Live from Miami, updates on Canes

University of Miami fourth-year junior Kirby Freeman has been named the starting quarterback to lead the Hurricanes in the season opener against Marshall on Saturday.

Freeman, a run-oriented quarterback from Brownwood, Texas, won the job over former starter Kyle Wright, a fifth-year senior.

''Both of those guys worked well in the offseason and did a lot of great things to try to win the job, but as a coach you have to make tough decisions,'' said UM coach Randy Shannon. ``We felt like Kirby gives us the best opportunity to win games.''

Wright lost his starting job to Freeman the last four games of 2006 because he was recuperating from thumb surgery. He also has been hindered of late by a left knee injury, which forced him to miss the final scrimmage of preseason in the Orange Bowl.

Freeman finished 2-2 in the games he started last season and was named the most valuable player in the MPC Computers Bowl after throwing for 272 yards and two touchdowns -- with an interception. He finished the year completing 59 of 108 passes for seven touchdowns. But he threw eight interceptions.

He also ran 41 times for 109 yards and one touchdown.

Wright had a record of 5-4 as a starter in 2006, completing 152 of 250 passes for 1,655 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. He rushed 49 times for minus-21 yards. He was ranked sixth in the ACC in passing efficiency, seventh in passing and seventh in total offense. Wright was the 2002 Gatorade High School Player of the Year.

In 2005, Wright's finest year, he completed 180 of 307 passes (58.6 percent) for 2,403 yards and 17 touchdowns in 12 starts. He also ran for a touchdown. He threw 10 interceptions.

Wright's career numbers: 337 completions in 566 attempts for 26 touchdowns (and one rushing TD). He has thrown 17 interceptions.

Freeman's career numbers in 17 games played at UM: 74 completions in 139 attempts with nine passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown -- with 10 interceptions.

Freeman has always insisted he was capable of leading the Hurricanes, at one point in spring 2006 coming close to transferring. But he also always said he was a team player first, and ultimately chose to stay at UM to do what he could while continuing to compete for the starting job. In other news, receiver Sam Shields has been suspended for the Marshall game for violating team rules, Shannon said. He will be replaced in the starting lineup at flanker by Khalil Jones.

Also of note: the UM center spot will be filled by senior John Rochford, who will start for the first time on the line; and walk-on Francesco Zampogna, who was recently awarded a sixth year of eligibility, will kick field goals and extra points for the Hurricanes, while Daren Daly does kickoffs and Matt Bosher serves as the punter.

pags---no surprise about Kirby...he has been outplaying Kyle for the last few weeks, seems the players like him better as well, and the fans liked him better last year too, so I'm happy.  I am NOT happy about Shields being suspended for the first game, he was definitely gonna grab at least one TD, but I still feel the Canes are the play against the number, if for no other reason than Shannon has publicly said he will be encouragin the offense to score on EVERY POSSESSION.

I will be at the Orange Bowl this weekend, pulling them through.. 

There's no entitlement. That was the clear message as new UM coach Randy Shannon unveiled likely starters for Saturday's opener against Marshall. ''We're not going to play a guy just because he's a veteran,'' Shannon said.

And if a former starter is ''nicked up,'' like cornerback Glenn Sharpe? He becomes ''the low man on the totem poll,'' Shannon said. ''It's not personal.'' Chatter on some positions clarified Tuesday:

• Quarterback: According to a UM person, here are four reasons Kirby Freeman won the job: superior mobility to Kyle Wright, a knack for getting his team into the end zone during drills, strong leadership skills and a willingness to take accountability for mistakes. We're told that Freeman was preferred by most of the staff.

• Running back: Shannon left the starting job unresolved between Javarris James and Graig Cooper, but both will play a lot. Cooper said he is being used at times as a slot receiver in practice, to get both on the field together.

• Receiver: With Sam Shields suspended for one game, Khalil Jones is the surprise starter opposite Lance Leggett. ''Khalil had problems catching the ball in the past but not anymore,'' James said. Darnell Jenkins is listed behind Jones, but that's partly because Jenkins has been playing the slot and ''we may line up with three receivers and without a fullback and then Darnell is starting,'' Shannon said.

• Offensive line: Jason Fox, Reggie Youngblood and Chris Rutledge will share time at the tackles so ''each can get about 50 plays [and] wear other teams down,'' Shannon said. Although Orlando Franklin opened camp ahead of Andrew Bain, Shannon said he was impressed by how Bain responded, and he won the spot at left guard for Week 1, with Derrick Morse at right guard. ''If Franklin doesn't push Bain, we stay average on the offensive line,'' Shannon said. For more on new center John Rochford, see page 5D.

• Defensive line: One surprise: Dwayne Hendricks -- who has skills that Morse compared to deceased former Cane Bryan Pata -- starts at one tackle spot ahead of slightly injured Josh Holmes and Antonio Dixon. ''We're going with the guy who has been the most consistent,'' defensive line coach Clint Hurtt said. ``Dwayne's very good in the running game.''

• Linebacker: Tavares Gooden, who bemoaned a few weeks ago how he hasn't fulfilled expectations, recently started getting a lot of time at middle linebacker and won the job over Darryl Sharpton, who can't stay healthy. Shannon liked Gooden's experience. Coaches have been buzzing about Spencer Adkins, who won the weak-side job, with Colin McCarthy at strong side.

• Defensive backs: Freshman DeMarcus Van Dyke -- ''who's big, fast and can make a lot of plays,'' Shannon said -- won one cornerback job, with Randy Phillips/Carlos Armour still battling for the other. When front-runner Phillips missed time last week, ''Armour did such a great job, there's now competition,'' Shannon said. . . . The safety spot alongside Kenny Phillips remains open between Lovon Ponder and Willie Cooper.

• Walk-on Francesco Zampogna won the place-kicker job because he was the most consistent on field goals. ''He reminds me of the Carlos Huerta situation,'' Shannon said. . . . Cooper, who won the punt-return job, dropped several punts earlier in camp but said he has corrected that.

University of Miami freshman cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke was in the middle of eating his lunch two weeks ago in the school cafeteria when a cold chill of fear began to crawl up his spine.

Senior linebacker Tavares Gooden was pounding on the table, a sign that an act of public humiliation was about to occur.

Van Dyke, a tall, slender, baby-faced 18-year-old, looked up and tried to use his blazing 4.34-speed -- second only to receiver Sam Shields on the team -- to dash away. But his escape routes were already closed.

''Anytime you hear that banging it means singing and dancing time for the freshmen -- and I can't do either one,'' Van Dyke said with a light chuckle, recounting how Gooden and the rest of UM's seniors requested that he and fellow freshman receiver Leonard Hankerson stand on top of the lunch tables and perform R Kelly's R&B hit Same Girl to a packed cafeteria that included UM's women's volleyball team.

``It was fun, but it was embarrassing at the same time. We got booed so bad.''

Van Dyke hopes he doesn't receive similar reviews Saturday, after he lines up as one of possibly two true freshman starters for the Hurricanes (running back Graig Cooper could be the other freshman starter) for the season-opener against Marshall noon Saturday at the Orange Bowl.

''All the guys have been kind of messing with me since I found out I was starting, but its cool,'' Van Dyke said. ``They keep saying don't be scared on Saturday. Just keep doing what I was doing in camp.''

Van Dyke apparently did a lot this fall to earn the trust of coach Randy Shannon and position coach Wesley McGriff.

They made the speedy former Miami Monsignor Pace standout (listed at 6-1, 170 pounds) the only other sure starter in Miami's secondary Saturday next to All-American safety Kenny Phillips when the depth chart was released Tuesday.

Van Dyke, who earned the nickname DVD from teammates, admitted he never imagined he would get a chance to start this quickly. Before he picked up his playbook on June 1st along with fellow freshmen defensive backs Jared Campbell, Jojo Nicholas and Damien Berry, Van Dyke admitted he had never played a physical style of defense.

At Pace, he says he was rarely asked to jam receivers.

That's something he says he learned this fall -- and began to excel at -- with the help of McGriff and junior Randy Phillips, who is currently battling junior Carlos Armour for the other starting cornerback spot.

''My goal was just to come in and learn the playbook and help the team anyway I could,'' said Van Dyke, who was rated the country's 16th best athlete regardless of position by Rivals, and who passed on the national champion Gators to sign with Miami after Shannon was named coach.

``But as camp started going on, I realized I had a chance to start and I just took advantage of it. I learned quickly. Coach said it once and I picked it up. I have a bunch of bruising, scars on my arms, kind of like tattoos. But it's just from taking on lineman, fullbacks and jamming receivers. I'm not scared.''

Despite having ''bony, rail-thin arms,'' McGriff said Van Dyke surged through the depth chart because of his physical and fearless nature. Now, McGriff says, he wants to see how Van Dyke holds up in a game.

''I knew the kid could run, I knew he was very athletic, but one thing you wondered about a kid like him that doesn't weigh as much is how tough he is,'' McGriff said. ``But he has demonstrated over and over again through training camp he's a physically tough kid.

``He doesn't have the size where he's going hit somebody and knock them across the field. But what he shows as far as toughness is stand in their with veteran receivers and play bump and run and not shy away from contact. He's tough.''