Head coach Randy Shannon announced that co-team MVP, senior offensive tackle Jason Fox, will miss the Champs Sports Bowl on December 29th due to a lower extremity injury.
Fox, has 47 career starts which is third most all-time by a Hurricane player, missed the USF game last month due to an illness and has a lower extremity injury that required surgery.
Fox earned first-team All-ACC honors and is projected as a mid round draft pick in the 2010 April NFL Draft barring injury.
Expect junior Orlando Franklin to play left tackle and freshman Brandon Washington to play left guard. Washington has one career start as he played in the season finale against USF.
“Brandon reminds me of myself when I was young,” Franklin said. “I’m excited to play beside him because he is a good player. He’s a quick learner and can play all inside three positions. And once you can play guard and center, that’s a big deal because if you are a center you have to know everything.”
“I’m ready to play now as a freshman,” said Washington, who has lost 20 pounds since he enrolled early in January. “I remember my first time playing in the FAMU game, I think we did three plays and I found myself breathing as hard as I can. But as I got in against Central Florida, Virginia and Duke, as the games got going I got better at it. South Florida, I felt great about myself.”
Washington learned a lot playing against 6-foot-4 288 pound junior defensive lineman Allen Bailey last spring.
“He’s the strongest guy on the team,” Washington said. “I hadn’t been put on my back my whole high school career. I went up against him and was put on my back. I got so upset about it. I didn’t punk out and think ‘Oh man, he’s too big, I can’t block him.’ I manned up the very next play and blocked him.”
Continue to log on to themiamihurricane.com for more updates leading up to the Champ Sports Bowl.
Justin Antweil may be contacted at jantweil@themiamihurricane. com.