Rumors incorrectly spread Miami Hurricanes QB Tate Martell booed at scrimmage

Rumors have been incorrectly spread that Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tate Martell was booed at Saturday’s scrimmage. The booing occurred when a Florida State fan was walking to his seat.

Social media and especially from fans with a disdain for the Miami Hurricanes spread the incorrect rumors about rising redshirt sophomore quarterback Tate Martell allegedly being booed during Saturday’s scrimmage at Traz Powell Stadium. The booing occurred when a Florida State fan was on his way to his seat.

Martell was abysmal Saturday, going 4-11. The argument could be made he deserved to be booed but that’s a different story. The fact remains that a negative show of emotion by Miami fans towards Martell never occurred. It was a perfect example of how false information spreads quickly on social media.

Martell has become a polarizing figure this spring. His transfer to Miami created a lot of excitement. He has had a lot of pressure in the three months since declaring he would be taking his talents to Coral Gables. Martell cautioned he is not the savior for the Miami Hurricanes quarterback problems.

Holdovers N’Kosi Perry and Jarren Williams have clearly outplayed Martell this spring. Martell has struggled tremendously with his accuracy in the two Miami Hurricanes scrimmages and during practices. Martell’s strengths lie more in his ability to improvise and get outside the pocket.

Martell is not a QB that is going to sit in the pocket at light up opponents. His strengths are more likely to show up when he is playing in a game with full contact and able to use his athleticism to improvise or run. Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz spoke about the importance of QBs being able to make their own plays.

"“At times you’ll see in the scrimmage, ‘Well, the defensive end tagged him.’ Well, if the quarterback is truly stepping up in the pocket a tag is not going to get a guy on the ground. They just can’t stand there like a statue [with] the ball waiting for a guy to come open. That’s just not realistic…A quarterback is responsible for his protection either with how he negotiates the pocket or understanding how to get the ball out of his hands. I think that’s been new for our guys. I think on Saturday it showed the best understanding of how to set themselves up to be able to get the ball out of their hands.”"

Spring football creates a lot of excitement and discussion. It leaves open to the interpretation of what is happening in practice without the majority of people analyzing the team in person to truly see what is occurring. Second-hand information becomes the norm and causes the information to get disseminated incorrectly.

Miami will hold its last scrimmage of the spring when they hold their spring game in Orlando at Camping World Stadium on Saturday. Diaz has stated that they are treating the game as a dress rehearsal for the season opener against Florida on August 24.

After Saturday the players are on their own. The speculation and discussion leading up to the highly anticipated game between the Hurricanes and the Gators will create more buzz, conversation and misinformation on social media. Reporters won’t be covering the team as much and information will be mostly second hand.