Rosier to get start at Boston College
CORAL GABLES — The Miami Hurricanes won’t face Boston College for another nine days, but they already know that when they take field in Chestnut Hill, redshirt senior Malik Rosier will once again be leading the offense.
Rosier, who started Miami’s first four games before being demoted in favor of redshirt freshman N’Kosi Perry, will start against the Eagles on Oct. 26, Hurricanes coach Mark Richt said Wednesday.
But the expectation is that Perry, who started against North Carolina, Florida State and Virginia — where he struggled and was replaced by Rosier in the first half — will see significant playing time, too, Richt added.
“Malik’s going to start and we plan on getting Kosi in the game, so Malik will be the starter,” Richt said. “I think [Rosier] deserves to play. Again, my goal is always to try and get the guy that gives us the best shot, and at this point, I think it is
Malik. That’s basically what we decided.
“We’ll probably get N’Kosi in the game, though. So if Kosi comes in the game, it’s not like we’re yanking anybody out. We want to plan to have N’Kosi get in the game because he’s developing, he’s getting better and all that experience is going to pay dividends throughout his career and maybe even before the season’s over.”
Richt’s announcement came days after the Hurricanes were humbled in a 16-13 loss at Virginia that wound up knocking the Hurricanes out of the AP Top 25, ending their streak of 23 straight poll appearances.
Perry, who was making his first career road start, struggled early, completing just three of his first six passes and throwing two interceptions. After Perry’s second interception led to a Virginia touchdown and a 10-0 Cavaliers lead, Richt made the decision to pull Perry and give Rosier — who led multiple comebacks as a starter last season — the chance to try and spark the offense.
While Rosier would eventually help lead three scoring drives, he didn’t necessarily fare much better than Perry early on, finishing the first half 2-of-7 for 30 yards.
After Saturday’s loss, Richt found himself at a crossroads again, having to decide which quarterback would get the start in a road environment many expect to be one of the toughest the Hurricanes will face all season.
When Miami (5-2, 2-1) travels to Boston College, the Eagles will be hosting their annual Red Bandanna game, where they will honor former Boston College lacrosse player Welles Crowther, who is credited with saving at least a dozen people in the south tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001 before he was killed in the tower’s collapse.
The game has traditionally been emotionally charged with opponents, including USC and Florida State, struggling against the Eagles in past Red Bandanna games.
Despite that scenario and the fact the Hurricanes haven’t beaten a Power 5 team on the road since last October 28 at North Carolina, Richt said it wasn’t merely the challenge of playing away from Hard Rock Stadium that prompted him to change starting quarterbacks again.
“Right this minute, I think Malik’s just better equipped from his abilities and his experiences to lead this team right now. But Kosi is certainly a guy that obviously we think very highly of and we want him to continue to grow as a quarterback and as a person. So, that’s why we want to make sure we get him in the game.”
Through the first seven games of the season, Rosier — who last season led the Hurricanes to 10 straight wins before Miami dropped three straight to end the year — has completed 52.1 percent of his passes (50-of-96) for 781 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 107 yards and six touchdowns. Perry, meanwhile, has completed 56.2 percent of his passes (50-of-89) for 666 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
As to whether the Hurricanes will continue shifting quarterbacks beyond the Boston College game, Richt was noncommittal, but he said both Rosier and Perry have handled the changes well through a handful of practices before players will get a break for the bye weekend.
“I’ve seen great – not good, but great – attitudes and … they understand,” Richt said. “I just want them to understand … we’re trying to win games and we’re trying to do what we think is best. There’s no agenda other than that.”