Diaz punts on naming the starting QB
Coach wants one more day before deciding on Williams or Perry
CORAL GABLES — The past two weeks, Miami Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz felt comfortable announcing the team’s starting quarterback on the Wednesday ahead of home games against Virginia and Georgia Tech. Not so this Wednesday. “We’re going to let this go another day and kind of see what the last, probably Thursday, practice determines,” Diaz said.
Diaz indicated that both redshirt freshman Jarren Williams and redshirt sophomore N’Kosi Perry are cleared to play as Williams was limited to reserve duties the past two weeks recovering from an upper-extremity injury while Perry, as UM offensive coordinator Dan Enos revealed on Monday, suffered a separated shoulder in last Saturday’s 28-21 overtime loss to Georgia Tech.
“It’s just whoever we feel will give us the best chance to win, to move the ball,” Diaz said. “I think that we’re having a good week. It’s just, we’ll make a call when we know.”
Diaz would not say Williams is 100% healthy, noting that it’s difficult to reach that level midseason.
“It’s the football season,” Diaz said. “He’s ready to play, as he was last week.”
Perry re-entered the Tech game after suffering the separated shoulder. Williams came in to finish one drive in the third quarter in relief of Perry. Diaz said the shoulder ailment should not factor into his availability for Saturday’s noon kickoff against the Panthers.
“N’Kosi came in and finished the game a week ago, so both those guys are cleared and ready to play,” Diaz said.
Williams, who started the Hurricanes’ first five games this season, is completing 70.9% of his passes for 1,086 yards and seven touchdowns, but his three interceptions on the season came on Miami’s first three possessions against Virginia Tech on Oct. 5.
Perry nearly led the team to a comeback victory in relief of Williams against the Hokies and then started the following two weeks. On the season, Perry has completed 59.8% of his passes for 871 yards, eight touchdowns with one interception.
“They’re both out there fighting,” redshirt senior K.J. Osborn assessed of the quarterbacks. “We’re going to go with whoever coach calls, and we’ll be ready.”
Thomas, Dallas updates
Junior wide receiver
Jeff
Thomas will remain suspended for Saturday’s game, Diaz said. He expects Thomas, who missed the game against Georgia Tech due to violation of team rules, to be back the following week, at Florida State.
“Jeff will miss this game, and this will be the final game he’ll miss,” Diaz said. “He’ll be back with us for Florida State.”
Junior running back DeeJay Dallas’ availability against the Panthers remains in question after he left the Georgia Tech game with an apparent knee injury.
“DeeJay Dallas will make the trip,” Diaz said. “He’ll be on the plane, and we’ll kind of continue to monitor him and see his availability on Saturday.”
Diaz said junior cornerback Trajan Bandy is “fine” after he also left Saturday’s game and did not return.
Carter won’t change approach
Junior safety Amari Carter has had two targeting penalties called against him this season.
A third would result in a fullgame suspension in addition to ejection from the game in which it occurs.
On Wednesday, Carter said he can’t change his approach to playing safety because of the calls.
“I’m not changing anything — maybe an adjustment of how I’m attacking the [player],” he said. “I guess, in such a way, it would be kind of ignorant of me to say I would do the same thing, but at the end of the day, it’s a bang-bang play.
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t approach it any differently, but at the end of the day, it’s football. I know I could do a couple of things differently with my head placement and things like that.”
Carter also cleared up what happened when he was called for a subsequent penalty for illegal substitution after a delay in leaving the field when he was ejected against Virginia on Oct. 11.
“A lot of people like to make a story out of a story that’s not true,” Carter said. “I wasn’t trying to stay on the field. I was waiting on someone to come and escort me. I thought that was the correct procedure, or waiting for the referees to inform me on what was the right thing for me to do as far as exiting the field.
“That was my [thought] process. I was walking on the field, didn’t want to be in the back of the end zone. It could’ve been a safety [hazard]. I was just trying to play it safe, and the referee, he just didn’t see it my way.”
Carter’s ejection in the second half against Virginia also caused him to miss the first half on Saturday against Georgia Tech.
Carter’s first targeting penalty this season came on Sept. 7 at North Carolina.