’Canes splash faces, prep for Georgia Tech
CORAL GABLES – In the minutes after Miami’s hardfought, final-seconds victory over rival Florida State last Saturday, Hurricanes quarterback Malik Rosier made his way into the postgame news conference, sat down and began breaking down Miami’s final drive against the Seminoles.
He recounted how he’d tried to calm his teammates, reminding them that Florida State had left them enough time to score, he praised receiver Darrell Langham, the unlikely hero that caught the 23-yard touchdown pass that lifted Miami to the win, and as his teammates loudly cheered from the locker room not far away, Rosier shifted gears.
He began talking about Miami’s upcoming game at Georgia Tech and how the Hurricanes couldn’t afford to revel in their win over FSU for too long, not with the Yellow Jackets looming and not with Miami looking for its first chance to both win the Coastal Division and play for the ACC title.
Rosier set the tone last week, and his teammates have carried it forward in the days since, veterans such as Kc McDermott and Braxton Berrios both noting Miami can’t afford to rest on what it’s done so far this season.
“We basked in [the Florida State win in] its glory Saturday night, and I’d say Sunday, as well,” said Berrios, who was named the ACC Receiver of the Week after his eight-catch, two-touchdown performance against the Seminoles and enters today’s game as UM’s leading receiver. “Ever since, it’s been Georgia Tech. We really made a point, too, because in years past when we’ve lost to Florida State, there’s been a hangover. We’ve lost a few games after that. Now this year it can’t be a good hangover. We can’t rest on our hat, or stop working because we got that win. Now we have to still move on and try to turn that page and not let that game affect our next.”
Perhaps making it easier to get the Hurricanes focused is the fact that Miami is facing a Yellow Jackets (3-1, 2-0 ACC) team that plays a game so markedly different than any of the Hurricanes’ other opponents.
Georgia Tech and its option offense can put together methodical, extended drives that chew up clock and can leave opposing offenses sidelined for long stretches, forcing teams to be efficient and effective when they get on the field. And then there’s the matter of injuries.
Miami’s win at Florida State proved costly, with the Hurricanes (4-0, 2-0) now forced to take the field without preseason All-ACC pick Mark Walton, who led the Hurricanes with 428 rushing yards and three touchdowns, but required season-ending surgery on his injured ankle. Offensive lineman Navaughn Donaldson, safety Sheldrick Redwine and corner Dee Delaney are out too, with receiver Ahmmon Richards’ status in question.
All of that will force the Hurricanes to remain focused.
It also likely has gotten the attention of younger players who will be called on to step up in place of injured veterans as Miami pushes forward on its quest to remain unbeaten.
“This week more than any, it’s the hardest thing to simulate at the speed in which it’s going to be done and the skill level at which it’s going to be done. … You don’t play this defense very often. You play it once a year,” Hurricanes coach Mark Richt said. “You’re trying to figure out the speed of it in the middle of the first quarter, and you hope to get it down as fast as you can. It’s hard, first drive, to be really ready for the speed of it. When you play other teams, people do a lot of traditional things that match up to what you’ve done in the past. It’s not as crazy as this game can get, if you get behind the eight-ball.”
Offensively, Georgia Tech will test Miami with a potent running game led by quarterback TaQuon Marshall, who has rushed for 523 yards and thrown for another 333.