N’Kosi Perry starts hot for Hurricanes against Georgia Tech — then commits costly turnover

When announcing this week that redshirt freshman quarterback N’Kosi Perry — not veteran Malik Rosier — would get the start at Georgia Tech, Miami Hurricanes coach Mark Richt said he felt confident the younger quarterback was now ready for the challenge of playing on the road.

What a difference a few weeks has seemingly made for Perry.

In his first road start at Virginia on Oct. 13, Perry, who has alternated starts with Rosier for the better part of the season, threw two early interceptions that put the Hurricanes in an early hole.

Richt pulled Perry after the second pick, inserted Rosier, but the Hurricanes never rallied back and their eventual 16-13 loss to the Cavaliers marked the start of a miserable three-game losing streak.

But early against Georgia Tech, Perry looked far more comfortable, at least throwing the ball.

He completed three passes on the Hurricanes’ opening drive, including a 27-yarder to Jeff Thomas on Miami’s first play from scrimmage.

That opening drive eventually culminated in a touchdown, a 1-yard rush by DeeJay Dallas that marked the first time the Hurricanes have scored on their opening possession since their 49-24 win over Toledo on Sept. 15.

Perry started the game 7 of 8 for 78 yards, but committed a costly mistake midway through the second quarter when he fumbled a snap from center Tyler Gauthier.

That lost fumble resulted in a 38-yard Georgia Tech field goal that gave the Yellow Jackets a 17-7 lead with 3:55 left in the first half.

Perry finished the game 14-of-23 for 165 yards. He also rushed for 38 yards.

“I thought he threw the ball on the money. I thought he threw with authority,” Richt said of Perry’s performance in Miami’s eventual 27-21 loss. “He was going to the right guys. He made some nice scrambles. On the fumble, the short-yardage play, under center … sometimes it happens so fast you can’t tell exactly what happened. I thought he played with confidence. I thought he threw the ball with confidence. … I thought he did a lot of things very well.”

Welcome back, coach

Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech marked Richt’s second trip back to Georgia, where he coached the Bulldogs for 15 years, since he took over as Hurricanes coach. And as one might expect, Richt — and his players — were greeted warmly when they stepped off the bus outside Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, the coach said he planned to spend part of the Hurricanes trip visiting with family and friends.

“I do have a lot of family members that will end up being at the game and a lot of friends over the years. Fifteen years in Athens, Georgia is a long time,” Richt said. “There’s a lot of relationships … I wouldn’t be shocked to find some Georgia fans that couldn’t get into the game in Athens to cheer against Georgia Tech. That’s how rabid that rivalry is.”

The trip to Atlanta was also a chance for several of the Hurricanes to play in their home state, including receiver Marquez Ezzard, running back DeeJay Dallas, defensive back Tyler Murphy, fullback Realus George, offensive lineman Venzell Boulware, long snapper Jacob Munoz and offensive lineman Zalon’tae Hillery.

Another change on the offensive line

During Miami’s three-game losing streak, the offensive line has had its share of struggles and on Saturday, the Hurricanes mixed up their starting unit — again.

Tyree St. Louis got the start at left tackle, Venzell Boulware started at left guard, Gauthier made his 10th start of the season at center, Hayden Mahoney started at right guard and freshman DJ Scaife started at right tackle.

Sophomore Navaughn Donaldson, who was a freshman All-American last season and had started all nine of Miami’s previous games this season, was demoted to the second team.

That starting group marked the fifth different starting combination the Hurricanes have used this season.

Countering the “Whiteout”

Saturday’s game marked Georgia Tech’s annual “Whiteout Game,” a Yellow Jackets’ tradition that began against Miami in 2008.

Georgia Tech came into the game having won three of its last four Whiteout Games, including a 28-17 win over Miami in 2014.

The Hurricanes in an effort to try and counter that dressed in their all-black “Miami Nights” uniforms that have become a fan favorite.

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