The University of Miami announced today that six players will not dress for Saturday's game -- fullback Patrick Hill, wide receiver Aldarius Johnson, defensive end Eric Moncur, defensive tackle Josh Holmes, safety JoJo Nicolas, and safety Randy Phillips have all been ruled out.
Hill's absence will continue giving true freshman Mike James a chance to get on the field in a fullback role. Johnson's injury will continue giving a chance to someone like Tommy Streeter a chance to work his way into the rotation at receiver.
While Moncur's out, the team welcomes back freshman Olivier Vernon at defensive end. Vernon has missed the last two games with injury. He'll be part of a four-man rotation at defensive end along with Steven Wesley, Marcus Robinson, and Andrew Smith.
With Holmes out, along with Marcus Forston, look for young players like Curtis Porter and Jeremy Lewis to have a chance to step up and become part of the rotation at tackle. Lewis hasn't played yet this season while Porter got mop up duty against Florida A&M last week.
Nicolas and Phillips out at safety means the Canes will continue relying heavily on a trio of healtny safeties -- Vaughn Telemaque, Ray Ray Armstrong, and Jared Campbell.
Junior guard Joel Figueroa is not expected to play this week either. Look for freshman Brandon Washington to receive more snaps as a backup as a result.
Running backs Graig Cooper and Lee Chambers are both dinged up but are both expected to play Saturday.