Mark Richt not aware of Andre Ware comment, Jaquan Johnson wounded

In a teleconference on Sunday Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Mark Richt said that safety Jaquan Johnson was wounded in Saturday’s game against Toledo. He also understood why ESPN analyst Andre Ware thought that Johnson might have been faking his injury.

Ware’s comment came while Toledo’s offense was operating at a quick pace. The 1989 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback thought that Johnson faked his injury for the Miami Hurricanes defense to slow down the Rockets offense.

In somewhat of a surprise Richt gave a pretty candid answer that he understood why Ware made the comment. RIcht was not informed of Ware’s comment before it was mentioned on Sunday during the teleconference.

In an article by Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald Richt said that Johnson is suffering from a hamstring injury and was definitely in the Coach’s words “wounded” in Saturday’s game. Johnson is still being evaluated. The severity of his hamstring strain is not known.

It was also speculated that the heat in Toledo Saturday and cramping can add to a hamstring injury. Other players suffered injuries on Saturday including star defensive tackle Gerald Willis. Everyone but Johnson is currently all right.

Most of the players for the Miami Hurricanes who were hurt on Saturday went back into the game. There is always a danger of a player trying to be tough and continue to play that can often make an injury worse. Richt discussed what they inform the Miami players to do once they are injured.

"“He was wounded, and if you hobble off the field with an injury sometimes it’s not wise. So, we knew he was hurt and we told him to get down so we could come see him.You just don’t want a guy to have an injury and then he wants to gut it out or be, you know, the tough guy, and not have people help him. Sometimes you can make an injury worse if you try to drag yourself off the field. We knew he was wounded and we just wanted him to stay there so we could attend to him and get him safe.”"

College football is played at a much faster pace by many if not most offenses than in past generations. Richt wanted the Hurricanes in a faster pace last season. The Miami Head Coach defended Ware’s comments in Sunday’s teleconference.

"“But I think there’s been a lot of that going on to slow down offensive teams that go fast….I’m sure they’ve done enough games where they feel like they’ve seen a guy just go down and then one or two plays later just go back in the game, so it’s hard to say."

It was tough for the Hurricanes safeties without Johnson. Miami was already missing safety Amari Carter who did not make the trip to Toledo because of a family funeral. Richt, Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz and Safeties Coach Ephraim Banda are likely to give updates on Johnson this week.

Richt gave a progress report on Johnson on Sunday afternoon during the teleconference.

"“It’s definitely a hamstring strain. I don’t know how severe. It’s still being evaluated. Those things, you just never know what they’re going to do as to how severe they are. Sometimes heat and cramping can add to the issue.I’ve seen guys that got caught with a cramp so severe that they thought maybe they pulled a muscle. I’m not saying that’s what it is. But I do think there is a strain of the hamstring and we just gotta wait and see how he responds. But I think he felt better today than yesterday, which is a good sign.”"

Miami is expected to get Carter back this week for the Hurricanes final non-conference game of the season against FIU. Striker Romeo Finley was also injured on Saturday. If Johnson cannot go against FIU either Carter or Junor Robert Knowles would likely get the start.

Finley and Sophomore Derrick Smith are currently listed as strikers but could slide back to their original positions of safety if there is a need. The Miami defense is much different with Johnson in the game.

Toledo quarterback Mitch Guadagni completed six of eight passes for 184 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the second half with Johnson sidelined.