D’Eriq King and Mike Harley’s unstoppable UM bond starts with friendship, ends with TDs
University of Miami quarterback D’Eriq King had just left the team hotel and was on the bus en route to Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, when a text message from senior receiver Mike Harley popped up on his phone.
“He told me he loved me,’’ King said, and ‘Let’s go be great tonight.’ ’’
Little did King, nor Harley, know that a few hours later the two would combine for one of the greatest passing games in Hurricanes history. For King, 31 of 41 completed passes (75.6 percent) for 430 yards and five touchdowns to four different pass-catchers, with 105 rushing yards on 15 carries. For Harley, eight catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns, including the spectacular 54-yard come-from-behind game-winner with 2:43 left.
As the No. 9 Hurricanes (6-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) prepare for a noon road game (ESPN) Saturday at Virginia Tech (4-3, 4-2), the off-field relationships between Hurricanes players such as graduate transfer King and fourth-year senior Harley have played a significant role in their on-field success.
“Everything starts with that,’’ King said Wednesday of the bonds created outside of games and practices. “If you don’t like the guy, if you don’t know the guy you’re playing next to it’s going to be tough playing hard for that guy. I know I try to tell my teammates that I care about each and every one of them.
‘Super close’
“Me and Mike are super close.”
So close that every Monday morning since the season opener against Alabama-Birmingham, King and Harley have met at the UM facility to study film and discuss the upcoming opponent.
“Me and D’Eriq basically take that Monday and get right mentally,’’ Harley said Wednesday. “Nothing too physical, nothing on the field — in the film room and get treatment on our bodies.
“We’ve been really consistent with it, watching film, studying the coverages, texting [offensive coordinator Rhett] Lashlee what will work, what should we try against this and blah, blah, blah. And our chemistry, we’re just building [and] getting stronger and stronger.”
That might be an understatement. The past two games against Virginia and NC State, Harley has combined for 18 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns. King has combined for 52 completions in 71 attempts (73 percent) for 752 yards and six touchdowns, with no interceptions — and 29 carries for 133 yards. Keep in mind that King was sacked seven times the past two games, and the lost yardage is counted in his rushing totals.
“You know, playing here, you get a lot of criticism sometimes — something is good, something is bad, whatever,’’ said King, who played at Houston the past four years. “We all have each other’s back. We just gotta keep going. On game day especially, in a tight game, I’m out there playing for my guys and they’re playing for me and the defense is playing for the offense and the offense is playing for the defense.
“Mike and I are both older guys, so it means a lot to us. We don’t have all the time in the world to play here, so we want to give it our all.’’
‘Goofy’ and ‘chill’
King described Harley as “a goofy dude.’’
“He’s super funny, always talking,’’ the quarterback said.
Harley, who cried in the locker room after last week’s win, described King as “one tough person’’ facing his recent “battles and adversity’’ with his father’s death and mother’s fight through breast cancer. “I’ve never seen a guy that strong come in and put the work in without being distracted, without being down.
“Him standing out of all the quarterbacks [I’ve played with], he’s the strongest one, meaning mentally and how he battles and fights against adversity.
“On the bright side, he’s real chill. We can be eating out and he won’t talk. He’s just real laid-back and chill. And he’s very observant.’’
Harley said his relationship with King “most definitely’’ translates to game-day success.
“There’s a time and place for everything,’’ Harley said. “Honestly, a lot of people don’t know me. I’ve got a great sense of humor. I’m real goofy and I’m talkative and I’m an up type of guy. But when it’s on the field I’m locked in and quiet, so D’Eriq King knows when I’m locked in and ready. He’ll give me that look and I’ll give him that look and you know it’s time to go.’’
Late bloomer
Harley, who now has 497 yards receiving and four touchdowns in seven games, said after the NC State game and again Wednesday that his career has been an “emotional roller coaster’’ and that as a “late bloomer,’’ he’s had to sometimes painfully learn how to be patient.
“Everything for me, it has never happened right now,’’ Harley said. “It has always been me learning patience since I was 5 years old playing little league football and learning patience in high school when I got to St. Thomas Aquinas.
“...Trusting the process and working hard, everything has started coming to the light. It’s perfect timing and it’s coming in clutch moments. Every time I make a big play, it hits me, like ‘Wow! Don’t give up.’ Emotional roller coaster. I feel up sometimes. I feel down sometimes.
“Now,’’ he added, “it’s stack it, be confident, be consistent and just keep it going.’’
King’s season
King wants to keep it going, too. In seven starts he is 143 of 224 (63.8) for 1,831 yards and 16 touchdowns with four interceptions. He has rushed for 408 yards and five touchdowns on 81 carries, a 5-yards-per-carry average.
Some of King’s accomplishments Friday: First quarterback in school history to rush for 100 yards in a game, second Miami quarterback to throw for 400 yards and five touchdowns in a game, third Miami quarterback with a 400-yard passing game on the road and third ACC quarterback to pass for 400 yards and rush for 100.
“What D’Eriq King did tonight was phenomenal,’’ UM coach Manny Diaz said after the win last Friday.
“Our guys will fight for each other. Our guys will stare adversity in the face and look to overcome it,’’ Diaz told WQAM this week. “And what’s amazing is what our players learned is the way out was just to stick together and trust each other.’’
Hurricanes striker Gilbert Frierson, who plays a linebacker/safety hybrid position and fired up his teammates at halftime when UM was trailing NC State, spoke about the influence King and Harley have on the entire team, not just the offense.
“He’s a positive guy,’’ Frierson said of King. “He tries to keep everyone uplifted through whatever situation. He always comes down [during games] and says, ‘Let’s go, D! Let’s get tough, D! Let’s stop them, D!’ Hearing that from the leader of our team is amazing.
“It’s all about trust and believing in your teammates.’’
This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 4:19 PM.
