Miami Hurricanes Quarterbacks Under Pressure in Scrimmage
University of Miami head coach Mark Richt allowed full contact on the quarterbacks during this past weekend’s scrimmage. The end result was that redshirt freshman Jack Allison was injured.
In a move not mirrored by the majority of college football coaches across the country, Mark Richt employed open season on his Miami Hurricane quarterbacks. That open season was recklessly rewarded when a defensive lineman sacked Jack Allison. Unfortunately seeing Allison later on in a sling was not the hunter’s trophy worth celebrating.
There is a reason why quarterbacks wear different color practice jerseys. It essentially is the same as writing fragile on a moving box. Under the jersey lies a precious commodity that can often times be easily damaged. Consider it only takes approximately seven pounds to break an adult clavicle or collarbone.
So why risk it? What is the reward? It was a scrimmage after all. A glorified practice. Somewhere Philadelphia Seventy Sixer’s legend Allan Iverson is probably shaking his head mumbling something about “practice.”
In this instance, I will give credit to coach Richt and say you had to go live. Richt had to issue the defense their hunters’ license and let them take aim on the quarterbacks.
As unfortunate as the injury to Allison was, Richt is the moderator and overseer of Miami’s current quarterback competition. Brad Kaaya left a massive void to fill. The certainty of knowing your starting quarterback and his capabilities evaporated the second Kaaya declared for the NFL.
Richt’s ultimate goal now is to declare the right man for the job. Richt has to witness them actually do the job. Having a defense bear down on them helps that assessment. When Richt was asked after the scrimmage if the quarterbacks were live he simply said, “Yeah.” Then his follow-up assessment unlocked his current ideology.
"Yeah they can get sacked, but one guy broke a tackle. He spun out and ran, I mean I think he still threw it away. Normally in a game you say hey that’s a sack, but there’s a couple times, I know Evan (Shirreffs) once or twice had guys bearing down on him but just stayed in there and threw it, completed a ball or two. Still got hit which his a good sign.Malik (Rosier) was the guy I think that he spun out and looked like they had the tackle. I know there was a cornerback blitz one time that we missed, and he had him, no one was blocking him, but Malik spun out of it and ended up not completing the ball. But it proved a guy could move and create plays."
A quarterback being able to deliver a pass while getting hit is absolutely a good sign. Quarterbacks get hit. A quarterback able to spin away from pressure is absolutely a good sign. Quarterbacks get pressured in games.
At the current juncture, your Miami Hurricane quarterbacks have one career college start between them. Richt needed to simulate the pressure of real life situational football. No choice if you think about it.
A Manny Diaz led defense is essentially sparring against an in his prime Mike Tyson. That defense will hit you. That defense will hurt you. The defense did essentially hurt the offense on, Saturday.
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Allison is in a sling, remember? Baptism by fire. And in this spring savage season, the defensive lineman who sacked Allison and knocked him out of the game? I’m sure he got a high-five for the play.
Greentree practice field has suddenly regained a long remembered familiar homeostasis. The defense dominates early on. The offense does squat.
There were an estimated eight sacks this scrimmage. The defensive line will surely take aim and strike fear in opposing ACC quarterbacks this year. They’ll ring bells. Coach Kuligowski encourages and relishes in that sort of thing.
Ultimately Richt wanted to test his quarterbacks under live ammunition. He obviously never wishes injury on any of his players.
Next: Miami Hurricanes Have First Spring Scrimmage
Football is a rough game. Quarterbacks get hit and sometimes quarterbacks get hurt. One thing is for sure, whoever wants to win the Miami Hurricane starting quarterback job better get used to getting hit.