Ritch wants more consistent Perry
Freshman had a shaky second half in Canes’ victory over Tar Heels.
Miami freshman N’ Kosi Perry is poised to make his second start for the Hurricanes.
And although the task may not look as daunting as it has in the past when Miami faced rival Florida State, the atmosphere at Hard Rock Stadium certainly will be amped up several notches when No. 17 Miami hosts the Seminoles on Saturday.
Perry was a bit uneven in his starting debut Thursday against North Carolina, starting out steady but looking shaky in the second half. Still, Miami (4-1, 1-0 ACC) was never threatened in a 47-10 win, thanks mainly to a defense that accounted for six turnovers and three touchdowns. He finished 8 of 12 for 125 yards with
one touchdown and one interception.
Perry threw two passes in the second half, with one completion and his lone interception. He also lost a fumble.
“N’ Kosi played extremely well early on, very hot, throwing the
ball very accurately, made good decisions,” coach Mark Richt said. “Ball security, we just have to do better. He’ll learn from that, on the fumble. Overall, I thought he played well. Certainly better in the first half than the second half.”
Perry will face a Seminoles (3-2, 0-1) defense that is 74th nationally, allowing 385.4 yards per game. It also is being gashed for 284.4 passing yards per game, 112th in the country, as the Willie Taggart era has not gotten off to a good start.
Richt spoke more about the switch from senior Malik Rosier to Perry on Friday, saying the decision was “not fun ... not comfortable.”
Rosier was 13-4 as a starter (3-1 this season) but had not improved much with his accuracy and continued to be plagued by inconsistency. One of those wins was over Florida State in Tallahassee a year ago, leading the come- back with a game-winning 23-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Langham with six seconds remaining.
Richt was not the only coach of a ranked team to make a move at quarterback in the last couple of weeks. No. 4 Clemson has cham- pionship aspirations, but Dabo Swinney felt it needed a boost at the position and made freshman Trevor Lawrence the starter, benching senior Kelly Bryant.
Many feel No. 6 Notre Dame now has a better chance at a playoff spot since Brian Kelly replaced junior quarterback Bran- don Wimbush with sopho- more Ian Book.
“It’s not easy news to deliver, it’s not easy news to take,” Richt said. “Malik did a very good job throughout, in the week and even in the ballgame of still staying positive, staying upbeat the best he could.”
Richt is doing his best to keep Rosier upbeat know- ing how quickly things can change. Clemson found that out Saturday when Lawrence suffered concussion symp- toms during the first half against Syracuse and, with Bryant announcing he was transferring after being told he lost his starting job, the Tigers were down to their third-team quarterback.
Clemson barely escaped the upset, needing a late score for a 27-23 win.
Although Rosier’s eligi- bility is up after this season because he is a fifth-year senior, he still could play a vital role at any time in the next three months.
And although Richt has not indicated he’ll play both, he knows the nature of the position is such nowadays that quarterbacks are getting hit more and the risk of injury is higher.
“Especially with as much quarterback run that is incorporated in almost everybody’s system in college now,” he said. “They’re carrying the ball more often. It’s not just drop back in the pocket and get sacked once in a while. They’re runners and designed runners. There’s a physical nature to that posi- tion that maybe didn’t exist (years ago).”
Richards not returning anytime soon: Richt said Monday on his weekly appearance on 560-WQAM that it would be “a while” before receiver Ahmmon Richards returns. Richards, from Wellington, injured his knee during the Sept. 2 opener against LSU and has not played since. The injury has been described as a bone bruise.
The Hurricanes have atoned for Richards’ loss with Jeff Thomas (13 catches, 320 yards), Lawrence Cager (9, 174) and Mike Harley (15, 173) leading the way.
Safety Jaquan Johnson remains out after straining his hamstring at Toledo and Richt is not sure when he’ll return.
Richt said linebacker Shaq Quarterman is “going to be okay” after leaving the North Carolina game early in the second half with an ankle injury.
Jackson, Quarterman honored by ACC: Defensive end Joe Jackson and Quarterman were named players of the week by the ACC. Jackson is the defensive lineman of the week after scoring on a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown, forcing two fumbles, registering a sack and totaling five tackles. Quarterman was named co-linebacker of the week along with FSU’s DeCalon Brooks. In just more than one half before leav- ing with his ankle injury, Quarterman had five tackles, including three for loss, and two sacks. He also forced a fumble on a sack that was returned for a touchdown and broke up a pass.
Virginia kickoff set: Miami’s Oct. 13 game at Virginia will kick off at 7 p.m., and be on either ESPNU or ESPN2.