signals from all that having fun on spring break.'' UM coach Randy Shannon permitted the quarterbacks to speak to the media Tuesday, their last opportunity until next week. Shannon prohibited players from interviews after the March 6 scrimmage at Traz Powell Stadium, one of only two practices open to fans. The next one will be at 10 a.m. March 29 for the annual spring game and last of 15 sessions. BETTER THAN EXPECTED ''They're doing a whole lot better than we thought,'' Shannon said of first-year players Harris and Smith and redshirt freshman Marve. ``They're throwing the short passes and completing the deep balls. They see blitzes and they're checking out of them and getting us into the right plays. We're excited about their progress.'' According to unofficial statistics, Marve -- the fastest and most poised of the three during the scrimmage -- completed 13 of 18 passes for 104 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Harris completed 11 of 14 passes for 78 yards. And Smith completed 2 of 4 for 54 yards. ''The excitement is back at the University of Miami,'' Marve said, reminding, however, that his goal is to get better in every aspect. ``You're striving to be perfect, not one incomplete ball, not one missed pass, or anything like that. We had a lot of hustle and even the plays we missed as a team I thought we all were trying to make the play. There was no lack of effort. ``Me being out there for the first time and really playing in front of a crowd . . . and seeing that many people . . . I had a lot of fun. With this offensive line they give me so much time just to sit there in the pocket. ``It felt good. The community had our back and hopefully we're going to be there for them, too.'' Receiver Kayne Farquharson made nice catches in the scrimmage but dropped what could have been a long touchdown from Marve. LOOKING GOOD ''I couldn't tell those were young quarterbacks,'' Farquharson said. ``If they didn't show me their IDs, I'd think they were adults. I dropped the money ball. The ball hit my hands and my eyes were still in the air.'' Harris, who led his state champion Miami Northwestern High team out of the shotgun formation, spent most of the scrimmage under shotgun as well. He said coaches want him to improve his ``feetwork in the pocket, because in the film I [had] a little happy feet. I wouldn't stay still and I wasn't taking proper drops. But I had a good percentage of completions so I did pretty well.'' He said he was somewhat disappointed in his running. ''I could have been a little faster,'' he said. ``Show people the 4.5 instead of the 4.8.'' Smith, who threw a 50-yarder to tight end Richard Gordon, said when he ''saw the defense bust,'' he got ``a little excited and made sure to get the ball right to him.'' But Smith had limited opportunities -- one set of 12 snaps compared to more for the other two -- and said he needs ``to do a better job of showing what I can do. ``I don't think anybody around here has seen what I have. Hopefully they'll get a chance to.''
The demolition is underway. This is what is left of the stadium and field where Joe Namath and the Jets won SBIII...where the Canes won national championships...so many memories...
I'm looking at Miami to go to law school in 2009. Really disappointed that the football team moved to Dolphin stadium, much farther drive to go see football games.
Newcomers shine at UM scrimmage Freshmen linebackers Sean Spence and Arthur Brown made strong impressions in the Canes' scrimmage. About 11,000 University of Miami football fans converged at Lockhart Stadium on a gorgeous Saturday morning, eager for the renaissance of Hurricanes football. Here's the essence of what they saw: ? The quarterback battle lives, with Robert Marve still the front-runner. ? The receivers continue to drop passes. ? The younger players, led Saturday by linebackers Sean Spence and Arthur Brown, dazzle. ? Running backs Graig Cooper (fast) and Javarris James (strong) are a force. ''We're really excited about the way those eight [newcomers] came in this spring,'' UM coach Randy Shannon said. ``We had a couple of long runs today, which can be attributed to [new fullbacks] Patrick Hill and John Calhoun blocking. But also you see the play-making ability of Sean Spence getting an interception early and almost returning it for a touchdown, and ending the game with one.'' True freshmen linebackers Spence and Brown -- both of whom enrolled early -- dominated in the Fort Lauderdale scrimmage. Second-team strong-sider Brown led with eight tackles, a pass breakup and an interception [of quarterback Cannon Smith] with 24 seconds remaining to give the defense a 32-29 victory. Points were assigned for scoring, turnovers, big stops, etc. ''That felt great,'' Brown said of the pick. ``I wish I could have taken it all the way. We all did a great job flying to the ball.'' Spence, clearly a playmaker starting on the strong side, had two picks off starter Marve (10 of 22 for 93 yards and no touchdowns). The first bounced off a defensive lineman's helmet. Spence returned it 31 yards. He made his second interception on the scrimmage's final, Hail Mary pass that tipped off the hands of several players. There were six sacks, three by linebacker Darryl Sharpton and one apiece by Spencer Adkins, Chaz Washington and Allen Bailey. Quarterback Jacory Harris completed nine of 17 passes for 64 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. And third-stringer Smith's only completion was a 6-yard screen toss to Shawnrey McNeal, who zig-zagged down the left side to turn it into a 66-yard gain. ''This gives [the defense] a lift,'' Harris said of the scrimmage, ``but overall it gives the whole team a lift to know we've got each other's backs.'' Cooper led all running backs with 91 yards on eight carries and scored on a 27-yard run to culminate the first drive. He scored on a 44-yard run late in the game. Defenders couldn't keep up with him. ''Good job blocking downfield with the receivers,'' Cooper said. James, who sometimes shared the backfield with Cooper, dropped two passes, but wound up with four catches for 60 yards. His lone run was for 25 yards. ''If you look at the quarterback stats today, you're going to see they didn't throw for a lot of yards,'' Shannon said. 'But they put it in the playmakers' hands, and that's what we're excited about.'' Shannon criticized his receivers for several drops. ``The thing that was amazing is we didn't have the problem all spring. We have to get them out into the public and have more scrimmages in front of fans -- get them used to the fans. That might have been a factor, because Khalil Jones had a wonderful spring and today was his first drops out of 15 practices.'' Alex Uribe made a 24-yard field goal and had a 50-yard attempt blocked by DeMarcus Van Dyke. Freshman Jake Wieclaw kicked a 21-yard field goal, and Matt Bosher missed from 41 yards out. ? RB Derron Thomas injured his right ankle early. . . . RB McNeal hurt his knee late. . . . WR Jermaine McKenzie (left ankle), S Lovon Ponder (undisclosed injury) and DE Eric Moncur (undisclosed injury) were sidelined.
