Coming off of a disappointing loss to LSU, Miami got a chance to build confidence against Savannah State. The game allowed the Hurricanes to play freshman from it’s highly touted 2018 class. Miami fans also got to see N’Kosi Perry for the first time in his career after redshirting last season. In total, four quarterbacks got playing time in the blowout win. With a final score of 77-0, the game could be deemed a success from all phases. Six players scored the first touchdown of their career, three more players received the ‘Turnover Chain’ for the first time.
Miami Hurricanes Freshman On Display In Blowout
Offensive Dominance
The Hurricanes got off to a fast start taking a commanding 21 point lead, after three touchdowns by Malik Rosier. Of the three scores, two were touchdown passes to Jeff Thomas and Will Mallory. The reception and touchdown would be the first for Mallory in his career.
After the Hurricanes were up 21 points, N’Kosi Perry made his debut as a Miami Hurricane. He would complete nine passes on 14 attempts, with three of those completions being touchdowns. Freshman tight end Brevin Jordan was a beneficiary of two of those touchdowns from Perry. While he did have three touchdowns, he also threw an interception which Mark Richt in the postgame press conference took responsibility for.
Cade Weldon would enter the game after Perry, on his second play of the game and run in for a 16 yard touchdown score. The final quarterback to enter would be the true freshman, Jarren Williams. He would also score a rushing touchdown. Another blue chip player that had a good day was Lorenzo Lingard. The former Army All-American would have two touchdowns with a long coming from 64 yards out where he showcased his speed.
Shutout Defense
The Hurricanes defense played relatively well, considering the opponent. Most of the backups played large parts of the game and held their own. For many it was the first playing time they’ve received. Jhavonte Dean, had an interception the first of his career as a Miami Hurricane. Waymon Steed recorded a turnover, pouncing on a fumble, earning him the turnover chain. Another performance which brought excitement defensively was the play of Nesta Silvera. He recorded five tackles but the play that stood out was his blocked punt where he bulldozed the back line into the punter. Scott Patchan was able to scoop the fumble for a touchdown, the first in his career.
Nesta Silvera: R.I.P. Mode.pic.twitter.com/vFGQGj2OpE
— GO ‘CANES! (@83_87_89_91_01) September 9, 2018
Final Thoughts
After the LSU loss, we maintained that many shouldn’t overreact especially those that only saw the score. Just the same, the win against Savannah State should be taken in stride. For as much talent that is on the team, there is still inexperience. The game allowed fans to see a glimpse of the future but the play of the freshman shouldn’t deter from the fact that they need experience against real competition. Savannah State is a program that will soon be moving down to DII football. The Hurricanes are supposed to defeat them by a wide margin. It would be a cause for concern if they didn’t.
Miami still has to find creative ways to get it’s freshman and sophomores playing time. First reason being that they compose the bulk of the team. In addition to Miami having a below average number of juniors and seniors, the younger players are just as talented. Consequently, more of the younger guys will need to progress to where coaches feel they can contribute during conference play. Overall though the win was solid but the players must continue to grow if Miami wants to repeat as ACC Coastal champions.
