Daily briefing: On Miami’s receivers, the Big Ten’s 1st visit to Auburn and Bronco Mendenhall
Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:
Miami needs TE Will Mallory to step up
Miami heads into Texas A&M without Tyler Van Dyke’s favorite receiver. Xavier Restrepo leads the Hurricanes in receptions (11) and yards (172); that’s nearly 30 percent of UM’s receiving yards. Restrepo is out with a foot injury. Where does Van Dyke turn? Keep an eye on preseason All-ACC tight end Will Mallory. The senior missed prep time in August because of injury, and said this week that he has had trouble finding his rhythm (seven targets, two receptions). Against Bethune-Cookman and Southern Miss, Miami didn’t have to have him. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has a very Michigan-like ratio of nearly two rushes for every pass. But now that the ’Canes are facing the Aggies, that probably will change. It’s time for Mallory to find his rhythm.
Penn State is 1st Big Ten team to play at Auburn
It is astonishing to read that Penn State is the first Big Ten team ever to play at Auburn. But keep in mind that well into the 1970s, Auburn played four home games a year on campus and two at Legion Field in Birmingham. Auburn did so because Jordan-Hare Stadium was smaller (its capacity in the 1960s was about half of the 87,451 that fill it today) and the roads to the east Alabama campus made it a difficult drive. Once the stadium and the roads expanded, Auburn has done home-and-homes with Virginia, Syracuse, USC, Kansas State, Clemson and West Virginia. The Nittany Lions will discover what every visiting team discovers: Jordan-Hare is loud and its fans are passionate. It’s a good thing Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is making his 36th start.
Bronco Mendenhall wants to coach again
Bronco Mendenhall left Virginia last year simply because he wanted a break. Nine months later, Mendenhall said on his podcast “HeadCoachU” that he has paused, reflected, renewed and is ready to coach again. “It just seemed to me that this is the perfect time to set up the infrastructure to relaunch with more clarity, more purpose, more passion and more perspective than we could have without pausing,” Mendenhall said. He also said, “I am drawn to programs that have been struggling, and maybe help them improve.” That’s what he did at BYU and Virginia. What a coincidence – the struggling programs are the ones looking for a coach. “I look forward to recapturing the hearts and minds of young people and helping them develop,” Mendenhall said. As for what he has learned on the outside, Mendenhall said, “It’s amazing that life still goes on when football is happening.”