Tate Martell And N’Kosi Perry Provide Miami With Dual-Threat Abilities At Quarterback That’s Unfamiliar To UM

As far as I'm aware, the Miami Hurricanes football team has never quite had a dual-threat at the quarterback position, someone who could seriously hurt you with their arms and legs. I mean let’s be honest, Ken Dorsey wasn’t going to the guy that could escape a breaking-down pocket and scramble for 20-30 yards. Jacory Harris and Malik Rosier could move a little bit, but defensive coordinators weren’t up the week prior worrying about those QB’s running all over them.

Now, UM has two of those guys on their roster, Tate Martell and N’Kosi Perry, and their abilities to throw and run will help them and the Canes immensely in 2019.

Going into this new season, obviously Miami needs a guy who can sling the ball all over the field and has a strong arm. However, one of the Hurricanes greatest weaknesses going into 2019 is their offensive line, so the quarterback being able to make plays with his feet will be crucial. I took some time and watched some film on both Martell and Perry, looking at throws they made on the run, presence in the pocket and also what they were able to do when they took off and ran.

Let’s start off with Tate. Coming out of Bishop Gorman High School, Martell was the second-ranked dual-threat QB in the 2017 recruiting class, so his ability to do everything has been a staple of his game his entire career up to this point.

Once he got to Ohio State, whenever Urban Meyer put him into the game, Martell was very fun to watch because he could make plays with his arm and legs.

In these next two videos, watch how Tate uses both of those skills to throw the ball while rolling-out to his left to deliver completions.

During spring practice recently at Miami, Martells rolling-out skills was still impressing those in attendance.

Then of course, the reason why I first noticed Martell while he was on the Buckeyes was his talents running the football. What I like most about this play below is that it wasn’t a designed run for Tate. It was a passing call, but Martell didn’t see anyone open, so he decided to tuck it and run. Never before has Miami had this kind of athlete at the quarterback position, where he’s able to elude defenders on the way to a near 50-yard touchdown run.

Here in this next video, Ohio State this time is running more of a read option type play. Martells vision is really on full display here, and is able to get past the incoming safety and also cornerback on the side for a substantial gain.

Now let’s transition over to N’Kosi Perry. Perry is interesting because over the past month or so, as I've been asked about the controversy Miami has at quarterback, I really only mentioned Martells ability to throw and run. When we think of Perry last season, we remember his throws against FSU where he stood in the pocket, not moving around too much.

Though, in that same recruiting class of 2017, N’Kosi wasn’t far behind Tate and was rated as the seventh dual-threat QB in the country. And as you can see, Perry showed that off in 2018.

Let’s start off again with his capacity in throwing on the run. Similar to the Martell videos previous, here we see Perry rolling to the left, but still delivering an absolute laser to Mike Harley on the sideline. I don't think people realize how difficult this throw is, but looking back it was definitely one of N’Kosi’s best from 2018. Perry is said to have the strongest arm out of Martell, Jarren Williams and himself, and this play shows that.

On this particular play against FIU, we see Perry keep his cool in the pocket, even though the defensive end is right behind him when he steps up. From there, he moves around and with a linebacker closing in on him, Kosi is still able to float a perfect pass to Lawrence Cager in the corner for a touchdown.

Now, let’s look at two plays that Perry made when he took it himself. Twice against Georgia Tech, on two third downs as well, N’Kosi saw nobody open, and had the presence of mind to take off and run. Both times he was able to get the first down.

We go back to the FIU game, another third-down, and another time where Perry saw nobody open to throw to, and then bolted, showing off his elusiveness to get passed the linebacker.

As you watch the videos, Perry may not look like Martell running the football or have his speed, but his talents with his legs are sometimes overlooked and they shouldn't be. You also can’t deny N’Kosi’s pocket presence and still being able to deliver a crisp pass outside the pocket.

Now obviously, offensive coordinator Dan Enos has generally liked his quarterbacks to stand in the pocket and make precise throws, and luckily these two guys can do that. That being said, there will come a time, and I promise you it will come week-one against the Gators, where these skills will be called upon.