Richt keeping secret on Canes’ starting QB
CORAL GABLES – In the days leading up to the Miami Hurricanes’ ACC opener against North Carolina, coach Mark Richt made sure both Malik Rosier and N’Kosi Perry saw time with the first-string offense — at least when he knew reporters were watching.
But when it came time to answer questions about which quarterback might be under center in Thursday night’s nationally televised matchup against the Tar Heels, Richt hasn’t offered much information.
With less than 36 hours until kickoff, Richt hadn’t named Rosier or Perry his starter, though he did say Wednesday he knew who it would be. He’s been noncommittal about whether it’s an option to use both quarterbacks. And he’s seemingly having a little bit of fun with the mystery surrounding his team, a mystery that may not even be solved completely by the time Thursday night’s game is over.
“I think the less your opponent knows, the better,” Richt said.
What the veteran coach has been willing to share about No 16 Miami’s quarterbacks is this: he’s confident both can respond when called upon and believes both have handled the midseason quarterback competition in stride.
So what do Perry and Rosier offer the Hurricanes and what kind of test could they provide for a North Carolina (1-2) team that will enter Hard Rock Stadium looking for its second straight conference win?
Both have shown the ability to scramble and make plays with their legs. Both can make the throws Richt wants to see from his quarterbacks and in recent weeks, as Perry — a redshirt freshman — has matured, both have shown an understanding of the offense.
Rosier, a redshirt senior who has started 17 straight games for the Hurricanes, has the edge that comes with experience. The quarterback presided over a 10-game win streak last season that saw Miami rise as high as No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
But his accuracy issues and streaky play have frustrated both Miami fans and coaches. And last week, Richt hinted it might be time to see how his younger quarterbacks would respond when given the opportunity to play in a game that had yet to be decided.
Against FIU on Saturday, he gave Perry that chance, inserting the former fourstar prospect into the game on Miami’s third offensive series. Perry completed his first 10 passes, led the Hurricanes on two quick touchdown drives and helped Miami build a 24-0 halftime lead.
It became virtually impossible for Richt to take Perry out of the game and after each series, the coach sent the young quarterback back on the field.
Now, Richt has himself faced the question about which quarterback to entrust with the offense as the Hurricanes (3-1) move into the most critical part of their schedule.
While Thursday marks the conference opener, a game against rival Florida State looms next week. Coastal division matchups against Virginia, Duke, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech must still be played. A road trip to Boston College also lies ahead in the coming weeks, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility the quarterback questions could continue through that stretch.
If they do, though, the Hurricanes say they are confident both Perry and Rosier can get the job done and help Miami defend its division title.
“Malik, I would say his comfort level in just saying things off the top of his head is a little bit different. But Kosi’s getting it. By the end of the game against FIU, he was boom, boom, boom,” center Tyler Gauthier said. “We were rolling. They’re both really good , so they know what to do and they’re going to go out there and do that.”
Regardless of which quarterback gets the start, the Hurricanes enter Thursday’s game with plenty of momentum. Running backs DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer have seemingly found their stride. Dallas rushed for a career-high 110 yards against Toledo two weeks ago and Homer notched his first 100-yard game of the season against FIU.
Receiver Jeff Thomas, who has a team-leading 26.2 yards-per-catch average, is expected back after leaving the FIU game with a dehydration issue. And fellow receiver Mike Harley delivered a careerhigh six-catch, 78-yard effort against FIU.
The Hurricanes are second in the nation in total defense, allowing opponents an average of just 224 yards a game. They lead the nation with an average of 11.5 tackles for loss per game, and opponents have managed to convert on just 18 percent of their thirddown opportunities. That, too, leads the nation.
Now, the Hurricanes say, it’s time to carry that into conference play.
“We’re going to attack every game the same,” safety Amari Carter said. “But when you have ACC against ACC, you want to come out there and every single play, you want to capitalize off of it and just come out every game, make a statement for the rest of the season.” This is the third consecutive time these Big Ten powers have met with both teams being ranked in the top 10. The winners of the previous meetings went on to earn the conference championship. The Buckeyes are 47-3 in the Big Ten under Urban Meyer, including a 5-1 record against Penn State. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins is second nationally with 16 touchdown passes. The Big 12’s top two quarterbacks collide — Texas Tech’s Alex Bowman (390 yards per game) and West Virginia’s Will Grier (372). Texas Tech is coming off its first win over a ranked opponent since coach Kliff Kingsbury’s first season with the program in 2013. Grier passed for 352 yards and five touchdowns while leading the Mountaineers past the Red Raiders 46-35 last season. First-year Florida coach Dan Mullen returns to Starkville to face his former team. The Bulldogs are coming off a disappointing 28-7 loss to Kentucky, while Florida is riding high following a dominant 47-21 win over Tennessee. The Gators lead the nation with 14 takeaways and are second in turnover margin (plus-10). But Mississippi State has turned the ball over only three times this season. numbers. But he also ran for 986 yards and 14 scores.
A week after Fitzgerald was just 16-of-32 passing and had an interception during a 28-7 loss to Kentucky, the Gators also will look to force him to throw like the Wildcats did. Following consecutive 100-yard games, Fitzgerald managed just 20 yards on 16 carries - he was sacked three times for 23 yards.
While the formula to slow Fitzgerald is obvious, executing it will be hard.
UF defensive coordinator Todd Grantham knows what the Gators are up against after seeing it each day in practice last season in Starkville.
“Nick’s an NFL quarterback,” Grantham said. “He’s got home run speed when he runs the ball, and you look at his arm strength, he’s got a really strong arm. And they got guys that can protect, so we understand we’ve got a challenge.”
But knowing an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses goes only so far, especially against a talent like Fitzgerald.
“I’m not playing,” Grantham added. “The guys got to play.”