Shaquille Quarterman – Noteworthy
Football seasons at Miami and Florida will start earlier than ever this year. The season-opener between the Hurricanes and Gators has been moved up one week to Aug. 24 at 7 p.m., the schools announced Thursday. It will mark the earliest game date in the history of either program, and Aug. 24 will be the earliest start date for any major college football season since 2003. “We’ll be there and excited to play,” new Miami coach Manny Diaz said Thursday. The game will be played in Orlando, Florida, as originally scheduled. ESPN asked several weeks ago if the date could moved up as part of its kickoff to what will be a season-long celebration of the 150th year of college football, and the NCAA – with the approval of both schools – decided to accommodate the request. So Diaz’s debut as coach of the Hurricanes will come a week earlier than first thought. “After consulting with Manny, we agreed that this would be a tremendous opportunity to showcase Hurricanes football – both our present team and our long, storied tradition – on a national stage,” Miami athletic director Blake James said. Florida has never opened a season before Aug. 30. Miami’s earliest game date had been Aug. 27. – AP College Football
