Miami, FL

Florida vs. Miami: Offensive player projections for Week 1

Published

1 year ago

August 30, 2024

Florida vs. Miami: Offensive player projections for Week 1

For the first time since 2019, Florida and Miami will renew their rivalry. The two teams will square off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET in one of the big games on the Week 1 slate, and the offensive player projections have been set, according to PrizePicks.

Both programs are in their third seasons under their respective coaches. Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes were picked third in the ACC preseason poll, while Billy Napier and the Gators are dealing with plenty of pressure after an up-and-down first two seasons. It adds to the intrigue of Saturday’s matchup.

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Graham Mertz is back at quarterback for Florida after transferring in last season. He was efficient, completing 72.9% of his passes for 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has playmakers such as Eugene “Tre” Wilson III and Arlis Boardingham back, along with Montrell Johnson in the backfield.

On the other side, Miami went to work in the transfer portal. The most notable addition came at quarterback as Cam Ward came in from Washington State, and the ‘Canes made a splash by landing former Oregon State star running back Damien Martinez. They both came in as Top-20 players in the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings.

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It’s shaping up to be an interesting showdown at The Swamp Saturday afternoon. Here’s what the offensive player projections look like for Florida vs. Miami, according to PrizePicks.

Graham Mertz, QB, Florida

Denny Medley | USA TODAY Sports

Pass Yards: 243.5
Pass TDs: 1.5
Interceptions: 0.5

Graham Mertz succeeded Anthony Richardson as Florida’s starting quarterback a season ago, and he’ll look to build on a solid first season in Gainesville. His projection is set at 243.5 pass yards in the season opener against Miami on Saturday, according to PrizePicks.

Cam Ward, QB, Miami

Pass Yards: 262.5

Cam Ward arrives at Miami after reversing course on the NFL Draft. He’s coming off two impressive years at Washington State, including a career-high 3,736 yards and 25 touchdowns last season as a senior.

Eugene Wilson, WR, Florida

Florida WR Eugene Tre Wilson III — © Doug Engle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Receiving Yards: 66.5
Receptions: 5.0

Eugene “Tre” Wilson III put together an impressive freshman season and cemented himself as one of Graham Mertz’s top targets at Florida with 538 yards and six touchdowns. With Ricky Pearsall off to the NFL, he could get even more work, and PrizePicks lists his projection at 66.5 receiving yards in Saturday’s opener.

Xavier Restrepo, WR, Miami

Xavier Restrepo, Miami – © Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Receiving Yards: 85.5
Receptions: 6.5

Last year’s leading receiver at Miami, Xavier Restrepo proved to be a strong weapon in the passing game. He led the Hurricanes with 1,092 receiving yards, which sets him up to be a top target for Cam Ward in 2024.

Elijhah Badger, WR, Florida

Receiving Yards: 47.5
Receptions: 4.0

One of Florida’s most notable transfer additions, Elijhah Badger arrives in Gainesville after back-to-back impressive seasons at Arizona State. In 2023, he totaled 713 receiving yards and three touchdowns after an 866-yard, 7-touchdown showing in 2022.

Damien Martinez, RB, Miami

RB Damien Martinez — Zachary BonDurant | USA TODAY Sports

Rush Yards: 73.5

Last season, Damien Martinez cemented himself as one of the best running backs in the Pac-12, and that meant he brought plenty of hype with him to Miami. He’s sure to take on a prominent role, and his projection for the first game is set at 73.5 rush yards, according to PrizePicks.

Treyaun Webb, RB, Florida

Florida RB Treyaun Webb — © Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Rush Yards: 33.5

Although Billy Napier announced Montrell Johnson will be able to play in the opener, Treyaun Webb is sure to get some looks as RB2 after Trevor Etienne’s departure. He ranked third on the Florida roster with 163 yards as a freshman, and PrizePicks lists his projection at 33.5 rush yards for Saturday’s game.

Jacolby George, WR, Miami

Miami WR Jacolby George — © Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Receiving Yards: 60.5
Receptions: 5.0

Last year’s second-leading rusher, Jacolby George is back at Miami and is sure to once again have a prominent role in the offense. He put together a breakout 2023 season with 864 yards, and his projection is set at 60.5 against Florida, according to PrizePicks.

Arlis Boardingham, WR, Florida

Florida TE Arlis Boardingham — © Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Receptions: 2.0

Arlis Boardingham was a solid safety blanket for Graham Mertz at tight end last year. He had 26 receptions for 289 yards and four touchdowns as he saw his first full season of action.

Florida vs. Miami is sure to be one of the more intriguing games of Week 1 with so many storylines. The game will also be part of the first day of the SEC on ABC, kicking off in the coveted 3:30 p.m. ET window.

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Miami, FL

Russian air attack on Ukraine kills three and sparks sweeping outages

Published

11 hours ago

December 23, 2025

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Russian air attack on Ukraine kills three and sparks sweeping outages

Item 1 of 5 A resident stands in an apartment building damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 23, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

[1/5]A resident stands in an apartment building damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 23, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

KYIV, Dec 23 (Reuters) – Russian missile and drone attacks killed at least three Ukrainians including a child on Tuesday, triggering widespread emergency power cuts and prompting neighbouring Poland to scramble jets.

The attacks, days after another round of U.S.-led talks to end the nearly four-year-old war, hit energy facilities in western regions the hardest, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.

Poland, a NATO member bordering western Ukraine, said Polish and allied aircraft were deployed to protect Polish airspace after Russian strikes targeted areas near the border.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had targeted at least 13 regions as Ukrainians prepared to celebrate Christmas with their families in an attack that showed Russian President Vladimir Putin was not serious about peace talks.

“Putin still cannot accept that he must stop killing,” Zelenskiy wrote on X. “And that means that the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia. Now is the time to respond.”

YOUNG CHILD KILLED

A four-year-old child was killed in the central Zhytomyr region, another person in Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine and a third person outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where local officials said at least five were also wounded.

Russia’s defence ministry said it had attacked Ukrainian energy and military facilities and captured two villages along the front line in Ukraine. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv, which often disputes Russian reports of territorial gains.

Moscow has stepped up strikes on Ukrainian energy and logistics to boost pressure on Kyiv as it seeks to alter the terms of a U.S.-backed peace deal. Ukraine has targeted Russian energy exports.

A Ukrainian overnight drone attack sparked a fire at an industrial facility in Russia’s southern Stavropol region, the region’s governor, Vladimir Vladimirov, said. Authorities also reported a fire at the fuel oil supply pipeline at the port of Taman in Krasnodar region, saying it had been put out.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 635 drones and 38 missiles, most of which had been downed.

Ukraine’s energy ministry said all regions were experiencing emergency power outages, adding that nearly all consumers in the western Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi regions were without power early on Tuesday.

Critical and energy infrastructure was damaged in the northern Chernihiv, western Lviv and southern Odesa regions, local authorities said. Private energy firm DTEK said one of its thermal power plants had suffered damage.

Weekend peace talks in Miami brought together U.S. officials with Ukrainian and European delegations, alongside separate contacts with Russian representatives, as Washington tested the scope for a settlement.

Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede its eastern Donbas region and significantly restrict its military capabilities before it stops fighting, terms which Zelenskiy has rejected.

Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Dan Peleschuk; Writing by Lidia Kelly and Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Michael Perry, Philippa Fletcher

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Miami, FL

Body camera footage shows fatal police shooting in Miami

Published

24 hours ago

December 22, 2025

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Body camera footage shows fatal police shooting in Miami

Published: December 22, 2025 at 5:25 PM

Authorities release body camera footage from fatal Miami police shooting

MIAMI — Newly released body camera footage from a 2024 deadly police shooting shows the moment officers pulled the trigger.

It happened on June 25 of last year in a home off Northeast 25th Street in Miami.

According to Miami police, a man called 911 to report his roommate, a woman identified as Mariel Rivera Samuel, was charging him with a kitchen knife.

The man says the two don’t know one another but were renting rooms through AirBnb at the home.

When officers spoke to Samuel, she said her roommate tampered with her drink, implying that he urinated in her apple juice, according to the footage.

Officers said they were going to take Samuel to a mental health facility for a Baker Act, but she came at them with a knife.

A State Attorney’s Office close out memo said, “Rivera-Samuel came within inches of stabbing or cutting Officer Burgos.”

Police say it was then they were forced to fire.

“According to that close out memo, the State Attorney’s Office determined the shooting was legally justified,” said Miami Police Chief Manny Morales.

The SAO said the case is officially closed.

Bridgette Matter

Bridgette Matter joined the Local 10 News team as a reporter in July 2021. Before moving to South Florida, she began her career in South Bend, Indiana and spent six years in Jacksonville as a reporter and weekend anchor.

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Miami, FL

Bengals Dismantle Dolphins 45-21 | POSTGAME RECAP, NOTES & QUOTES

Published

2 days ago

December 21, 2025

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Bengals Dismantle Dolphins 45-21 | POSTGAME RECAP, NOTES & QUOTES

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Bengals’ defense shut down the Dolphins’ vaunted running game and then set it sights on rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers with four straight turnovers (one a fourth-and-one stop) to begin the second half in Sunday’s 45-21 victory over Miami at Hard Rock Stadium.

Quarterback Joe Burrow’s offense turned the four turnovers into four touchdowns, three of them for running back Chase Brown in a stunning third quarter that included the first career interceptions for rookie linebacker Barrett Carter and fifth-year cornerback Jalen Davis.

In leading the Bengals to their most points in a dozen years, Burrow sifted his second-best passer rating of his career at 146.5 on four touchdowns and 309 yards generated by 25 of 32 passing. And that was with 11:22 to go in the game, when he was relieved by Joe Flacco.

The turning point came on the first drive of the second half when Dolphins running back De’Von Achane’s 31-yard screen pass on third-and four was negated by an offensive pass interference call. On the next play, Bengals safety Jordan Battle put his helmet on the ball after tight end Greg Dulicich caught a 10-yarder. The ball popped out and defensive end Myles Murphy recovered at the Dolphins’ 34-yard line.

The offense delivered in six plays, capped by a Burrow flip to Chase Brown for a nine-yard touchdown pass that made it 24-14 less than six minutes into the half.

Brown caught it at the five-yard line and spun inside to leave Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks, the NFL’s leading tackler, in the lurch on his way to scoring both through the air and ground in the same game for the third time this season.

The Bengals took a 17-14 lead late in the first half when Burrow engineered a one-minute touchdown drive, keeping it alive on third-and-10 from the Miami 38 when he escaped Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler and then flung it short across his body to tight end Drew Sample for a 27-yard gain.

Halfback Samaje Perine hammered home a four-yard touchdown run with 1:24 left in the half, and the Bengals’ defense snuffed out any hope of Miami doubling up when they received the second-half kickoff.

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