Rosier remains QB — for now
Fifth-year senior has struggled since last season’s 10-0 start.
CORAL GABLES — The storm clouds are forming around Malik Rosier.
The Hurricanes senior quarterback built some equity by leading Miami to 10 consecutive wins to start the 2017 season, but all that has been erased in four ugly games.
LSU’s 33-17 drubbing of Miami in Sunday’s season opener was the Hurricanes’ fourth straight loss following that 10-0 start a year ago. And the one common thread throughout that unexpected decline ... poor quarterback play.
The message boards are lighting up and Rosier is in the cross hairs. But to his credit, Rosier is realistic about the situation and handling it with the maturity you need from a fifth-year player and team leader.
“If I keep messing up, then by all means coach (Mark) Richt has
the right to bench me and let somebody else play,” said Rosier, who took over as the starter last season. “It’s one bad game and we still got 13, 14 more and I don’t plan on ever letting that happen again.”
Rosier was 15 of 35 with two interceptions and one touchdown agains t the Tigers, a loss that resulted in the Hurricanes taking a dive in the AP poll, from No. 8 to No. 22. In the past four games, dating to the three straight losses to end last season — Pittsburgh, Clemson in the ACC title game and Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl — Rosier has completed 44.5 percent of his passes (55 of 125) while being intercepted seven times with four scores through the air.
“For me, this one was pretty bad,” Rosier said aboutthe LSU game in which Miami scored twice in the final quarter. “From my point of view, there was so much more I could have done, so much more left on the field. That’s something can’t have happen especially with our receivers and talent base on the field. I have to give these guys a chance to make plays for me all over the field.”
Rosier listed “anticipation” as one area he and quarter- back coach Jon Richt are working on to improve his accuracy.
The rest of the offense and the coaching staff did little to help Rosier. Mark Richt said the game plan included too much read-option, which
Iresulted in Rosier carrying the ball 16 times, twice as much as any running back. Still, Rosier did what a good leader does; he shouldered the blame.
“Every time I drop back I have to h ave th e perfect pocket,” Rosier said, “whether it’s the perfect pocket or not.”
And the pocket was far from perfect for most of Sunday.
WhileRosier is underthe gun, Richt said Tuesday he will remain the starter for Saturday’s home opener against undermanned Savannah State, an FCS school that was hammered by Alabama-Birmingham 52-0 in its opener.
Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown was asked if anybody is challenging Rosier for the starting job.
“I think we definitely need more competition,” he said, before adding, “but not just him – everywhere.
“We have some young guys who can help us out a bunch. But they’ve got to know what to do first. I’m not going to throw you in the game if you can’t function for us or because you’re trying to figure out what’s going to get called.”
Expect to see Cade Weldon and N’Kosi Perry, both redshirt freshmen, and possibly true freshman Jarren Williams to get some snaps against Savannah State. As for who would get that first crack, that is unknown because the Hurricanes list Weldon and Perry as co-No. 2s.
Perry was suspended for the opener and did not make the trip to Arlington, Texas.