Newly named starting quarterback N’Kosi Perry ready to dive into Miami-FSU rivalry

It has been, for N’Kosi Perry, a whirldwind of late.

This summer, the redshirt freshman was one of three quarterbacks on the Hurricanes roster to have never played a down in a college football game. In early September, he made his highly anticipated debut, entering Miami’s blowout win over Savannah State well after a victory was virtually guaranteed.

Two weeks later, he got his first significant playing time in a game that hadn’t been decided, entering the Hurricanes’ 31-17 win over FIU on the third series and playing so well Miami coach Mark Richt kept sending him back onto the field for every ensuing series.

Then Richt made the decision that could very well define this season for the 17th-ranked Hurricanes, making Perry — not Malik Rosier — the starter for Miami’s ACC opener last Thursday against North Carolina.

Perry didn’t get many reps that night — he didn’t have to, with the Hurricanes scoring three defensive touchdowns and Miami running just 46 offensive plays. But Perry in his limited chances, Perry was effective, connecting on 8-of-12 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.

He handled his first start about as well as both he and Richt could have hoped and now, Perry finds himself ready to step onto one of the biggest stages in college football: the latest installment of the storied rivalry between the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida State Seminoles.

“It’s something I’ve been looking forward to growing up my whole life,” Perry said on Tuesday, a day after Richt officially named him the starter for Saturday afternoon’s nationally televised game at Hard Rock Stadium.

Perry, a former four-star prospect at Ocala’s Vanguard High, was on the sideline last October at Doak Campbell Stadium when the Hurricanes snapped a maddening seven-game losing streak to the rival Seminoles.

He could do little more than provide support for Rosier and the rest of the offense as they moved through a final-minute drive that culminated when, with six seconds left, Darrell Langham scored on a 23-yard touchdown catch that gave the Hurricanes a 24-20 win in Tallahassee.

It was a moment Perry described as a “rush” for him and everyone in a Miami uniform that day, whether they played or not. And considering that the last four meetings between the Hurricanes and Seminoles (3-2, 1-2 ACC) have been decided by a combined 14 points, it’s not out of the realm of possibility Perry could find himself in a very similar situation on Saturday.

If he does, is Perry ready for the pressure that moment will bring?

Richt seemed confident his quarterback can handle it, especially if the Hurricanes (4-1, 1-0) prepare him appropriately.

“We just teach him what to do and have him focus on his job,” Richt said. “That’s the only thing that’s productive as far as letting your mind go anywhere other than ‘What do I do on this play? What do I do on this coverage?’ That’s what he has to focus on. The better he does his job, the more confidence he’ll have.”

Confidence is just one part of the game for Perry. Earning his coach’s trust has been another. That wasn’t always easy for the quarterback, who earlier this year, was suspended for Miami’s season opener against LSU after violating an undisclosed team rule.

Richt has said Perry’s suspension was handed down long before that game against the Tigers was played and since, the quarterback has worked to prove he has changed, both on and off the field.

“It certainly didn’t come overnight. I had to work on it every single day, every single night,” Perry said. “As time went on, it just got easier and easier, practicing good habits. Now it’s natural to me. … That’s definitely one thing I had to learn, that I’m an example on and off the field. Even when nobody’s watching, I have to do what’s right at all times.”

Eventually, Perry did enough to show Richt he had matured and was worthy of significant playing time. His teammates saw a changed Perry, too.

“He’s trying to take more of a leadership role. Even in weight lifting and everything when we call each other up, he’s the first one that wants to be in the middle and say something and break us down,” center Tyler Gauthier said. “He has definitely grown up in that aspect in that he knows his role and is applying it well.”

Added Langham, “He’s kind of taken over this whole offense. I feel like he understands his role.”

Perry’s role now is to hopefully deliver another memorable moment in a series defined by them, from missed kicks to improbable touchdowns.

But for his part, the quarterback would like to see the Hurricanes do something special well before there are seconds left on the clock.

“I’m ready for whatever,” Perry said with a smile. “But I feel like it won’t come down to that moment this year.”

He’ll find out one way or the other on Saturday.

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