Pickoffs result in a call to Perry at QB

Starter Williams intercepted on ’Canes’ first 3 possessions

MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Hurricanes appeared to be set at quarterback after all the backand-forth between passers last season under previous coach Mark Richt.

But Manny Diaz went away from redshirt freshman Jarren Williams, who also had to go to the locker room in the first half, after he threw his first three collegiate interceptions on UM’s opening three possessions of Saturday’s ACC game against Virginia Tech.

At the 3-minute, 19-second mark of the first quarter, Diaz went to backup N’Kosi Perry, the redshirt sophomore who last season split time with Malik Rosier as the Hurricanes’ starting quarterback.

Williams, later in the first half, was seen heading to the locker room with a trainer after he took a number of rough hits. He came back to the sideline and was seen warming up but did not re-enter in the first half.

A team spokesperson could not confirm whether that was due to a coach’s decision or an injury.

Williams was picked off twice by the Hokies’ Jermaine Waller and once by Caleb Farley. His first picked-off pass was deflected as Waller cut off a Michael Harley route. The second and third came on underthrows, one in the end zone and the other around midfield.

Upon Perry’s insertion, he handed the ball off to Harley on a jet sweep, and Harley fumbled, the ball getting recovered by Virginia Tech. Perry had impressive throws downfield to tight end Brevin Jordan for 51 yards and on the move to receiver Jeff Thomas for 39.

His long completion to Jordan was for nothing, however, as Perry was intercepted on fourth-andgoal from the Hokies’ 4. Following the Thomas catch, Miami ultimately scored on a Hail Mary before halftime as sophomore wideout Mark Pope came down with a deflected pass in the end zone.

In 2018, Perry completed 50.8% of his passes for 1,091 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions while seeing action in 11 games. Entering Saturday, Williams had completed 72.6% of his 117 pass attempts for 1,027 yards, seven TDs and no interceptions in the Hurricanes’ first four games this season.

Virginia Tech turned UM’s four first-quarter turnovers — which turned into five with Perry’s second-quarter interception — into its first 21 points.

The Hokies entered Saturday with a turnover margin of minus-8, which was better than only two of the 130 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Miami entered Saturday as a top-10 team in that department.

Before Saturday’s game, Virginia Tech made a quarterback change of its own.

Hendon Hooker, replacing Ryan Willis, was 5-for-10 for 56 yards and two touchdowns passing, adding 56 rushing yards and another score in the first half. Hooker himself left the game in the third quarter with an ailment.

Season debuts

Safety Bubba Bolden made his Miami debut on the Hurricanes’ second series. He was in on a third down when Hooker threw incomplete for the Hurricanes’ only stop of their first five possessions.

Bolden had to wait a full calendar year to debut with UM since he left USC in October last season. His departure was the result of a 28-month suspension for a student-code-of-conduct violation stemming from an incident at an off-campus party at USC. Later reinstated, Bolden had his mind made up he would leave.

Defensive tackle Nesta Silvera, recovering from training camp foot surgery, saw his first action.

Jordan Miller entered ahead of him in Miami’s defensive tackle rotation.

Sophomore running back Lorenzo Lingard did not get firsthalf action on offense but was seen on punt coverage. Lingard had already recovered from the knee injury that cut his freshman season short, but a separate, undisclosed injury prevented him from debuting against Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 14. While available, he didn’t play against Central Michigan on Sept. 21.

In the hall

The latest UM Sports Hall of Fame class was honored on the field between the first and second quarters Saturday.

The eight inductees were football players Jay Brophy, Phillip Buchanon and Kevin Williams, Yasmani Grandal (baseball), Johnny Hemsley (men’s basketball), Brittney Steinbruch (women’s soccer), Laura Vallverdu (women’s tennis) and Mike Ward (track and field coach).