Five things win taught Hurricanes
CORAL GABLES — The Hurricanes came into their ACC opener against North Carolina on Thursday night facing questions about their quarterbacks, how ready they’d be after a short week of preparation and whether they could sustain the highlevel of play they’d shown in their last three non-conference wins over Savannah State, Toledo and FIU.
The answers came in quick succession, when Hurricanes coach Mark Richt gave redshirt freshman N’Kosi Perry his first start and the quarterback delivered on five straight throws. Miami built a 14-10 lead and never looked back and its defense was an absolute force in the 47-10 win.
Now, the Hurricanes turn their focus to their annual showdown against rival Florida State, but before they do, here’s a look at some of what they learned about themselves in their conference opener.
1. This defense can force turnovers in bunches: Through the first four games, the defense was putting up some pretty impressive stats. But the turnovers that defensive coordinator Manny Diaz craves so much were hard to come by. Miami managed only six against LSU, Savannah State, Tulane and FIU. The Hurricanes matched that total against North Carolina with six takeaways. They forced five North Carolina fumbles, recovering three. They also forced Tar Heels quarterback Chazz Surratt into three interceptions and the Hurricanes’ famed Turnover Chain wound up getting quite the workout.
2. Not only did UM force turnovers — the Hurricanes capitalized on them: The Hurricanes capitalized on the six turnovers in record fashion. Three of those — a fumble recovery by Jonathan Garvin, an interception by Joe Jackson and an interception by Romeo Finley — all resulted in defensive touchdowns. It marked only the second time in program history Miami scored three defensive touchdowns in a game, the first coming in a 47-10 win over West Virginia in 2000.
3. Joe Jackson is a force — that can move: Veteran defensive end Joe Jackson may have played some tight end at Gulliver Prep, but his teammates had no idea he could move the way he did on his 42-yard interception return for a touchdown. That play — which gave Miami a 24-10 lead — prompted some good-natured teasing and laughter. Even Hurricanes coach Mark Richt opened his post-game news conference quipping that Jackson was being moved to tight end. Of course it won’t happen, but Thursday’s win was a good reminder of how athletic and dominant Jackson can be. Along with his pick-6, the junior had five tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles, a QB hurry and he broke up a pass.
4. The run defense needs some work: Miami’s defense scored 21 points, forced six turnovers, totaled 14 tackles for loss and held UNC to just 2-of-13 on thirddown conversions. But defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and his players all said there was still plenty to clean up, particularly against the run. The Tar Heels averaged 5.4 yards per carry and finished with 215 yards. They had 13 runs of 10 yards or more, with a quarterback notching four of those. It was one of the issues hidden by the turnovers and defensive touchdowns, but Diaz and the Hurricanes know that has to be fixed, especially with Florida State and Cam Akers due at Hard Rock on Oct. 6.
5. A quarterback change has come: After N’Kosi Perry got significant action and played well in Miami’s 31-17 win over FIU last week, Richt had a decision to make: continue to start veteran Malik Rosier, who had started 17 games in a row for the Hurricanes, or give Perry the chance. Richt ultimately went with Perry, who connected on his first five passes and wound up 8-of-12 for 125 yards with a touchdown. He wasn’t called on to do much because of the show put on by the defense, but despite two mistakes — a fumble and an interception — Perry showed he is capable of running the offense and Richt later said he didn’t think the stage was too big for the redshirt freshman.