It’s been weeks since University of Miami coaches determined freshman linebacker Gabe Terry was too raw and inexperienced to help the Hurricanes on defense.
Special teams? Another matter entirely.
Terry turned in a momentum-swinging play in the first quarter of Thursday’s night game against Virginia Tech, blocking an A.J. Hughes punt that the Hurricanes converted into their first touchdown in a 30-12 victory. The win moved UM (5-4, 4-2 ACC) into first place in the Coastal Division heading into Saturday’s game against Virginia (3-6, 1-4) in Charlottesville.
Terry, a Palm Beach Central High School graduate, blocked the punt by rushing up the middle and striking the ball with an outstretched left hand a split-second after it came off Hughes’ foot. On Monday, Terry was named the ACC’s Specialist of the Week.
“It was something we were working on all week,” Terry said Monday. “I talked to the guys next to me – Eddie Johnson and Thurston Armbrister – and I told them before the game how this could be our big play.”
The blocked punt was the first for UM in any game since 2008 and the first against an ACC opponent since 2004.
For Terry, it was a chance to shine after he lost his early-season role as a third-down pass rusher. He impressed coaches with his athleticism during fall practice but the games turned out to be something else. Saddled with technique issues, Terry lost his job as a pass-rush specialist after the Kansas State game and hasn’t played on defense since the third week of the season.
“He just wasn’t ready for it,” defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio said. “His talent was ready for it but his maturity level at the time and his preparation didn’t enable him to execute at the level we want him to execute. For us to continue to put him out there wouldn’t have helped him and his confidence or his team.”
Special teams seemed the perfect fit. Terry is solidly built at 6-feet-3 and 215 pounds and was a 100-meter sprinter in high school.
Terry also had the right attitude. Instead of sulking after losing his defensive role, Terry embraced his duties on the three units he plays on — punt block, kickoff coverage and kickoff return. He said he wants to be the “flag carrier on special teams.”
“The game is won or lost there,” Terry said.
Terry understands that intimately. Against Notre Dame on Oct. 6, Terry was penalized for roughing the punter after the Irish had been held to a three-and-out on their opening offensive possession. Notre Dame capitalized on the penalty by driving for a touchdown in a 41-3 rout of Miami.
But Terry said he wasn’t thinking about any of that Thursday night.
“It didn’t make me hesitant,” Terry said. “It just made me want to be smarter about it.”
Terry’s block was more impressive because it came against Virginia Tech, whose special teams have been among the best in the country during Frank Beamer’s long run as Hokies’ coach.
“He just gave great effort,” UM coach Al Golden said. “He practiced it all week, accepted his role for the game and did all the little things he needed to do: studied film, worked extra after practice and brought it to the game. Gabe is that kind of player.”
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