Miami safety Zechariah Poyser didn’t waste much time making his feelings clear about Malachi Toney. Asked about Toney being left in single coverage, Poyser called the task nearly impossible and said, “I like to call it, it’s almost impossible.
I went back and watched the whole game, and it was crazy to see. That’s a tough challenge.
I think he’s the best in the world. So, I mean, you can’t - there’s no answer to covering him.”
Poyser spoke to the media ahead of Miami’s matchup with the FAMU Rattlers, and he had plenty to say about where the Hurricanes are after their opener against Stanford. He said the secondary handled the first game well, while also making it clear there’s still plenty to clean up.
“I think it went well for the first game. First game is the first game.
You’re gonna have a lot of mistakes and stuff like that, but overall I think we did well. Of course, we had a lot to improve on, watching the tape and stuff like that.
So, overall, I think it went well. But, that’s first game, and I think we’ll get better as the season goes on.”
He gave a similar assessment of Omar Thornton’s work against Stanford, pointing to the kind of impact that doesn’t always show up in the box score.
“He showed a lot of clips that might not show up on the stat sheet. I think he played really well.
I think he showed violence, setting edges and spilling blocks. So, I think it showed up a lot on Friday, and I think as the season goes on it’ll only get worse.
So, I think it went well.”
With Miami on a short week, Poyser said the approach has stayed simple: stack days, trust the staff, and grind through the preparation.
“We go hard in our preparation. I think we go day by day and just going all in on our preparation. So, we just come in every day and just work, and we trust the coaches and what they got for us.”
He also said the Hurricanes are getting ready for FAMU’s pace by trying to make practice harder than the game itself.
“They do a good job of going fast. We do that in our preparation in practice.
Our scout team does a good job of going fast for us, and we try to make it harder in practice than it is gonna be in the game. So, I mean, that’s how we do it.
I think we do it in practice, so it’ll be easy for the game.”
Poyser said he saw chances to force turnovers against Stanford and expects more of that to come as the year unfolds.
“I feel like I had a lot of opportunities to take away the ball. Coach Will, Coach Terry, they’re big on me about getting takeaways.
The ball is where that money at. So, I feel like just being there, first game.
I think as the season goes on, I’ll take the ball away a lot. So, I mean, just being there, I feel like, just first game.
I feel like I get better as the season goes on.”
He closed with a simple message about returning to Hard Rock Stadium, saying the moment still means plenty to him.
“Man, I’m excited. It’s a blessing.
I love being in Hard Rock. That’s a dream come true.
I love our fans, and I’m very excited.”
On tackling under the new rules, Poyser was asked for his thoughts, but no response was included in the source material.
In Other News...
Miami Secondary Suddenly Faces A Bigger Xavier Lucas Concern
Miamis secondary had already been leaning on youth, and the home opener only sharpened that reality. Xavier Lucas, who started in Week 1, did not play against Florida A&M, and the program offered no injury details for the absence. With the Hurricanes dealing with multiple injuries and absences in the back end, underclassmen like Bryce Fitzgerald and freshman JJ Dunnigan have been pushed into bigger roles sooner than planned.
Mario Cristobal has pointed to the groups versatility as a way to absorb those hits, but the situation also underscores how quickly depth can be tested in the secondary. Miami has spent plenty of time talking about recruiting and development as the foundation for surviving stretches like this, and Lucas status adds another layer of concern for a defense already asking younger players to hold more responsibility. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Fans Still Havent Forgotten The One Florida A&M Shocker
Before Florida A&M and Miami met again in the late 2000s, the series had already built up a long memory for Hurricanes fans, and most of it was not especially kind to the underdog. The two programs first tangled in 1979 and then again over the years in matchups that usually followed the same familiar script: Miami controlling the game, leaning on its talent and depth, and coming away with another win. By the time the teams played through the 2009 meeting, the Hurricanes had turned the series into one of those old nonconference histories that can be retold almost by habit.
Still, the reason this one lingers is that not every chapter fit the pattern, and Miami followers have never entirely let go of the one result that broke through the routine. Even with the Hurricanes holding the clear edge across the series, the trip through those games from 1979 to 2009 shows why certain opponents stick in the memory longer than the record alone would suggest. For Miami, the larger story is dominance, but for fans, it is the shock that kept one Florida A&M afternoon from blending into the rest. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Secondary Injuries Just Forced A Defensive Shuffle Fans Need To Watch
Miami was forced to improvise in the secondary against Florida A&M, and the adjustment offered a clear look at how thin the Hurricanes have become at cornerback. Bryce Fitzgerald slid over from safety to cornerback, while true freshman JJ Dunnigan was pressed into a starting role at safety, a reminder that this defense is already having to lean on flexibility early in the season.
The injury list at cornerback is what created the shuffle in the first place, with OJ Frederique, Xavier Lucas and Ja'Boree Antoine all sidelined. Some of those players are expected back later in the season, but for now Miami has to keep finding workable combinations on the back end, and the way it handles that stretch will be worth monitoring once the schedule gets heavier. [Read more 🡒]