All is cured by winning or so the saying goes in sports. Manny Diaz has routinely spoken about creating a culture in the Miami football program and making sure the players are accountable to each other.
The roller-coaster season for the Miami football team turned around with the game-winning drive led by redshirt freshman quarterback Jarren Williams at Pittsburgh. The Hurricanes trailed the Panthers 12-10 late in the fourth quarter when Williams led Miami on a nine-play, 62-yard drive in 3:03 that finished with the winning TD pass.
Willams came off the bench in the fourth quarter for the final two drives of the game to help Miami avoid their third loss in four games and even their record at 4-4 on the season. A loss to Pittsburgh would have dropped the Hurricanes to 3-5 and created bleak hopes for qualifying for a bowl game.
The win over Pittsburgh revived the season for Miami. A players-only meeting following the Hurricanes loss to Georgia Tech the week before Pittsburgh was vital to a chance in the mindset of the Miami football team. After the dominant 52-27 Hurricanes victory over Louisville, Manny Diaz spoke about the Miami culture.
"“We were laying the foundation on values that will win if given persistence. This is how they have won at Miami for a long time…practicing hard at Greentree Practice field…lifting weights and running in the offseason…and then player accountability.Any time a former player talks to our team, they talk about player to player accountability. That was the last part. Our guys play hard and are mentally tough. The missing element was accountability that leads to a performance like today and that is different from what we saw a month ago.You continue to work with them because you know that what you are teaching foundationally is sound.”"
Williams has played at an elite level in the Miami victories over Florida State and Louisville. He set a career-high with 313 passing yards against the Seminoles and threw for a Miami football program record and tied the ACC record with six TDs against the Cardinals.
Diaz discussed the change in Williams after Pittsburgh
.
"“That series turned around our season. I think he is understanding what it means to be a big time quarterback week in and week out at the University of Miami in terms of the preparation and details. The way that he has prepared since that day has been at a different level.I continue to state that we can win a lot of games with N’Kosi Perry, but Jarren has that little something extra and I think we are starting to see that little something extra.”"
Manny Diaz: “What can you say about Jarren Williams? ... It’s starting to look the way we want it to look.”
— Christy Chirinos (@ChristyChirinos) November 10, 2019
The something extra that Williams has is far better accuracy than Perry. Williams is on pace to set the Miami season completion percentage record at 67.4. Perry is nearly 10 percentage points behind Williams at 57.8 percent. The Miami offense is far more efficient with Williams at QB. The Hurricanes are learning how to win as a team.
"“The best part is the players get it. They know it is all about their accountability and connections to one another. It is in the little things. We see it in practice. It is like parenting a child. At some point they have to learn and they have to mature. We have a very young football team. We did not honor very many seniors.We have some young guys that are maturing and starting to get it and they recognize what wins. That has been the most encouraging part.”"
The young guys Diaz referred to above extend beyond Williams. The offensive line had improved tremendously since allowing 10 sacks to Florida. The sophomore class for Miami on offense starting to make a big impact. Even without star sophomore tight end Brevin Jordan out on Saturday versus Louisville, the sophomores starred.
Wide receiver Dee Wiggins has seven receptions for 155 yards and three TDs over the past two games, Jordan’s replacement Will Mallory caught one of six TDs and running back Cam Harris had 90 yards from scrimmage. On the season, Harris has nearly 500 total yards. The future of the Miami football program is bright.