CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Miami Hurricanes freshman linebacker Shaquille Quarterman sat down at a media day luncheon Monday with a plate of hot food and was greeted by inquisitive strangers.Can you talk and eat at the same time? someone asked.Absolutely, he said brightly.Twenty minutes later, Quarterman was still talking and had yet to touch his lunch, thanks to several waves of media.Only 18, hes a true freshman but a BMOC, a first-team middle linebacker and a cornerstone of new Miami coach Mark Richts restoration project.The Hurricanes believe Quarterman is a throwback to the era when they were winning national championships and sending linebackers to the NFL with regularity. And like those Hurricanes of yesteryear, Quarterman has the gift of gab.You can never be too talkative on defense, he said.Quarterman is making himself heard even though the first class of the fall semester is still two weeks away. It helps that he enrolled last winter, and by the end of spring practice he had climbed to the top of the depth chart.I actually dont feel like a freshman, he said. That can be used as an excuse. I have such responsibility, Im just another Cane. I have to make sure everybody on the defense is in the right place, and I have to relay the calls. If theres a breakdown in communication, its on me.Richt said Quartermans teammates have accepted the notion of a teenager calling the defense.He has great characteristics of a leader, Richt said. He works hard. He studies. He behaves. He does all the things you would want a leader to do, and I think he has gained the respect of our team.Sometimes a freshman can come in and get into a starting role and there might be some resentment, especially if a guy is real cocky or brash or acts like he owns the place.Sometimes its hard to swallow for some of these veterans. But when a guy comes in with a humble spirit, works his tail off and just physically gets the job done, like Shaq did, I think theyre embracing the guy.Quarterman was highly recruited out of Orange Park, Florida, where he made 412 tackles in high school. He might be Miamis most precocious player since quarterback Brad Kaaya, who threw for 3,238 yards as a true freshman in 2014.Kaaya said the 240-pound Quartermans potential was evident on the first play of his first college scrimmage.He broke through and tackled the running back for a 10-yard loss, forced a fumble, and it was a touchdown for the defense, Kaaya said. He came ready to go.The Hurricanes are desperate for playmakers on defense. Last year they gave up 59, 58, 34 and 29 points in their regular-season losses.Quarterman, who grew up a Hurricanes fan, is well aware that wasnt always the norm at Miami. Hes especially fond of the 1986 team with George Mira Jr. at middle linebacker.He was a complete beast, Quarterman said. They were one of the best teams and had an unbelievable defense.That team played a year before Quarterman was born, but he has done his homework. Hes also a fan of more recent Miami linebackers Ray Lewis, Sean Spence and Jon Beason, all of whom reached the NFL.When it comes to Hurricanes history, the chatty youngster knows what hes talking about.Fake Stars Jerseys . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. Dallas Stars Shirts . Schenn scored the game-winning goal and added two assists to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday. https://www.cheapstarsonline.com/ . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Custom Dallas Stars Jerseys . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Dallas Stars Pro Shop . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p.LOS ANGELES -- A three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday could go a long way for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they get ready to embark on a 10-game road swing.After an off-day Thursday, Los Angeles opens a three-game set against former manager Don Mattingly and the Miami Marlins, who posted a four-game sweep at Dodger Stadium earlier this season. The Dodgers follow that by visiting the New York Yankees for three games (Sept. 12-14) before capping their trip with a four-game series in Phoenix against the Diamondbacks (Sept. 15-18).The Dodgers will play 17 straight games before getting another day off.Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged how taxing the run of contests can be on his starting rotation and his bullpen. However, Roberts is confident his club, which currently leads the San Francisco Giants by four games in the National League West, can weather whatever the baseball Gods can throw at them.It helps to have a bunch of arms out there, said Roberts, referring to the September call-ups that allowed him to expand his pitching staff to 18. The start that Kenta (Maeda) gave us (Monday) was certainly big. But now its a lot easier to mix and match guys and kind of be really mindful of their usage. Were in a good place but after that weve got (17) straight games. But weve got some numbers.Rookie pitcher Brock Stewart (0-2, 7.94 ERA) will start Wednesdays game against the Diamondbacks. Stewart will continue a Dodgers trend of using their young arms to start games in large part due to injuries.ddddddddddddWednesday) we have another rookie that were going to have to look at on film and figure out a way to beat him. Weve got to get one game in this series, Arizona manager Chip Hale said.The Dodgers are starting four consecutive rookies for the second week in a row. Jose De Leon performed Sunday, Maeda worked Monday and Ross Stripling did the honors Tuesday. All three won.From Aug. 27-31, Los Angeles started Julio Urias, Stewart, Maeda and Stripling.It was the first time the club started first-year pitchers in four straight games since Sept. 8-10, 1952, when the club went with Ken Lehman, Bill Loes, Ray Moore and Johnny Rutherford.Stewart, who will be facing the Diamondbacks for the first time, will oppose Arizonas Robbie Ray (7-12, 4.36 ERA).Stewart made his last start for the Dodgers on Aug. 28, when he limited the Chicago Cubs to two hits with a career-high eight strikeouts in five scoreless innings but did not factor into the decision in a 1-0 Los Angeles win.Ray also received a non-decision in his last outing on Sept. 2, when the Colorado Rockies tagged him for six runs (five earned) on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.Ray is 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA in six career starts against the Dodgers. Ray beat the Dodgers the last time he faced them on July 17, striking out seven on a four-hitter in seven shutout innings. ' ' '