Is it time to play Williams?
CORAL GABLES — After three straight conference losses, the Miami Hurricanes — and coach Mark Richt — are well aware their dreams of playing for an ACC title have all but ended. So what’s next?
There was, after Saturday’s 20-12 loss to Duke, a lot of talk about pride, about playing to finish strong. And while that’s still a major consideration as Miami turns its focus to this week’s game against Georgia Tech, Richt now finds himself having
to walk a fine line.
Though the Hurricanes want and need to win games — it’s November and they still haven’t secured bowl eligibility — is it time to see what more of their younger players can do, particularly at quarterback?
All season, Richt has alternated between veteran Malik Rosier and redshirt freshman N’Kosi Perry, and neither has proven remarkably consistent or accurate. Rosier, who last season helped lead Miami
to 10 wins, has completed just 53.5 percent of his passes for 1,007 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions, while Perry has completed only 52.4 percent of his passes for 701 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
During his weekly radio appearance with WQAM’s Joe Rose on Monday, Richt conceded he let Perry finish the Duke game in an effort to try and spark an offense that hasn’t been able to score more than 14 points in each of its last three losses.
That spark never came, so Rose asked Richt one of the same questions many frustrated Hurricanes have been asking during Miami’s three-game slide. Is it time to see if freshman quarterback
Jarren Williams, who enrolled in January and earned raves from teammates and coaches during spring practice, can do any better?
Even with new NCAA rules that allow freshmen to play in up to four games and still retain their redshirt eligibility, Richt said it’s complicated, especially with the Hurricanes still in need of wins.
There’s also the risk of jeopardizing Williams’ confidence if he’s inserted into games before he’s ready.
“There’s no doubt he’s [getting closer]. He’s a kid that’s trying to do all those little details that it takes to get better at what you do and really focus hard on learning and when he gets the reps in practice, doing it exactly the way it needs to be done and he’s done well,” Richt said. “But it’s like anything
else. Everybody wants to scream for the next guy, and that’s understandable if you’re not getting the results you want, but there’s a lot more to it than people think. It’s not just dropping back and slinging it.
“And the other thing, too, is, you put a guy in there before he’s ready and you cook him too fast, you know? ”
Richt, who said after Saturday’s loss that the option to play Williams was on the table, hasn’t typically shied away from playing freshmen during his three-year tenure at Miami.
His first season, the Hurricanes started three freshmen linebackers in Shaq Quarterman, Mike Pinckney and Zach McCloud. Receiver Ahmmon Richards earned freshman AllAmerican honors and broke Michael Irvin’s freshman
receiving record. And last year, receiver Jeff Thomas, running back DeeJay Dallas, offensive lineman Navaughn Donaldson and cornerback Trajan Bandy were among some of the Hurricanes’ biggest contributors as first-year players.
This season, the Hurricanes have counted on several first-year players, including tight end Brevin Jordan, kicker Bubba Baxa, cornerback Al Blades, receivers Brian Hightower and Mark Pope, defensive tackle Nesta Silvera and running back Lorenzo Lingard before he got hurt.
“You absolutely have to do what you think gives you the best chance to win. You owe it to everybody on that field. You owe it to everybody who comes to the stadium,” Richt said.
“If there’s a chance to get
the younger guys in there and it helps their development, that’s great. But not at the cost of the game.”
Hurricanes pick up key verbal commitment: Miami hasn’t gotten particularly strong play from its punters, with Richt and special teams coach Todd Hartley alternating between Jack Spicer and Zach Feagles much the way they’ve alternated quarterbacks.
Late Sunday, Miami received a verbal commitment from junior college punter Louis Hedley, who according to the recruiting website 247sports.com, is redshirting this season but averaged 38.6 yards per punt as a freshman at City College of San Francisco.
Miami currently ranks 114th in punting among FBS programs.