OXFORD, Ohio— "Kam Perry made a bunch of plays. He stood out, and that was easy for everybody to see."
 
If we had to sum up Thursday morning's Miami Football practice in one line, that quote from head coach Chuck Martin would work just fine.
 
So you're welcome to stop reading there.
 
But for those of you who want a little bit more detail on the third practice of Miami's fall camp…
 
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'8' WAS GREAT: Perry got loose down the sideline for multiple deep balls from Henry Hesson, using his explosive speed to create big play after big play. And not only did the redshirt junior wideout show off his shiftiness in the open field over the middle, but he also came up with multiple catches in the red zone in the final team drill of the day. Perry, who switched jersey numbers from 10 to 8 this year, capped off an excellent practice with a touchdown near the left corner of the end zone.
 
As the leading returning receiver from the 2024 team, Perry seems poised for a big fall. He said he feels more comfortable with the offensive system heading into his second year with the Red and White. "[After an] offseason to go over the playbook with Coach Welsh and Coach Martin, [they're] just able to put me anywhere on the field.
 
"When I'm on top of the playbook and I know everybody else's responsibilities and mine, I can play a lot faster, a lot cleaner and a lot smoother. That just allows my route running to display itself."
 
"It's been steady growth since he got here," said Martin. "He's super talented…today should be a great confidence builder, for him and then for the whole team with him. It's not just you getting confidence; your teammates are getting confidence in you.
 
"He had a really consistent day today and made a ton of plays."
 
The camaraderie between Perry and his fellow wide receivers was neat to see, as multiple RedHawks came off the sideline to congratulate him after several especially noteworthy receptions. "Those are my guys, man," Perry smiled later. "I love them."
 
 
SPIDERS OUT, SHELLS IN: After working in 'spiders' and shorts the first two days, the RedHawks transitioned to practicing in 'shells' today with the addition of shoulder pads. "Some physicality and really good energy," Martin said in his post-practice assessment. "I thought it was a very competitive day." Miami got some solid work done in the running game, and it was fun to see Kenny Tracy (who missed the 2024 season due to injury) lower his shoulder and finish an early carry through contact.
 
 
WEATHER OR NOT: Due to rainstorms in the Oxford area Thursday morning, the Red and White worked indoors in the David and Anita Dauch Indoor Sports Center. After outdoor temperatures in the mid-80s the past two days during practice, no one seemed to be complaining.
 
 
PLAY OF THE DAY: That would be a sliding grab by Keith Reynolds near the right pylon in an 11-on-11 period. Reynolds came back to the ball in the field of play after quarterback Dequan Finn scrambled out of the pocket to buy time, and Finn delivered a strike that Reynolds came up with for a big gain.
 
 

DON'T BLAME THE REF! When the offense and defense are scrimmaging against each other at a Miami practice, there's only one 'referee' whose opinion really matters: The head coach. Martin reminded his players after practice ended that while he may not get every call right, the best thing they can do is just go out and make the next play, no matter whether they agreed with the 'penalty' he might have whistled.
 
"We're trying to put them in as many different game situations as we can," he explained later. "First down? 3rd-and-20? We like them all. Obviously, we prefer to stay out of 3rd-and-20, but we're going to have a 3rd-and-20 situation at some point over 14 games, so it doesn't matter: That play's an opportunity to get better.
 
"It can happen in a game too: Sometimes a call doesn't go your way. Is it going to get you bent out of shape and affect you the rest of the series, or are you going to flush it and say, 'Okay, I know I didn't PI [commit a pass interference penalty], but they called it: Now we've still got to stop them.' A bad call, if you get frustrated over it, can affect what's going to happen."
 
And while he tries to be equally fair to both the red and white teams, "[Players might complain to me] and say, 'That was a sack!' I'm like, 'I know that. I saw it.' But [maybe I just] want to move the ball."
 
 
INSIDE SLANT: No matter the drill his position group was working on, quarterbacks coach Gus Ragland continued to emphasize the importance of footwork as he instructed his unit. "I think everything starts with your feet," Ragland said later. "You can tell the timing of a throw looking at someone's feet, so that's something we harp on every day."
 
In several drills, first-year QB Noah Ehrlich could be seen lined up behind whichever player was taking their turn, mimicking his teammate's exact movements just like an on-deck hitter in baseball might get a practice swing in to try and time up the pitcher's delivery. (Seems to be a great way to get two or three times the practice reps in!) Ragland said his young guys (including Ehrlich and fellow true freshman Jonah Kroenung) have been 'like a sponge', absorbing every bit of coaching they can (both from the staff but also from the older players in the room like 24-year-old Finn and 22-year-old Hesson).
 
The two veterans got the majority of the snaps in team periods, but Thomas Gotkowski also tossed a scoring pass to Deion Colzie in his opportunity before practice concluded.
 
Both Ragland and Martin praised the Miami quarterbacks' accuracy and success rate on deep balls, not just Thursday morning but throughout practice so far.
 
"We feel like we have a lot of targets that we can go to, both inside and outside," Ragland commented. "Those guys have had a huge summer and gotten better every day; you're starting to see a lot of them make plays consistently, so it's been fun to work with.
 
"I tell the quarterbacks to just give those guys a chance."
 
 
THAT'S WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE: While a 'routine' four-yard gain in one team drill might not seem like anything remarkable, it demonstrated what happens when both the offensive and defensive units make excellent plays. On the play in question, the Miami D brought a blitz up the middle, Jordan Brunson had a textbook block to pick it up in the backfield, Finn got the ball out quickly to the sideline on a hot read, Cole Weaver pulled in the catch successfully, and Kaleb Martin delivered an instantaneous hit to keep Weaver from gaining another inch. Those appear to be the kinds of plays that will make the entire coaching staff happy when they're spending hours and hours watching the film back this afternoon in preparation for the next practice.
 
Miami will be off Friday before camp resumes Saturday morning, Aug. 2 in Oxford.
 
 
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Miss a RedHawk Report? Catch up on fall camp with our daily MiamiRedHawks.com notebooks: July 30  |  July 29