Miami coach Al Golden said Wednesday that the Hurricanes could be without junior wide receiver Rashawn Scott, the team's second-leading receiver last season, for up to six weeks.
Scott (6-feet-2, 203 pounds) suffered what Golden termed a shoulder injury in last week's win over Florida Atlantic. Scott had 35 receptions for 512 yards last season, and had two catches for 28 yards before being hurt against FAU. Scott is a physical receiver who has good speed.
While his loss means the Hurricanes are down to six scholarship wide receivers, Miami still looks OK at the position. Senior Allen Hurns, junior Phillip Dorsett and sophomore Herb Waters remain the starters, with true freshman Stacy Coley and sophomore Malcolm Lewis the top backups. Miami has good depth at tight end, with Clive Walford a legitimate deep threat, and tailback Duke Johnson also is a solid receiver.
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Coley, considered one of the nation's top 10 wide receivers in the 2013 recruiting class, had a strong fall camp but struggled in the opener with drops, including one that would've been a touchdown.
Overall, Golden said he was disappointed in Miami's passing attack against FAU. Quarterback Stephen Morris was 15-of-27 for 160 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Morris threw for more yards in every game but one last season.
Miami did run for 319 yards, though expecting that kind of output on the ground against Florida this Saturday seems folly.
"Our completion percentage coming in right after the first scrimmage and coming to the game was really good," Golden told the Miami Herald. "We were crisp. We weren't putting the ball on the ground. I was really excited where we were last Monday and Tuesday. And we didn't throw and catch very well [in the game], didn't convert on third down, which hurt us in time of possession again. It's a challenge right now for everybody."
As for Scott, he could return as early as Oct. 5 against Georgia Tech, which is Miami's first ACC game of the season. If Scott is out six weeks, he would return for the Oct. 17 game at North Carolina, which is UM's second ACC contest.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
