Note to Canes defensive coordinator: Please choose another nickname for Te’Cory Couch
Everyone knew it would be the first question Tuesday, or at least a variation thereof.
“Have you been called a chihuahua before and do you sort of see a little of that little dog in you?” a reporter asked Miami Hurricanes cornerback Te’Cory Couch, a pleasant, good-natured sophomore whose defensive coordinator the previous day compared him to a chihuahua.
“He thinks he’s a lot bigger than he is,’’ Blake Baker said of Couch, the 5-10, 172-pound nickel back whose enormous third-down sack of North Carolina State quarterback Bailey Hockman forced the punt to precede Miami’s game-winning drive with about four minutes left in the game.
Never mind that Baker loves Couch and raved about his talents and said he’s gotten “slippery’’ on his blitzes, with no fear when he enters the game.
“We gotta change that nickname fast,’’ Couch said, still smiling. “I’m not a fan of that at all.’’
Couch, who also dominates on special teams and is the third cornerback to rotate into games along with starters Al Blades and DJ Ivey, was a consensus four-star recruit out of Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna when he chose UM over options such as LSU, Oklahoma, Michigan, Oregon and Tennessee.
Couch’s two interceptions in his final game of high school helped Chaminade-Madonna win its second consecutive Class 3A state title in 2018. An Under Armour All-American at Chaminade, Couch came to UM with high school teammates Cameron Williams, a defensive end, and striker Keontra Smith.
‘Really twitchy’
“He’s really, really twitchy, really athletic,’’ Baker said of Couch last season. “He’s got great feet and he’s fearless. He can run and guys that can run like that are confident in playing press.’’
Couch has played in all seven games this season, with 15 tackles, a tackle for loss, three crucial pass breakups in UM’s victory against Pitt , a quarterback hurry and forced fumble.
Coach Manny Diaz said after the Pitt game, when sophomore played 50 to 60 snaps, that Couch “basically had to lock his man down in man coverage.’’
“His performance was really good,’’ Diaz said.
As No. 9 UM (6-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) prepares to travel to unranked Virginia Tech (4-3, 4-2) for a noon Saturday kickoff, Couch was asked Tuesday if he’d rather have an interception or a third-down sack like he did to help save the game at NC State.
“Honestly, either one is good for me,’’ Couch said, “as long as I”m making a play for my team to give us a chance to win the game.’’
He said the Canes “ran that play like almost 50 times last week and it came out the exact same way it did in practice. So, I just put a move on the running back and I tried to get the quarterback on the ground and I was just full of energy, full of excitement because I knew that play changed the momentum of the game.’’
Defensive end Jaelan Phillips, who had the other sack against the Wolfpack, called Couch “a great energy guy.’’
“He’s stepped up big time when he’s had the opportunity. At Pitt he had a couple of key deflectons and he’s been making big plays ever since.’’
Blitzing is fun
Couch described blitzing as “really fun” because he’s “not the strongest guy on the field, but I feel like I use my quickness and speed to my advantage to get around bigger guys that can’t move as well as I can.
“Honestly, I knew I was going to have a bigger role than I had last year,’’ he said of his thoughts on his play and when highly rated sophomore cornerback Christian Williams entered the transfer portal in September. “But I just didn’t know when it was going to happen. I just kept thinking every game, ‘This is my opportunity’ and now it’s finally happening.
“Me and him were really close. I didn’t really understand why he left. I tried to talk to him and he just went his own way.’’
Couch, who is majoring in sports administration, explained that he plays bigger than he is because of his mindset. “I feel like if I go out there and do what I gotta do, nobody can stop me. I’m just confident in myself and my ability and I work extremely hard. Every day I take coaching.
He’s ‘chill’ but feisty
“I’m laid back, chill. I’m observant. I take coaching from everybody, whether it’s safeties, linebackers. I watch the linebackers because I want to feel like a physical corner and I like to hit.’’
So, most importantly, if he doesn’t like the chihuahua comparison, what type of dog would he prefer?
“A bulldog at least,’’ he said, soon laughing. “I don’t want to be a chihuahua.’’
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 4:34 PM.
