:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61506091/usa_today_11301693.0.jpg)
With Malik Rosier on the bench, we were curious as to when Perry would complete his first pass of the contest. He would end up completing his first 10 in a row, including an endzone strike to Lawrence Cager. He would then deliver a floater to Brevin Jordan late in the first half, following his 1st incompletion. What was more impressive though, was the efficiency that the offense had once Perry was leading them.
It started with short throws to Brevin Jordan, as flashes of the Njoku/Kaaya connection were shown. Bubble screens and short-Tight End passes are essential to Richt’s scheme; seeing Perry gain confidence and rhythm through them was reassuring.
Despite a strip-sack in the middle of the 2nd quarter, the offense ran impressively well following Perry’s arrival. We saw great coordination between Perry and the receivers (Mike Harley in particular), as he led the offense to all 4 of their scores in the first half. For lack of better words, the offense just felt different - the energy changed with Malik Rosier on the bench.
Keep in mind that last week against Toledo, Rosier had a great performance; which is why the short leash displayed on Saturday was a bit shocking. Perry’s performance was anything but shocking though, as ‘Canes fans have been anticipating him leading the team since 2017.
Perry ended up making some ‘rookie’ mistakes, but still put together an impressive performance. The difference is that Malik, a 5th-year Senior, was making mistakes arguably worse than Perry’s, who is a Redshirt Freshman.
Th credit goes to Mark Richt though for finally seeing the light and not staying biased to Malik’s ‘experience.’ It may have taken longer than we wanted, but we were finally able to see the concrete results of Perry at the helm. He didn’t let Malik get comfortable, despite performing well a week ago.
What’s also respectable, is that Richt didn’t wait until the last quarter to incorporate Perry. Richt saw that the offense was struggling, made a bold decision - and it worked. This is the kind of leadership that Miami needs, and it was an ample answer to the scrutiny that he’s been under in passing weeks.
The ceiling of Richt’s offense seems higher than ever with Perry, and we can only hope that Richt feels the same. Will Perry start against North Carolina? We’ll have to wait and see. Regardless, he made a more-than-solid case to become Miami’s starting quarterback.