OXFORD, Ohio— When the Miami defensive line splits up into two groups for a drill at fall camp, the group generally divides into 'old guys' (i.e. players with the most experience, no matter their age) and 'young guys.'
 
When that happens, it seems like a no-brainer that Nasir Washington should be with the 'old guys.' In a position group that lost plenty of productive playmakers from a year ago (including All-MAC ends Brian Ugwu and Corey Suttle), the redshirt senior from Des Moines, Iowa with 40 games under his belt is expected to be one of the leaders this fall, along with familiar faces such as Adam Trick and Josh Lukusa.
 
And that's exactly why Washington can often be found with the other half of the group.
 
"I typically go over to the young guys' side and watch all their reps to make sure they're growing and getting better," Washington explained. "Then in the meeting rooms, we'll watch one-on-ones and their pass rush. They ask me questions: 'What can I do to get better?'
 
"I try to help them as much as I can."
 
"That's when you know you have a good guy that's been around: He has it stuck in his brain and can actually regurgitate it like it should be said," defensive line coach Corey Brown smiled. "It sounds like what I've been saying and that's what you'd want: He's using the same coaching points and fundamental things that I would apply to him if he was in there…
 
"With a big group, you've got to have that leadership to help out, and I think that's been good in these first few days of practice."
 
One of the main reminders Washington reiterates to the other Miami D-linemen is to not be so hard on themselves. "As a Division I athlete, you come from high school and being the best player on your team to maybe being the worst here or being just like everyone else [at first]," Washington said. "So they think they need to be perfect as soon as they get here, and I tell them, 'Don't get down on yourself.'
 
"It's a progression thing…these guys are healthy, big, strong and have so much talent. I just tell them to trust the process and trust Coach Brown: He's going to help you get where you need to go…
 
"A lot of these guys coming in don't have a ton of experience, but they're more than capable of doing the same stuff that those guys [last year] did. I'm just excited to see what they have in store and excited for them to get the opportunity and show what they can do."
 
Miami is scheduled to practice again on Sunday morning, August 3 in Oxford.
 
 
'NEXT PLAY': In the first 53 minutes of Miami's regular-season finale against Ball State in 2022, not much went right for the RedHawks. Chuck Martin's team trailed 17-6 at home with a 4th-and-10 late in its own territory, and a potential bowl trip seemed to be slipping away. "We had a 2% [chance of winning the game according to the] win percentage on ESPN," Martin recalled. But everything seemingly changed in an instant, Miami rallied with back-to-back touchdowns, and the RedHawks pulled out an improbable victory to earn a trip to the Bahamas.
 
"Momentum is between your ears," Martin said in an interview this morning. "The other team only has momentum if YOU think they have momentum…
 
"When you're down and defeated and pouting and blaming somebody else…that's why you can't turn the tide," he continued. "That lack of energy is going to lead to a lack of success."
 
In today's post-practice huddle, Martin brought up Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies, who trailed 9-0 in the first inning Friday night but came all the way back for a walk-off 17-16 victory in the bottom of the ninth.
 
The head coach's challenge to his players was to make sure they stayed locked in and engaged, whether on the field or on the sideline, to try and help their respective unit make the next play (one that could change everything) and not be quite so 'results-oriented'…even if the other side of the ball had had the better of the team periods so far.  
 
Martin's message to the RedHawks as day four of fall camp wrapped up: "Keep believing, keep fighting and stay together."
 
 
MAKING STRIDES: Multiple Miami running backs broke big plays Saturday morning, including a long carry by Jordan Brunson that would likely have gone for a touchdown if the whistle hadn't blown. Kenny Tracy also ripped off a long gain later. Martin went out of his way to compliment several offensive linemen early in the practice, saying afterward that they had made significant strides from earlier this week in terms of blocking against the D-line's movement (stunts, shifts, blitzes, etc.).
 
"We had a lot of O-linemen say, 'Okay, we're going to make the adjustment, we're going to do what the coach is saying and we're going to get better at this,'" Martin summarized. "Any time you see failure and then you see kids working hard to learn from it and have success in the same situation, it's probably the most rewarding thing you can have as a coach."   
 
 
INSIDE SLANT: One of this morning's defensive line drills featured one lineman trying to split a double-team to defeat a 'power scoop' block. "It makes you have to get in a great stance and have a focal point on your visual key, and then finish by trying to create some separation between those two guys," Brown said as he broke down the drill in an interview after practice wrapped up.
 
"It's not an easy thing to do. It's not something for the faint of heart. Guys have to train to get that technique down to try and get that split," he added. "The good thing about it is we don't teach three or four different ways to get that done. We teach one way; our plan B is to reinforce plan A."
 
It's an interesting drill in that on any particular rep, two-thirds of Brown's group is simulating offensive linemen blocking, with only one-third getting to play their actual position on defense.
 
"It all starts with being a great teammate, like Coach Martin says," Brown commented. "You have to be able to serve your teammate to make him better while you're getting better…the offensive guy could give a really, really bad look, but then that defensive guy's not getting better. You're going to be up on defense next, when you'll want THAT guy to give YOU a good look."
 
 
KEEPING IT CLEAN: Never one to pass up a teaching moment, Martin stopped practice briefly to address the entire team when one play got chippy after the whistle (something that would likely have resulted in a 15-yard flag during the regular season). "We don't practice penalties at Miami. That's why we win games," Martin said, choosing to pull the plug on that particular 11-on-11 period early to further get his point across.


OVERHEARD: "Have typewriter feet: Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop!"
 
Although Brown laughed later that his analogy was somewhat old-school, the idea was for the RedHawk defensive linemen to be quick and light on their feet, not plodding and never crossing over. That paid off later in practice when Jayden Fuller (who's been working with the D-line group) made a couple nice plays in 11-v-11 situations and then when Washington got into the backfield and produced a whistle for a 'sack.'
 
 
PLAY OF THE DAY: Braylon Isom pulled in a one-handed catch during a red zone drill that brought Dequan Finn and the rest of his offensive teammates racing into the end zone to congratulate him. Isom seemed to draw a little extra attention from the Miami defense on the ensuing snaps.
 
 
TALL TASK: The RedHawks know they will have their work cut out for them, especially along the defensive line, with back-to-back trips to Big Ten foes in the first two weeks of the season. "Wisconsin and Rutgers are both going to be physical," Martin said. "You'd better play with some technique, and even if you do, you might get pushed around and worn down a little bit, just because they're bigger."
 
Washington said he's looking forward to the challenge: "I know a lot of [the Badgers'] offensive line is experienced…that's going to be a huge test for us for sure," he said. "The biggest thing for us is just going to be stopping the run, filling our gaps, and taking out the double teams…
 
"I trust in our guys. We've been building up on it in practice all year, and I'm excited to be out there and play them in week one."
 
 
Season tickets and single-game tickets are on sale now! Call (513) 529-4295 for more information. Miami Football will host its annual Kickoff with the Community on Saturday, Aug. 16 at Yager Stadium. Gates open at 10 a.m.; more information is available here.

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