Fumbles a big concern for Shannon, Hurricanes
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami running back Graig Cooper knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he apologized.
So Graig Cooper picked up the phone and called Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon. Forget that it was 1:30 a.m., the Hurricanes had finished off a big win over Texas A&M a mere 2½ hours earlier and the coach was due back at work early that morning.
Didn't matter. Fumbling twice in that game warranted an immediate mea culpa from the talented freshman.
“I just told him I won't let it happen again,” Graig Cooper said.
Shannon fully intends to hold Graig Cooper to that promise, too.
“I said, 'Coop, understand how it is,'” Shannon said. “We cannot accept turnovers.”
Fumbles are among Shannon's biggest pet peeves, and the Hurricanes are dropping the ball at what he'd consider an inexcusable rate. Miami has fumbled nine times – losing five – in its first four games, so there's an added emphasis in practice these days on the basics of protecting the football.
And Graig Cooper – who's averaging a team-best 5 yards per carry, plus has two of the Hurricanes' six rushing touchdowns this season – is the biggest offender so far, with three fumbles, two for losses.
“Fumbles aren't acceptable around here,” Shannon said. “That's a situation he knows he has to work on this week, and if he doesn't get it done, he won't play.”
Miami (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) hosts Duke (1-3, 0-1) on Saturday at the Orange Bowl. The Blue Devils have forced six turnovers so far this year, so they clearly have the capability to pounce if the Hurricanes are again sloppy with the ball.
So in practice this week, the Hurricanes planned to keep doing one of Shannon's favorite drills: Hitting ballcarriers and quarterbacks with oversized pads as they run past, trying to knock the ball from their grasp.
“We stress turnovers a lot,” Graig Cooper said. “Coach always stresses, 'We don't turn the ball over.' We put that on our team goals before every game, and I feel like I let the team down – even though everybody was still on my side.”
Shannon wasn't exactly ebullient as he entered his postgame news conference following Miami's 34-17 win over Texas A&M. Giving up 17 fourth-quarter points soured his mood a bit, as did the Hurricanes' three lost fumbles.
Graig Cooper lost the ball after trying to spin away from a tackle for his first fumble, then had another turnover on a run late in the third quarter when he got popped as he darted through the right side of the line.
But he's hardly the only one in Shannon's crosshairs on this topic; the coach also faulted Kyle Wright for his fumble against the Aggies, which was the quarterback's second giveaway on a rush attempt in two games.
“It's not that the leash is short,” Shannon said. “Let Kyle keep fumbling the way he is; we'll get him out of the game. Everybody's got to be that way. ... Turnovers can demoralize you on offense. It's not just a person, but turnovers in general. We work on it every day and we're going to work even harder this week.”
Wright doesn't want to learn what the repercussions of more fumbles will be.
“It's not going to happen again,” Wright said. “So I don't want to find out.”
Neither does Graig Cooper.
He's been essentially sharing carries with Javarris James so far, but more miscuses could press Shannon into giving other running backs like Shawnbrey McNeal or Derron Thomas a bigger part of the game plan.
And when he gets the call against Duke on Saturday, Graig Cooper says he won't be thinking about fumbling.
“I've got a strong mind,” Graig Cooper said. “It's in the past now.”
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