Miami Hurricanes OL Jalen Rivers impressed by the running backs, wants to see the offensive line keep building and eliminate mistakes
When Miami Hurricanes OL Jalen Rivers arrived for a press interview, he wasn’t so much interested in talking about a line that opened some big holes in Saturday’s opening fall scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium. He had another area of the team he wanted to discuss.
“I want to talk about the running backs, I want to talk about Henry (Parrish), the freshmen Ajay Allen (a redshirt freshman transfer from Nebraska) and Mark (Fletcher), of course Don (Chaney),” Rivers said when initially asked about the line. “They have all taken huge steps, are rotating, a bunch of powerful runs, different types of looks. They cater to their strengths. … I’m just proud to block for these guys.”
Later in the interview Rivers touched on the offensive line and how the group fared in Shannon Dawson’s new attack.
“(Big holes) are the standard,” Rivers said. “We want to further that more. Of course we had some mishaps, things to work on, both sides of the ball, but we are headed in the right direction.”
Rivers is the lone lineman on the roster that was in the starting lineup for Game 1 of 2022. He’s expected to again start … but at a different position. He’s been lined up at left tackle this fall; last year he was a guard.
As for the line personnel on the first team … with Zion Nelson slowed by a troublesome knee and Samson Okunlola a 5-star freshman who might still need some seasoning, as of now Rivers is at tackle. The rest of the first team line from Saturday: LG Javion Cohen (Alabama transfer), center Matt Lee (UCF transfer), RG Anez Cooper (spot starter as a true freshman last year) and RT Francis Mauigoa (a 5-star freshman signee).
Last year’s Miami line, of course, fared poorly – No. 95 in the nation in rushing offense, No. 108 in sacks allowed. The team opened a lot of big run lanes on Saturday, but sacks were an issue.
“When we have tackles for losses, sacks, we just go on to the next play, learn on the film and move forward, eliminate those mistakes,” Rivers said. “Yes we had tackles for losses (allowed), but we make sure it doesn’t happen again, learn from it and move forward.”
A final takeaway from Rivers?
“I’m very excited (for the season),” Rivers said. “We’ve been building this lineup, this chemistry, are excited to see what it is on Sept. 1 against Miami (Ohio). And handling adversity, we’ve been trying to go through adversity throughout the spring and summer. That’s our biggest challenge, seeing how we handle all of that.”
*Rivers goes up against freshman DL Rueben Bain in practices and says he’s made strides from the spring.
“He’s just elevated his game,” Rivers said. “He made sure to work on many things, learn from what he did in the spring. Very talented guy, finesse player, uses his hands a lot and he has that speed to power, too. … He’s a great player, and I expect him to make many plays in the coming years.”
*Of QB Tyler Van Dyke, Rivers said seeing him make plays is “as expected.”
“It’s very nice to see him back coming off last year,” Rivers said. “He’s taking good steps. Proud to be blocking for him.”
*Rivers says the heat in Miami will be an advantage for the team in games.
“We learn to push through it, practice in it every day,” he said.
*At running back, Rivers said that Ajay Allen is “very twitchy, not as big as Mark (Fletcher). He’s very slippery, too, will get on the edge, very fast. Mark is very powerful, too. Similar to Don (Chaney), but powerful. He’ll get off tackles very quick, get yards. He’s adamant on getting every yard. Get the yards – fourth and one you expect him to be back there.”
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