Hurricanes in ‘decent spot’ with injuries as season opener approaches
CORAL GABLES — The countdown is on for the Hurricanes’ season opener against Miami (Ohio). In less than two weeks, Miami will kick the season off and try to rebound from last year’s disappointing 5-7 campaign.
In the meantime, Mario Cristobal and the UM coaching staff are working on sorting out its depth chart and keeping their players healthy.
“By Wednesday, we’ll have a pretty good idea of the two-slash-three-deep (depth chart) for us going into Game 1,” Cristobal said, “but until then, it’s all focus on the Miami Hurricanes.”
Miami’s second-year head coach said the team is mostly healthy as they approach the end of fall training camp, calling the team “camp banged up.”
“Last year, we had some devastating ones early,” Cristobal said. “We haven’t had that — knock on wood and may that not happen — but we have had a physical camp. It’s structured that way. That plan, that blueprint has stood the test of time for a long, long time, and we use it. We stick to it. We modify it when we have to when there are some issues. But the issues that we have are more just the rigors that come with camp. Overall, I feel like we’re in a decent spot.”
Key defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor was one of the players who has been dealing with minor issues in camp. The defensive end, who led Miami with seven sacks last year, did not participate in Miami’s open scrimmage on Aug. 12. But Cristobal said Mesidor is no longer limited by the injury.
“He’s doing good,” Cristobal said. “He got nicked up in a camp kind of way. Not anything serious. He practiced early and practiced extremely well. We held him out for about four or five ways because that’s what the doctor felt was best. It was a rest thing as opposed to a structural thing, and today he practiced (fully), and he’s back to form.”
Freshman running back Chris Johnson Jr., a Dillard alum, also returned to practice after missing the open scrimmage.
“He was good to go today,” Cristobal said.
Cristobal said the Hurricanes will practice Tuesday “as if it’s camp” even though the fall semester has started, going “University of Miami vs. University of Miami” before incorporating preparation for Week 1. He said that the team would not do any additional walk-throughs at Hard Rock Stadium this week, having already played a scrimmage at their home stadium.
“We already practiced out there and felt that we did what we had to do,” Cristobal said. “The stuff that we do pregame, we’ll do it right here. We’ll do it right here. I think that even though there’s a lot of new bodies on the team, the stuff that we have to do, we’re OK here.”
Although Miami still has a few days of training camp, excitement for the start of the season is starting to creep into players’ minds.
“I try to be neutral, think about one day at a time and don’t get in a rush,” linebacker Francisco Mauigoa said. “That’s just the way I think about it. But it’s really an exciting opportunity to play for Miami. I can’t wait.”