After struggling following the opening TD drive of the game against Virginia the Miami offense gained only 40 yards on the remainder of their drives through the end of the third quarter. Perry led a resurgent Hurricanes offense in the final 15 minutes. Those numbers added to the rest of the season are impressive.
Perry is 25-37 for 247 yards, three TD passes, 16 first downs and 10 completions of 15 yards or more in the fourth quarter. Perry’s stronger arm and greater willingness to take shots downfield will help the Hurricanes offense. Williams is 16th out of 17 in the fourth-quarter QBR. He is 12-23 for 120 yards with a TD and no INTs.
Manny Diaz announces N’Kosi Perry will start Saturday vs. Georgia Tech.
— Christy Chirinos (@ChristyChirinos) October 16, 2019
Jarren Williams still isn’t back to feeling his best, but he made progress this week on the health front.
Williams has led Miami to only seven first downs in the game’s final 15 minutes in 23 attempts passing the football. Only four completions by Williams have gone for 15 or more yards in the fourth quarter. That is telling when playing from behind and needing to drive quickly. Miami blew fourth-quarter leads in all three losses.
Perry has improved greatly under pressure this season. In 2018, Perry was 10-31 for 96 yards under pressure. The Miami football team has completed 36.1 percent of its passes under pressure in 2018 with two TDs and seven interceptions. Those numbers created a blueprint on how to defeat the Hurricanes last season.
In 2019, Perry has completed 46.1 percent of his attempts under pressure. Williams has completed 48.6 percent of his passes under pressure in 2019. As a team, the Hurricanes have completed 47.6 percent of their passes for 348 yards, three TDs and two interceptions. Miami needs to continue its efficiency.