So, is N’Kosi Perry or Malik Rosier starting at QB for No. 16 Miami? Coach Mark Richt is coy, fans are loud and North Carolina is waiting

On Thursday night, after an uncomfortably short week of preparation, the Hurricanes will take the field at Hard Rock Stadium for their first game of conference play, a showdown with ACC Coastal Division foe North Carolina.

It might be only then that everyone — the Tar Heels included — will learn which of the Hurricanes’ quarterbacks will get the start.

For the past 17 games, Hurricanes coach Mark Richt has put the ball in the hands of redshirt senior Malik Rosier, who last year led the Hurricanes to 10 straight wins, including dramatic come-from-behind thrillers against ACC rivals Florida State and Georgia Tech.

However, on Saturday afternoon, while Rosier got the start, it was redshirt freshman N’Kosi Perry who stole the show in Miami’s 31-17 win over FIU.

Perry entered the game on the Hurricanes’ third offensive series and immediately led Miami to a pair of touchdowns. He connected on his first 10 passes, and by halftime he was 12 of 13 for 170 yards with two touchdowns.

His dazzling play prompted Richt to keep Perry in to start the second half, and the quarterback kept right on producing, helping the Hurricanes build a 31-0 third-quarter lead. He finished the day 17 of 25 for 224 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

On Monday, during the 15-minute window when reporters are allowed to view practice, it was Perry — not Rosier — who took every first-team snap for the Hurricanes.

That was a change from Miami’s typical routine, which has always featured Rosier with the first-string offense. But once practice ended, Richt was coy, even a little playful, when asked about the starting job.

“I’m not telling what’s up,” he said with a smile. “I had a little fun today in our little running back drill. I know how much y’all watch it. I saw y’all scribbling down there. I got a good chuckle on that one. …

“Malik got first-team reps, Kosi got first-team reps. [Cade] Weldon got some first-team reps. We think all three of those guys have gotten to the point where they’ve earned the right to play, and we’re just going to continue to watch them practice and see who we think is the best guy to help us win.”

During Saturday’s game, Hurricanes fans seemed to state their preference, chanting Perry’s name while the quarterback was on the field. The former four-star prospect and one of the jewels of Miami’s 2017 recruiting class has long been a fan favorite, especially when Rosier has struggled.

Despite leading Miami to 10 wins to open last season, Rosier’s accuracy has been a consistent issue. He completed just 54 percent of his passes in 2017 and was at the helm of the offense during losses to Pittsburgh, Clemson and Wisconsin to close out the season.

Rosier struggled again in the Hurricanes’ opener, a 33-17 loss to LSU, and the drumbeat to give Perry — who was suspended for that first game of the season— an opportunity grew louder.

While Perry eventually saw time in Miami’s 77-0 rout of Savannah State on Sept. 8, it wasn’t until last week that Richt felt it was time to give him more of a chance in a game that hadn’t yet been decided.

And much in the same way Richt has seen the young quarterback grow, so too have the teammates who have to face him every day in practice.

“He’s having fun. He’s not tense. He’s just back there having fun, like backyard football,” said senior cornerback Michael Jackson of Perry. “He was a little tense [before]. He kind of looked like a deer in the headlights at times. But he’s just having fun now.”

Added safety Amari Carter of Perry, “I thought he did really well. I talked to him, told him to just keep throwing the passes, you see something, just keep throwing it. That’s what he did. He did a very [good] job at it.”

As to what’s next, Richt and the Hurricanes aren’t saying, the coach noting Monday that sometimes, a little secrecy doesn’t hurt.

Besides, the Tar Heels may have some quarterback questions of their own.

Though UNC coach Larry Fedora on Monday said Nathan Elliott would start against the Hurricanes, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Chazz Surratt could get on the field, now that his suspension has ended.

And in Chapel Hill, Fedora was nearly as Coy as Richt was in Coral Gables about the topic.

“He could and he couldn’t,” Fedora responded when North Carolina reporters asked if Surratt could play against Miami.

Richt, meanwhile, when asked if the Hurricanes could use two quarterbacks themselves, had a similar response.

“I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll see,” he said with a smile. “I know you all want more, but that’s all you’re getting.”

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