Williams learning to handle adversity

‘Canes QB aims to stop one interception from compounding into more problems

CORAL GABLES Miami Hurricanes quarterback Jarren Williams’ six interceptions this season have all come in two forgettable games.

The redshirt freshman had three interceptions in his first three drives against Virginia Tech on Oct. 5, when UM fell into a 28-0 hole. On Saturday against FIU, he threw three interceptions en route to a 23-3 deficit. In both games, Miami rallied before losing by a touchdown.

Those stretches, in particular, have led many to believe that Williams, who has thrown 16 touchdowns with no interceptions in all his other appearances this season, struggles with handling adversity.

On Wednesday, Williams discussed his mental approach after throwing his first interception against FIU.

“When it happened, I just told myself, ‘We have a whole lot of football to play, so let me just worry about the next drive coming up. Let me figure out what happened first, what went wrong, so if it comes up again, I won’t make the same [mistake] — everybody’s on the same page: me, the receivers, O-line,’ ” said Williams, whose first interception against

FIU came on UM’s second offensive play. “So, I just went through that and then worried about the next drive we had coming up because we had three more quarters. We had a lot of football to play, so we can’t harp on that.”

Unlike the loss to Virginia Tech, Williams played through his three interceptions against FIU. Miami coach Manny Diaz said he felt Williams was still mentally in the game, so he never opted to go to backup N’Kosi Perry. When Williams was benched against the Hokies, Perry rallied the Hurricanes from a huge deficit before falling short in a 42-35 loss.

Williams felt the first two interceptions on Saturday were a bit fluky, where one, although thrown into traffic, ricocheted off

receiver Dee Wiggins’ shoulder pad before the Panthers got a hold of it.

“Those things happen,” Williams said, “but as an offense, we’re going to face adversity throughout the game, so we’ve got to keep pushing because good things are going to happen.”

As FIU was jumping UM routes, specifically slants on runpass options, Williams and the offense adjusted after it was too late. Williams threw touchdowns to wide-open receivers in Wiggins and Mark Pope late in the fourth quarter, when game was out of reach.

On Monday, offensive coordinator Dan Enos noted that Williams was predetermining where he was going to throw the ball before the snap.

Williams, who threw a schoolrecord six touchdown passes the week prior in a win over Louisville, and his teammates are confident the offense will have a better showing in Saturday’s regular-season finale at Duke.

“[Williams] is out here working,” said redshirt senior receiver K.J. Osborn. “We’re emphasizing third down. We didn’t have a good third-down day against the

FIU. We’re out here, he’s looking at me, he’s like, ‘K.J., get open. K.J., make sure you’re working.’ I’m lining up and I’m looking at him, he says that and that really gives me confidence. Like, my quarterback is on his game. Let me get open for him so I can get him an easy throw. I think he’s on his game.”

Said tight end Will Mallory: “Everyone has games, good or bad, and from what I’ve seen from him — and I’ve been with him these past couple of days — he’s good. He’s always a positive guy. He’s just ready to go out this week and hit practice and show everyone we’re moving forward and he’s ready to go.”