‘Love’ and ‘passion’ fuel Miami heading into FSU week, but that offense needs some TLC
K.J. Osborn, the Hurricanes’ veteran receiver whose dramatic 32-yard touchdown catch Saturday at Pittsburgh with 58 seconds left changed the trajectory of Miami’s season and likely prevented a disastrous week, said he knows exactly what has kept the Canes together through an emotionally trying time.
“It’s love,’’ Osborn said. “We truly love each other.’’
Just minutes before Jarren Williams tossed the winning touchdown, Osborn was buoyed by injured teammate DeeJay Dallas’ reminder of legendary UM wideout Santana Moss’ famous words: ‘Big time players make big-time plays in big-time games.’
“It was crunch time,’’ said Osborn, who barreled through one of the nation’s best defenses to reach the end zone.
As the Hurricanes (4-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) prepare for their 3:30 p.m. Saturday showdown (ABC) against in-state nemesis Florida State (4-4, 3-3), what allowed them to get the 16-12 victory over the favored Panthers was “genuine love for each other,’’ Osborn, a graduate transfer and recognized leader, insisted. “Those guys in the locker room, out there the work we put in on Greentree [Practice Field], out there in the weight room. It’s love. It’s easier when you love somebody. When they’re out there you want to make a play for them. You don’t want to let your brothers down.
“We felt that passion, that love today, and we got it done.’’
Indeed they did, despite whispers outside the program that a handful of Canes have been upset about lack of playing time and like former receiver Brian Hightower, who announced last week that he was leaving the program, were contemplating their futures at UM.
Possible internal rumblings, an obviously deficient offense and inconsistency from week-to-week notwithstanding, UM’s victory now propels them toward the last third of the regular season with renewed hope — although it’s understandable that fans would be skeptical after Miami lost to 18-point underdog Georgia Tech in the game before Pitt, a week after they upset then-No. 20 Virginia.
Coach Manny Diaz believes that sticking together as a family, as multiple players have reiterated, ignoring the outside noise and perpetuating a never-quit, intense practice attitude, will eventually lead the Canes to better days.
“It’s all about heart,’’ insisted defensive end Greg Rousseau, who has exceptional talent to accompany the substantial heart. The 6-6, 260-pound redshirt freshman out of Hialeah Champagnat Catholic amassed seven tackles, three sacks (including one during Pitt’s final, last-gasp drive) and a quarterback hurry Saturday. He has eight sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery with four regular-season games to go.
“We’re happy for sure, just united, just not letting anything break us, Rousseau said. “Every week, just going back to work with them is the best thing ever — for real.”
A fired-up Diaz reinforced that message in the post-game locker room.
“That chain that we formed today,’’ Diaz told his players, as shown on a post-game UM video, “that wasn’t about today. We became something today. Something changed. And it was hard. Pitt’s got a good football team. It’s supposed to be hard.
“But you get a chain, some hard steel, tight connections, tight bonds, you know what that chain don’t do? It don’t break.’’
Chain or no chain, the Hurricanes have some major offensive deficiencies to correct before they face the Seminoles, who are fighting through a similarly frustrating season.
Miami is ranked 84th nationally in total offense, averaging 384 yards a game after gaining an anemic 208 Saturday. The Canes are 114th in rushing offense (120 ground yards-per-game), which, as bad as that sounds, is 66 yards more than they rushed for Saturday.
The Canes are next-to-last in the NCAA in third-down conversion percentage, failing nearly 75-percent of the time. On Saturday they converted twice in 13 attempts (about 15 percent).
And despite scoring twice in their three opportunities in the red zone Saturday, UM is still 128th of 130 teams in red zone offense.
The bright side? Miami, one of the worst offensive fronts nationally in having allowed 31 sacks coming into Pitt, gave up only two to the nation’s No. 1 sack machine that was averaging more than five a game.
And with quarterbacks N’Kosi Perry and Williams now having seen substantial action, Miami is ranked 36th in passing offense (nearly 264 yards a game).
We still don’t know which quarterback will start at FSU, especially after it was learned Williams missed practice Wednesday, creating a situation that he said Saturday he’d rather keep “in house’’ before assuring that he was committed to the program. Perry, whose separated left shoulder had to be a detriment Saturday, started his third consecutive game against the Panthers, but was inaccurate and mostly ineffective before Williams replace him in the fourth quarter and led his team to victory.
Williams has been recovering from a throwing-shoulder injury sustained several weeks ago.
“Throwing the ball there’s no pain,’’ Williams said after the game. “I’m feeling really good.’’
Williams said the team will “lock in’’ this week. “Whether it’s me or N’Kosi...I feel like we’re both guys that can come in and move the ball down the field and put points up for our team. But where do we go from here? We go up.’’
▪ When asked after the game about the status of quarterback/receiver Tate Martell, who UM said on Friday was taking a “medical leave of absence,’’ Diaz said, “Tate’s doing well and we hope to have him back with us soon. We’ll let you guys know.’’
▪ After a season full of kicking woes, UM went with walk-on Camden Price Saturday. Price kicked a 22-yard field goal in the first quarter and made his only extra-point attempt.
