Several Hurricanes return from injury to play against Notre Dame
The Hurricanes got several injured players back Saturday for the game against Notre Dame.
Defensive end Chad Thomas, who broke his right hand against Florida State and then sustained an undisclosed “upper-extremity” injury at North Carolina, started. Cornerback Sheldrick Redwine, who sustained a “lower-extremity’’ injury at North Carolina, did not start and did not play in the first half. Defensive end Gerald Willis (knee) was back; and safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who injured his lower right leg/ankle at Virginia Tech, started.
Cornerback Corn Elder was taken to the locker room for an X-ray of his thumb, but WQAM 560 reported the X-ray was negative, and Elder returned.
Running back Mark Walton appeared to be dazed, or injured, after a 14-yard pass late in the second quarter. Walton came back early in the third quarter and scored on a 2-yard touchdown to narrow Notre Dame’s lead to 20-13.
BROTHERLY LOVE
Stuck somewhere in the middle of all that angst and dislike between Notre Dame and Miami were two brothers who have nothing but love for each other.
Richard “R.J.” McIntosh, an exceptional talent who starts at defensive tackle for Miami, is the brother of 5-10, 180-pound freshman Notre Dame running back Deon McIntosh, who hasn’t played this season.
Deon finished his high school career as Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons’ second all-time leading scorer with 210 points, second all-time leader in rushing touchdowns with 30 and third all-time leading rusher with 2,532 yards.
R.J., a 6-4, 290-pound sophomore, played at Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons. Entering the game, he had 28 tackles, 6 1/2 tackles for loss, 1 1/2 sacks, two pass breakups and two blocked kicks.
“I have tried not to text,’’ R.J. said of Deon. “He tried not to text me either. We are trying to be focused, but we have talked about it in the past. It’s a big week for me and him.’’
Other South Florida connections from Notre Dame: starting linebacker Te’von Coney and starting safety Devin Studstill out of Palm Beach Gardens High, and receiver Corey Holmes out of St. Thomas Aquinas High and from Pembroke Pines.
GAME CAPTAINS
Senior safety Jamal Carter, Elder, junior tight end Chris Herndon and freshman running back Travis Homer represented the Canes on Saturday during the coin toss as game captains.
Homer has only had five carries for 35 yards, but UM coach Mark Richt said he was chosen for his special teams finesse.
“We grade the film every week,’’ Richt said, “and whoever we feel is captain-worthy by his effort and production … really not many true freshmen get chosen as captain, because if its close, we tend to go with seniority. But he has been doing it all year long, just covering kicks, covering punts, just doing the things we’ve been asking him to do on all the special teams. And he does it every day in practice — great attitude. Off the field, he does everything right. So he’s a guy that deserves to be rewarded for that.”
THIS AND THAT
The first-quarter touchdown Miami allowed was just the third touchdown the Canes have allowed in the first quarter all season. … Gus Edwards made his first career start Saturday, losing 3 yards on the first offensive play of the game. … Right guard Danny Isidora made his 34th consecutive start. … Stacy Coley has now caught a pass in 17 consecutive games.
▪ The NFL teams represented by scouts at the game: Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, San Diego Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears.
This story was originally published October 29, 2016 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Several Hurricanes return from injury to play against Notre Dame."