Miami, FL

With Starters Resting, Rookies Pave The Way For Miami To Defeat Atlanta 20-13

Published

2 years ago

August 10, 2024

With Starters Resting, Rookies Pave The Way For Miami To Defeat Atlanta 20-13

The Miami Dolphins displayed their youth Friday night, winning 20-13 over the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium.

“It was a good feeling. Every game you play, you want to see your team finish,” Miami coach Mike McDaniel said after the game. “We found a way to win with really strong efforts. It was good to see our team get a win in front of the home fans.”

It was a night taken over by the rookies. Miami rested its starters, playing mostly draft choices and undrafted free agents.

Fourth-round draft choice Jaylen Wright led the ground attack with 55 yards on ten carries. He also scored the game-winning touchdown on a six-yard rush in the second quarter. Wright ran with speed and authority. He was pushing off would-be tacklers with stiff arms. He looked very good in his limited work.

“It felt good. It was a blessing and a dream come true,” Wright said after the game. “I’ve always wanted to be here. There was a lot of anxiousness and anxiety today. It just shows how much love I have for the game. It’s good to get the first preseason game in the books.”

McDaniel liked what he saw of Wright.

“It was his first outing. I wanted to see a confident runner,” McDaniel said. “I wanted to see him confident after he saw something he didn’t like. It was a good first outing for him, and he finished strong.”

Chris Brooks played the second half and had 12 carries for 40 yards.

Second-round draft choice Patrick Paul started at left tackle and played most of the game. Paul played very well, giving the crowd on hand a glimpse of the future.

The quarterback play, split evenly between Skylar Thompson, who started the game, and Mike White, was dismal. The two finished the game with a combined stat line of 12-for-33 for 121 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Despite throwing the interception, Thompson performed better than White as he also tossed the only touchdown pass of the evening. Neither quarterback could sustain a drive. Round one would go to Thompson in the competition, but the play was so bad that it is hard to say that one was the clear winner.

Tanner Conner was the game’s leading receiver with 70 yards on four receptions. He had the most extended play of the evening, a 43-yard catch and run. He added a 21-yard reception later in the game but got injured.

The one passing touchdown came from Thompson, who threw a swing pass to Jeff Wilson, Jr. for the score. Wilson caught the ball short of the end zone but stretched out and had the football cross the pylon before he was tackled.

Rookie wide receiver Malik Washington had a terrific game. He also played well on special teams, returning punts and kickoffs with Braxton Berrios on the bench and not in uniform. Washington took an end-around and raced 21 yards before he got caught.

Kicker Jason Sanders picked up where he left off last season, making two field goals out of three attempts. His 58-yard effort in the first quarter gave Miami an early 3-0 lead.

Defensively, rookie draft choice Patrick McMorris and undrafted free agent Storm Duck played a tremendous game.

Duck came up big on Atlanta’s final drive, breaking up two passes before the Falcons failed on fourth down. Miami won when a Tanner Rourke pass to O.J. Hiliare was ruled incomplete, as the receiver could not get both feet in bounds. Isaiah Johnson had tight coverage.

Miami did not come out of the game unscathed, as the injury bug bit them. Among the Dolphins players who sustained injuries Friday night were special teams ace and reserve cornerback Siran Neal, offensive lineman Kion Smith, outside linebacker Grayson Murphy, inside linebacker Ezekiel Vandenburgh, and tight ends Conner and Jody Fortson.

McDaniel also said that after the game, center Aaron Brewer, who injured his hand in practice this week, would be week to week.

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Miami, FL

Who is Rueben Bain Jr\ufeff? Miami Hurricanes draft prospect visits Bengals

Published

49 minutes ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

$Who is Rueben Bain Jr\ufeff? Miami Hurricanes draft prospect visits Bengals$

2026 NFL draft prospects Jacob Rodriguez of Texas Tech and Rueben Bain Jr. of University of Miami visited the Cincinnati Bengals on April 10, according to NFL Network, along with fellow Miami Hurricanes edge Akheem Mesidor.

Nicknamed “Hurricane,” Bain is expected to be selected in the first round of the upcoming draft, and could be gone when the Bengals are scheduled to select at 10th overall.

Todd McShay has said he expects the Bengals to strongly consider Bain with the 10th pick. Yahoo! Sports’ Nate Tice has the Bengals taking Bain at No. 10.

“The Bengals go with the antithesis of their first-round selection from a year ago, trading the high-end tools and low-end production of Shemar Stewart with the top-end production and effort but lack of ideal length of Bain,” Tice wrote. “If Stewart taps into even a small portion of his talent and with Boye Mafe joining in free agency, the Bengals’ edge spots could be more impactful in a hurry and feel a lot different soon.”

What to know about Bain, who was a college teammate of Bengals offensive lineman Jalen Rivers for two seasons:

Bain played three seasons for the Hurricanes.

As a junior in 2025, Bain was named second-team Associated Press All-American, ACC defensive player of the year and first-team All-ACC.

Bain started all 16 games in his final season at Miami, recording 54 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss with 9.5 sacks, an interception, a pass breakup and a forced fumble).

Bain earned the Ted Hendricks Award, given annually to college football’s top defensive end. He was a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, given to the nation’s top defender with Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, Tenacity.

As a sophomore in 2024, Bain was named honorable mention all-ACC. He started nine games, and missed four games because of an injury.

A freshman All-American, Bain was named third-team all-ACC and ACC defensive rookie of the year in his first season with the ‘Canes. He led the team that season with three forced fumbles, and tied for the team lead with 7.5 sacks.

Lance Zierlein’s NFL comparison for Bain is the Philadelphia Eagles’ Brandon Graham.

“Note taker, grudge holder and block destructor with a compact frame and defensive tackle play strength,” Zierlein wrote in Bain’s NFL.com draft profile. “Bain is ill-tempered with his take-ons, hitting blockers with heavy hand strikes. … Bain’s explosive power and toughness should translate, giving him a high floor as an NFL starter.”

Daniel Jeremiah compares Bain to former NFL linebacker Melvin Ingram.

A USA Today mock draft had Bain going ninth overall, to the Chiefs.

Interestingly, Bain visited Kansas City one day before his reported Cincinnati visit.

Bain has dismissed post-combine discussion of his arm length. At 30 7/8 inches, Bain’s arms are among the shortest in the class.

“I didn’t hear it until later in the year, but it kind of surprised me because I never heard it all my life,” Bain said at the combine. “I don’t give it the time of day, honestly.”

“Mike Tyson, he wasn’t the tallest guy, wasn’t the longest-limbed guy, but when you felt him, you felt him,” Bain told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. “You kept your distance.”

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Miami, FL

Police investigate 2 Miami scenes after a shooting that left a man hospitalized

Published

1 day ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Police investigate 2 Miami scenes after a shooting that left a man hospitalized

A man is in the hospital after being shot in Liberty City on Wednesday evening, prompting a police investigation that spans two scenes, according to the Miami Police Department (MPD).

The victim, a man in his late 40s, was located at a second scene after the initial gunfire and was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center via ground transport under a “trauma alert”.

The shooting investigation began after MPD received a ShotSpotter alert around 7:21 p.m.. The first scene, where crime scene investigators were seen taking photos outside an apartment building, is along Northwest 58th Street and 13th Avenue. When officers arrived, they found shell casings but no victim.

A short time later, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office contacted Miami police regarding a second location—Northwest 69th Street and 21st Avenue—tied to the same alert. The victim was found at this second location before being taken to the hospital.

It remains unclear how the victim ended up at the second location. No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.

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Miami, FL

American Airlines Eyes April 30 Return to Venezuela With Miami–Caracas Flights

Published

2 days ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

American Airlines Eyes April 30 Return to Venezuela With Miami–Caracas Flights

DALLAS — American Airlines (AA) announced today plans to resume daily nonstop service between Miami (MIA) and Caracas (CCS) as early as April 30. The restart depends on final government approval, security checks, and operational readiness. Envoy Air, American’s regional subsidiary, will operate the route with Embraer 175 aircraft.

The Fort Worth-based carrier continues to coordinate with authorities in both the United States and Venezuela to restore the route. In January, AA announced its intention to be the first airline to reconnect Venezuela with the United States, emphasizing that service would begin only after regulatory approval and security assessments.

American began serving Venezuela in 1987 and was the largest U.S. airline in the country before suspending operations in 2019. Chief Commercial Officer Nat Pieper described the return to Caracas as both a restoration of a long-standing market and a strategic extension of Miami’s role as AA’s primary Latin America gateway.

This announcement follows the U.S. Department of State’s March 19, 2026 update, which lowered Venezuela’s travel advisory to Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” but continues to warn of risks such as crime, kidnapping, terrorism, and inadequate health infrastructure. Routine consular services in Venezuela remain suspended, with most services provided through the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá as the United States begins a phased resumption of embassy operations.

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