Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
No. 1 — for now
QB Rosier says he can’t let his guard down
UM starting quarterback can’t let guard down.
CORAL GABLES — Last summer, veteran backup Malik Rosier entered camp knowing he’d have to compete against some highly-regarded young players to become the Hurricanes starting quarterback.
What a difference a year and 13 starts can make.
Last month, at the annual ACC Kickoff media event, Hurricanes coach Mark Richt didn’t mince words when naming Rosier his starting quarterback heading into the beginning of camp.
“If he doesn’t do the things that he did, we probably don’t win 10 games last year,” Richt said of Rosier in July. “He’s the starter. Malik’s the starter, and if something changes, I’ll let you know. … I don’t anticipate anybody knocking him out of the box right now.”
It was as ringing an endorsement of Rosier as Richt has given since the quarterback’s lateseason struggles that coincided with Miami’s losses against Pittsburgh, Clemson and Wis- consin.
On Monday, after the Hurricanes wrapped up their third
practice of the new season, Rosier chuckled and said he felt “a sigh of relief” upon hearing his coach’s words. But even with all his experience, he acknowledged he still can’t afford to take anything for granted, not when N’Kosi Perry, Cade Weldon and Jarren Williams are still behind him pushing for playing time.
“We knew we’d be in competition and it still is,” Rosier said. “Even though I’m the starter, if I come out and have a bad day, [Richt] can be like, ‘Hey, listen, Kosi’s the guy, or Cade’s the guy.’ … Even though I’m named the starter, I can’t just let my guard down. I still have to compete. I still have to come out here and show these guys I am the guy and I can be the starter.”
Despite throwing for 3,120 yards last season and being responsible for 31 touchdowns — a new single-season record at Miami — Rosier had his share of struggles and was hardly a fan favorite.
He completed 54 percent of his passes and at times, was streaky, missing open receivers and struggling to move the offense. Against Pittsburgh in Miami’s regular-season finale, he missed several targets and was briefly pulled in the fourth quarter in favor of backup Evan Shirreffs.
Shirreffs, who has since transferred, didn’t fare much better and Rosier implored Richt to put him back in the game. He did and Rosier wound up throwing a late touchdown pass, but the damage was done.
Rosier finished the day 15-of-34 for 187 yards and the Panthers wound up upsetting then-No. 2 Miami.
After the game and in the months since, the quarterback and the coach have each indicated the day was a learning experience, with Richt acknowledging that pulling Rosier may not have been the best move and Rosier admitting he can’t be complacent on a team with championship hopes.
And so, ahead of his final season at Miami, Rosier has set out to become a better quarterback, working with Richt and his personal coach David Morris to improve both his throwing mechanics and his footwork.
“Two things me and coach Mark Richt talked about a lot, one was shortening up my throwing motion and so I really harped on that,” Rosier said. “And the second one was, when I went back [home], I talked to David Morris and he was like sometimes I overstride, which gets my body wide, gets my arm down and he said I’m starting to overthrow balls. Those were the two biggest things I worked on.”
Rosier has also, teammates said, returned to the practice field with an edge, determined to be a better leader than he was last fall when he was still getting used to the starting role.
“He’s always in his books, trying to get everything down and it’s showing on the field right now,” said running back Travis Homer, who is Rosier’s roommate. “I see him talking a lot more, bringing that energy. He’s completing more passes and he’s just coming out with more fire. … He’s definitely more focused.”