Manny Diaz indicates even ACC Rookie of Week Jarren Williams regressed amid growing pains
The University of Miami finally has a quarterback it can build its offense around.
For the second consecutive week, redshirt freshman Jarren Williams, who was 17 of 24 for 250 yards and a touchdown Saturday, was named on Monday the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Week.
But even Williams, who has clearly made an impressive mark in his first four college starts, regressed a bit against Central Michigan and has growing to do, Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz indicated earlier Monday.
Two days after the Canes (2-2, 0-1 ACC) barely got by Central Michigan in a sloppy, hard-to-watch performance, Diaz lamented the overall performance of the offense, including some of the play of Williams — despite the young quarterbacks’ strong statistics.
The Canes next meet Virginia Tech on Oct. 5 in a 3:30 p.m. nationally televised (ABC, ESPN or ESPN2) game at Hard Rock Stadium, the ACC announced Monday .
In a Monday radio interview with WQAM’s Joe Rose and Zach Krantz, Diaz was asked by Rose what the coach wants his young quarterback to work on. Williams, now 85 of 117 for a 72.6-percent completion rate, has passed for 1,027 yards and seven touchdowns in four games, with no interceptions — despite being sacked 18 times. The Canes are ranked 129th of 130 FBS teams in sacks allowed.
Miami is one of only 14 teams in the nation not to have thrown a pick, and Williams, the first UM quarterback to not throw an interception over the first 100 passes of his career, is ranked 26th nationally in passing efficiency.
“Let’s start before the game,’’ Diaz began, in speaking of Williams and then branching out to include the entire squad. “Let’s start with your preparation. Let’s make sure we’re preparing at a championship level every week. That’s the hard part about when you’re a first-year starter and you’ve had some success...
“And that idea that every week demands your best — demands your best,’’ the coach said for emphasis. “Like, [sigh] ‘Every week, like, do I really have to do this?’ ‘ Yes, every week regardless of the opponent.’
“Because what we found, we told our team, [is that] we played a [Southeastern Conference] team, an ACC team, an FCS team and a [Mid-American] team, basically the four levels of football. And when we do our stuff right it doesn’t matter who we play, good things happen for Miami. And when we do our stuff wrong, it doesn’t matter who we play, bad things happen for Miami.
“So, we see that we’re in control. And that’s Jarren or anybody else. That starts with our preparation, to make sure that our preparation never wanes. And that’s probably the hardest part when you’re relying on a bunch of young guys.’’
Diaz continued, indicating that Williams, as offensive coordinator Dan Enos said after the loss to Florida, didn’t always work through his progressions, and that possibly because the previous week’s game was easier for him, regressed in that area.
“...The decision making,’’ Diaz said. “We saw it early on, taking a lot of the easy completions. I think we’ve tried working on getting the eyes down the field on some of the bigger throws.
“...Maybe some of the balls he was holding on to and waiting against Bethune for guys to be open on the deeper routes, where Bethune could not get to us on the pass rush, against Central Michigan we’re sitting there holding the ball and the pass rush does get there.
“We knew that Central Michigan had some good defensive ends that could create some match-up problems. So, now it gets back to, trust your reads. When it’s there, hit it. When it’s not there, there is going to be a guy underneath the coverage.
“The old ’take what the defense gives you.’ Get the ball out of your hands, get the ball to our athletes. First downs equal touchdowns. That idea of not trying to be greedy and just understanding what works in Week One is what is going to work in Week 11.”
Williams, sacked four times, was spent and hurting after the game, conceding that one of his shoulders was “a little stiff.’’
“I’ve just got to get the ice tub,’’ Williams said. “This off week will be good to kind of get my body back.”
Williams said he needs to use his legs “a little bit more’’ and that “a couple times” on near interceptions he “got greedy a little bit, just trying to make something out of nothing... When stuff is not there I’ve got to kind of escape the pocket...to help out the offense.”
Tight end Brevin Jordan, who caught three passes for 70 yards Saturday, said after the game that he has witnessed Williams’ “toughness since Day One, since the first game against Florida when he took 10 sacks. Not one time did he complain. Not one time did he have a bad face on him.
“He just always keeps going. He’s always like, ‘Let’s go, guys. Just give me a little bit more time.’ He’s never negative.’’
Diaz told WQAM that Williams “absolutely’’ has confidence throwing the deep pass. In games, however, some of those passes have been underthrown.
“Absolutely he does,’’ Diaz said. “I see it every week in practice. But you’ve got to get the coverage you want, you’ve got to get the route you want and you’ve got to get the protection you want. When you have a series of ‘My bads’ in protection it makes it hard to get back there and set your feet.’’
Diaz said the Canes had “nine explosive plays of 16 yards or more in the game, which is pretty good.’’ But “we only had one explosive run, and that’s obviously not a way to win a football game.” He did point out the throw Saturday to Jeff Thomas “at the end zone’’ on UM’s second drive in the opening quarter. “The ball was a little late getting out there. Jeff had them beat by a yard or two and it allowed the defensive back to go back there and break it up.
“There’s not anything on the inside that there’s massive concern or panic about. This is just how you get a football team better through the course of a season.’’
This story was originally published September 23, 2019 at 1:00 PM.
