email page
print page
popular pages
Home > Inside UM > Archives > 2008 > August > 16 > Entry
Fall MVP? It might be Travis Benjamin
CORAL GABLES - There are no MVP awards for fall practice at UM, but if there was, freshman receiver Travis Benjamin might be the frontrunner.
Benjamin, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound product from Glades Central High, continued his impressive showing in camp at Friday night’s intra-squad scrimmage by taking a screen pass from quarterback Robert Marve and turning it into a 60-yard touchdown pass.
“Travis Benjamin is amazing,” said freshman quarterback Jacory Harris.
Benjamin gained notice from teammates and coaches even before fall practice began after he ran a 4.26-second, 40-yard dash, which UM strength coach Andreu Swasey believes is the fastest ever run by a Miami freshman.
Benjamin has continued to draw attention over the first 15 practices this fall, often earning accolades during coach Randy Shannon’s post-practice chats with reporters.
“He’s made a lot of plays,” Shannon said Friday night. “He’s very, very fast. I remember watching Travis when he played [two-time state 6A champion Miami] Northwestern in a jamboree. He caught a hitch route and went 90 yards. It hasn’t changed. Anytime he gets one on one with anybody, he can go the distance. That’s the kind of players we need on this team.”
Asked if Benjamin should expect to get immediate playing time, Shannon began his answer with, “Barring injuries….” Shannon then hesitated before adding, “……we’ll make that decision when the time comes.”
Well, the time is soon approaching and you can bet your Magic Benton-autographed game jersey that Benjamin is going to have a significant role in the Hurricanes’ offense. Benjamin offers UM a dimension it hasn’t had in a long time - a receiver who can catch a screen pass and turn it into a 60-yard touchdown like he did on Friday night.
“Nobody touched me,” Benjamin said, recalling his catch-and-run. “I’m used to plays like that. I didn’t look back. I was only looking at the goal post.
The Hurricanes brought in seven freshmen receivers, but none is having quite the impact of Benjamin.
“That guy is real explosive,” Marve marveled. “He’s a great player just to dump the ball off to.”
A couple of notes:
……In case you didn’t hear, Yonder Alonso signed with the Cincinnati Reds late Friday night, ending the very slim hopes that he would return to UM for his senior season. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Alonso signed a deal with the Reds just 15 minutes before the midnight deadline. Alonso will earn more than $4 million in the deal that runs through 2012 and he’ll be placed on the Reds’ 40-man roster.
……If you’re a UM fan, the areas you should be very, very worried about are defensive tackle and kicker.
…….The Hurricanes will begin the season unranked in the Associated Press poll for the second straight season. It’s the first time UM has been unranked by AP in consecutive seasons since 1980-81. UM didn’t receive a single vote in the AP poll, which was released just a few minutes ago.
Comments
By canestool 1 sinking ship
August 16, 2008 1:43 PM | Link to this
AP poll just out. No DuhU for second straight year. Not even ONE vote for top 25 this year. Miami will field a reallly bad team in 08 and be lucky to see .500.
Marble Mouf will be surfing Jobs.com by December.
“…If you’re a UM fan, the areas you should be very, very worried about are defensive tackle and kicker” J.M.
Thats called telling it like it is. That’s not hatin Canestool. That’s REALITY. UF fields excellent special teams and will crush Um in that area as well as the others.
BLOWOUT
UF 52
UM 6
Go ahead and make some dumb gay posts you moron. You have nothing football related to say other than your standard “Randy owns florida” bunk. Try recruiting some kids that can actually qualify in 09.
CaNES SUCK
By WoW
August 16, 2008 4:00 PM | Link to this
What an ignorant little middle schooler…
Kids that can qualify? Randy knew only 29 freshman would be able to matriculate come fall… So he signed 33 kids to fill those slots. He PLANNED for certain individuals who were on the fence, a very good job as the CEO of the Hurricanes.
I disagree with the DT being a major issue, especially when comparing Miami’s DTs to UFs. Miami has 3 experienced players returning and 2-3 stud freshman expecting significant playing time. Barring injuries to that rotation, UM will be much better than UF up the middle of the DL. Estopinan is coming off his 3rd knee injury and isn’t mentioned in the 2-deep, Torrey Davis is out due to off the field issues and John Brown has been a major dissappointment. Don’t give me anything about Omar Hunter. He was the #2 DT coming out behind Miami’s Marcus Forston and while Forston is impressive in camp, he will only be UMs 3rd or 4th DT in the rotation because he is a freshman and can’t be relied on to provide 50 snaps in the trenches immediately. As a Gator fan, you should hope that Hunter is a lot close to Forston than to Brown in terms of ability and maturity.
Miami WILL be above .500 and will show significant improvement this. UF will probably win the game but I doubt it will be a blowout. An the tables will be turned in 2010 when Miami’s young guys will be upperclassman and UF has Cam Newton at the helm. Oh, I go to UF, and while I root for both teams, it kills me that little ignorant scum like you give the Gator fans an aweful reputation. Posts are for discussions about meaningful topics with intelligent insight, not uneducated smack. You make the world dumber with each key you type, so do us all a favor…
By yer skrewed
August 17, 2008 9:17 AM | Link to this
” it kills me that little ignorant scum like you give the Gator fans an aweful reputation.”
LOL. who cares you flaming moron. typical lying caneturd. Your DT’s SUCK. YOu’re clueless. If you let someone on a message board “kill” you, its time you got back on your meds meatwad. POUND DIRT LOSER
FLORIDA CRUSHES DUHU
UM’s program is still falling like a rock. You have yet to see the bottom.
Fire Marble Mouf and get things going in the right direction. Or stick with that dolt and suffer for more years. But if you do figure it out and axe that guy, UM is STILL to cheap to hire a top tier coach. They’ll do something like fire shannon and hire Bill Young. Typical UM hire from within cause no one else will look at the job. UM IS SCREWED FOR GOOD
BLOWOUT stool
UF 52
UM 6
CANES SUCK
By canesrule 9 'ships
August 17, 2008 11:51 AM | Link to this
SIGN OF THE TIMES & THE DIRECTION BOTH TEAMS ARE HEADING NOW THAT THEY FACE MINIMAL COMPETITION IN THE 12 TEAM ACC.
The University of Miami did not receive a single vote in the AP poll released Saturday, marking the first time the Hurricanes and Seminoles have both started a season unranked since 1977.
By billb
August 17, 2008 3:26 PM | Link to this
Will SOMEONE please do something about all these Gaytors who post on this forum? They have one of their own and should use it. I’m not really interested in reading their racially-charged biased BS anymore. So they have a good team (for once). SO WHAT!! I’m interested in the growth of these young Canes. I could give a flying ** about TeBow of Nazareth and his clowns. Get them OFF this board!
By HUH?
August 17, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this
Raciallly charged biased BS?
HUH? whut chew talkin bout willis? Please cite examples of your claims lint brain.
This is the internet dorkmeat. You don’t get to say who comments and who doesn’t . If you don’t like the comments, ignore them or refute them with some facts. that would be a refreshing change from the standard tired gay jokes that canestool posts.
You guys let those cakewalk NC’s infect your brain into thinking your something that you’re not.
MORON.
And again, cite the “racially charged biased BS” please.
By Facts?
August 17, 2008 5:35 PM | Link to this
Cakewalk NCs? Miami has 5 MNCs (6 if you count the OSU debacle).. UF has 2. Why were Miami’s NCs cakewalks? That makes no sense, they were during the same era…
Also, you ask for facts, yet you continually make up derogatory comments like meatwad (WTF? lol) and provide ZERO facts of your own. Yes, UF has been better the last 2 years. Yes, Miami was significantly better over the previous 25 years (By far the highest winning percentage during that time period). Nobody wants the Miami job? The Tri-Country area is arguably the most fruitful for football talent in the entire world. College football is cyclical. Notre Dame is down. USC is back up. Michigan will take a step back before being good again. Look how bad Oklahoma was for a few years. It’s only a matter of time before Miami is back on top. And guess what, I hate FSU with a passion but I know they will eventually be good again too, even though it looks as if they’er a little farther behind than Miami at this point.
Root for your team and we welcome integigent conversation over here. But don’t just come with some bullsht that isn’t knowledge-based and just bandwagon banter for your team that is currently more talented than most. Show some integrity, respect, humility, intelligence, and most of all maturity when posting to best hide your true character.
By canesrule 9 'ships
August 17, 2008 6:48 PM | Link to this
Just got back from the fabulous Florida Keys where I was doing a little bug hunting, until evacuated due to a mighty wind that is building. No, Jay and Daniel, don’t get excited, not buggery, bug hunting, as in the tasty Florida saltwater crawfish you Gaturds probably call lobster. Got my fair share, a little butter and the rest is turd history. But getting back to the mighty wind developing…how about them Canes???? This Travis Benjamin kid from Glades Central may be this year’s Devin Hester; sounds like the kid can scoot and break them tackles. I think the kid gets more reps than any of the outstanding frosh receivers signed.
The running game has been brutal. With Joel Figueroa and Orlando Franklin in the middle, the Turds will have no linebackers left by the 3rd quarter. Coop and Baby J may have 300 yards against that weak Gaturd D line by the 3rd quarter. Matt Patchan, Jr. will be crying for his mommy if he is forced to play at D tackle. But the Gaturds are so thin there they may not have a choice. Not much protection for their thin linebacking corps. Charleston Southern’s D line may pose more a problem than urban’s D line this year. As for Percy, the heel injury from the K-9 police dog has apparently not fully heeled, but I want to see him play, I don’t want to hear any lame Gaturd Excuses when the Canes storm Canesville on 9/6.
By Matt Patchan, Sr.
August 17, 2008 6:58 PM | Link to this
Joel and Orllando, for his mom’s sake, please don’t hurt my ugly, skinny, pot smoking son, his shoulder isn’t even fully recovered. (But as a true former Cane, I say pile drive the little turd into the ground till the arm is dangling from the shoulder socket). GO CANES!!!
By Joe Kissane
August 17, 2008 8:37 PM | Link to this
Jorge, You have zero passion for your job and even less insight. You should asked to be re-assigned. If this is the best you can do as a beat writer you need to seriously re-evaluate your career choice. Your observations are boring to the extreme.
By Joe Kissane
August 17, 2008 8:37 PM | Link to this
Jorge, You have zero passion for your job and even less insight. You should asked to be re-assigned. If this is the best you can do as a beat writer you need to seriously re-evaluate your career choice. Your observations are boring to the extreme.
By Joe Kissane
August 17, 2008 8:38 PM | Link to this
Jorge, You have zero passion for your job and even less insight. You should asked to be re-assigned. If this is the best you can do as a beat writer you need to seriously re-evaluate your career choice. Your observations are boring to the extreme.
By canesrule 9 'ships
August 18, 2008 12:40 AM | Link to this
Just got back from a skiing trip with the fellas. Can’t help but laugh at the comments from my fellow counterparts whom, like myself, never attended Duhhhh U. You guys are making me look like I halve half a brain.
“6 if you count the OSU debacle”…..
GET OVER IT WE LOST FAIR & SQUARE. A DEBACLE IS DEFINED AS “A SUDDEN DOWNFALL OR ROUT” YOU IDIOT. REF. 48-0.
“we welcome integigent conversation over here”…….
KNOT SO SHURE WHIT YOU MEEN HERE, BUT SINCEE I ROUT FOR DUHHHH U MAYBEE YOU WOOD BE NIECE ENUFF TWO ELLABIRATE SUME MORE?
“Your observations are boring to the extreme”……
DARE I SAY, IT’S ALL ABOUT DUHHHH U. JUST WAIT TO THE SEASON STARTS & THERE ARE NO OBSERVATIONS……ONLY SHUT-OUTS AS WE FAIL TO PUT POINTS ON THE BOARD WEEK-IN AND WEEK-OUT.
By Jay and Daniel together again
August 18, 2008 7:33 AM | Link to this
Jorge, sorry for posing as the real canesrule, he makes us so mad with his gay jokes, what is wrong with our relationship, we deserve respect, not ridicule! When will the Post hire our own Gaturd blogger so we can freely talk about Teebow’s jorts without being made fun of???
By Cane Pain
August 18, 2008 7:53 AM | Link to this
Just wait till UM’s special teams take this field this year. You think 07 was bad? Shannon has already shown that he is clueless with ST’s. The pressure on him has just grown since 07. UM will once again be dreadful in the kicking game. It’s the result of a coach who is way over his head. Certain things begin to fall through the cracks. Go look up UM’s 07 kicking game numbers cane fan. LAUGHABLE. It’s hard to have ANY chance of hanging with your mediocre ACC opponents when you’re getting slaughtered in the field position battle. Not to mention that you’re porcelain tailbacks, very average and inexperienced WR’s, and you’re complete lack of ANY experience at the QB position will have UM going three and out at an exhausting pace. “Bring on the punting unit.” You’re no depth D will be so pissed at your no depth O that this team will self destruct. Combine that with clueless Shannon trying to run this thing and you have MAYBE 6-6. More realistically you’re looking at another 5-7 or 4-8. Very real possibility. Those dorkmeats over at Lamespace have you guys at 9-3. ( I just chuckled). It’s gonna be a long season blow up helmet cane fan. Somebody do Marble Mouf a favor and send him a link to Jobs.com. He already said he doesn’t use the “internets”. It won’t be too long until he’s getting ROASTED by the local sports media. You can bank on that one Cane fan. 08 will be a disaster. The ACC coastal division 3rd place trophy will leave a bad taste in your mouth. Good luck with that guy.
You’re obsession with all things gay shows just how gay you are Stool.
By excuses already being prepared
August 18, 2008 10:45 AM | Link to this
Urban is already priming the Gaturd nation excuse making machine, now saying that Percy (K9 police dog heel bite) will not be sufficiently healed to take the field against the mighty Rainbow Warriors of Hawaaiiiiii. Is it possible that Urban Liar is saving Percy to go against Da UUUUU!!! Not only possible, but highly probable, as Percy is said to feel too much pain to go a whole game right now. Fido, the Virginia Beach police dog who bit Harvin during an attempted shoplifting incident las Xmas, has received an award from UGA, the Georgia mascot, for keeping the lawless Harvin in check and teaching him a valuable lesson to stop his thieving ways. Harvin was arrested more than 1/2 dozen times during his days in the Virginia area, most as a juvenile. Perfect recruit for Urban Liar.