ACC’s Bryant, Rosier walked similar paths
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The voids to fill were huge and the pressure enormous for Clemson’s Kelly Bryant and Miami’s Malik Rosier. How would the backup quarterbacks fare when they were promoted to starting roles?
Quite well. Quite well, indeed.
Bryant leads the top-ranked Tigers (11-1) against Rosier’s No. 7 Hurricanes (10-1) tonight in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, which is likely to determine a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff. Each is looking to cap a remarkable debut season as his team’s starter with a league trophy and the chance to chase a national title.
The Tigers are seeking their third straight ACC championship and fourth in seven seasons. Miami, expected to win plenty of titles when it joined the ACC in 2004, is in the championship matchup for the first time. Former Georgia coach Mark Richt has the Hurricanes there in his second season leading his alma mater.
Both quarterbacks replaced three-year starters when they took over this season. Bryant followed national championship winner and two-time Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson. Rosier succeeded Brad Kaaya, Miami’s all-time leader in passing yards.
“A lot of questions for me, but I don’t feel like I tried to put any pressure on myself,” said Bryant, who broke the Clemson mark for wins (10) for a first-year starter. “I just tried to go out there and just tried to create my own game.”
Rosier battled two teammates for his starting job.
“I mean, starting off, there was a lot of pressure,” Rosier said. “The competition of quarterbacks behind me was really good. But the more I play, the more comfortable I’m getting in this offense.”
Rosier has looked in control much of the season, tying the Hurricanes’ single-season mark of 30 touchdowns accounted for that was set by Vinny Testaverde in 1986.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney saw Bryant, who backed up Watson and Nick Schuessler the past two seasons, struggle early in the spring with his new role. On Friday, Swinney recalled counseling the junior that the program didn’t need another Watson but a talented, confident Bryant.
That emerged in the second game, a 14-6 win over Auburn, which will play for the Southeastern Conference title today. Bryant came off the field with an injury and Clemson trailing 6-0 in the first half. He re-entered soon after to guide backto-back touchdown drives that put Clemson ahead for good.
Barrett ready to go
INDIANAPOLIS — Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett has seen enough Big Ten championship games from the sideline.
So despite undergoing surgery on his injured right knee just six days ago, the senior is preparing to start against No. 3 Wisconsin today.
Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said Barrett was cleared to play after undergoing 15 hours of treatment per day since having a procedure the coach did not specify.
“Certain people probably couldn’t do it, but J.T.’s a little different,” Meyer said after confirming Barrett had surgery after last week’s win at Michigan. “He’s just one of the toughest human beings I’ve ever come across in my career. He’s just a very unique individual.”
Most players, Meyer noted, require at least two or three weeks to recover from minor knee surgery. Barrett, however, was throwing at practice Wednesday and took his regular regimen of snaps Thursday.
Meyer acknowledged the eighth-ranked Buckeyes (102) need Barrett to be close to full mobility against one of the nation’s stingiest defenses. And if Barrett isn’t, Meyer will go with redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins, who led the team to 17 straight points in a comeback victory against the Wolverines.
Barrett has been here before — and so have the Badgers (120).
Three years ago, Barrett fractured his ankle against Michigan then cheered on backup Cardale Jones during a 59-0 rout of Wisconsin in the title game. Jones and the Buckeyes went on to defeat Alabama and Oregon to finish a national championship run.
Big 12 game risky
ARLINGTON, Texas — Oklahoma could already be playoff bound, except the No. 2 Sooners have to play in the revived Big 12 championship game today — and beat No. 10 TCU for the second time in four weeks.
For a league left out of the four-team playoff twice in the first three years of the system, the timing of its title-game return could be less than ideal.
“We’ve known it for a while, and we’re excited to play,” firstyear Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. “If they all of a sudden sprung this on us here at the end, you probably wouldn’t be real happy about it. It’s another chance for us to go play. It’s a great thing, I think, for our league to showcase two great football teams going at it.”
The Sooners (11-1) would almost certainly be a lock for one of the four spots even without another win. But a loss could unravel everything the league had hoped for by resuming its championship game after a six-season hiatus.
Even TCU coach Gary Patterson acknowledged, when asked this week, that “probably the best (outcome) for the Big 12 is Oklahoma to win.”
That doesn’t mean TCU (102) is going to roll over and clear a playoff path for the Sooners. The Horned Frogs no doubt relish the chance to avenge a 38-20 loss in Norman, Okla., and win the league title, even with no realistic chance of getting in the playoff if they win.
“We feel extremely focused and confident,” Horned Frogs left tackle Joseph Noteboom said. “We just wanted another chance at them. In college football, you don’t get really an opportunity to play someone again (that season) once you lose a game.”