Last stand or new beginning? Perry proved he can still be starter, but will it be at UM?
It was a routine N’Kosi Perry has been through roughly a dozen times throughout his four years with the Miami Hurricanes, although surely not one he could have expected to go through Tuesday.
Miami lost 37-34 and Perry was standing at a press conference — albeit this time via Zoom — for the first time this season and at least the 10th in his career. It was typical for him after the nine starts he made in 2018 and 2019, and a few other times when he played an important role in relief. Too often he had to talk about losses and quarterback controversies. Too often he had to diagnose what he did wrong and explain where he could improve.
When he fielded questions this time, he got to talk about the most thrilling parts of a sure-to-be-remembered chapter of the Hurricanes’ bowl history. A defensive disaster in the first quarter, about a half dozen costly drops and a heart-stopping injury made the Cheez-It Bowl memorable because of how gruesome it got. The near comeback Perry orchestrated after D’Eriq King went down made it more than just an outright disaster.
“I was ready right away,” Perry said, “because I was keeping up with every single play of the game.”
The bowl game in Orlando was supposed to be a showcase for King, who announced Saturday he’ll return to the Hurricanes for one more season. Miami’s postseason showdown with the Oklahoma State Cowboys was the perfect bridge to a 2021 and then it became a nightmare in the second quarter when he hobbled off the field with a potentially devastating right leg injury.
Tuesday might have been Perry’s last game at Miami or it might have been the first of an important final chapter in the redshirt junior’s rollercoaster career. If King’s injury was just a scare, Perry could search for a new home and more realistic opportunity to start. If King’s injury will keep him out for the start of next year, Perry will be in the driver’s seat to begin 2021 as the Hurricanes’ starter. His performance Tuesday — 19 of 34 for 228 yards and two touchdowns, plus 10 rushing yards — warranted a real opportunity somewhere next season.
“I’m very happy for N’Kosi, he works very hard,” tight end Brevin Jordan said. “He comes to the building and he knows he’s not the starting quarterback, he knows he’s not the guy, but he prepares every day like he’s the starting quarterback.”
It only happened because he was the one who stayed, even through benchings, second chances, quarterback competitions and transfer additions. He always had accuracy issues — he has completed fewer than 55 percent of his career passes — and his decision making was suspect, but his arm talent was undeniable, as was his commitment.
Perry waited patiently behind Malik Rosier in 2017. He stayed after he beat out Rosier in 2018, then lost his job again to the former quarterback because of off-field behavior. When quarterback Tate Martell transferred from the Ohio State Buckeyes to Miami in 2019, Perry didn’t shy away from competition and he even stayed with the Hurricanes when quarterback Jarren Williams won the preseason competition.
Perry could have transferred in January, when King joined Miami after a standout career for the Houston Cougars — Williams did. He could have bailed anytime throughout the 2020 season, when he rode the bench while dealing with COVID-19 restrictions — Martell did. He even could have called it quits Saturday, when King announced he would return for one final season in Coral Gables, potentially ending any real chance for Perry to start for the Hurricanes again.
“When D’Eriq came on campus, N’Kosi could have gone one of two ways,” coach Manny Diaz said. “His last 12 months on our campus and who he has been in our program has been his best 12 months.”
On Tuesday, he was midway through perhaps his final game at Miami when disaster struck.
King planted awkwardly and injured his right leg. Perry entered to play meaningful snaps for the first time all season, with No. 18 Miami trailing by two touchdowns in a top-25 postseason clash. He shook off his early rust, overcame five costly drops and put together one of the best games of his career.
On his first snap, he missed Jordan for an easy touchdown and the Hurricanes (8-3, 7-2 Atlantic Coast) settled for a field goal. On Perry’s next series, Mark Pope dropped a deep ball and Miami went into halftime down 21-10.
Once the second half began, Pope dropped another deep ball and fellow wide receiver Dee Wiggins dropped a screen with a clear path into the end zone. The Hurricanes settled for another field goal to trim the lead to 21-13 and still Perry, for at least a moment, completed one of the most unlikely comebacks in recent Miami history.
Running back Cam’Ron Harris ran for a 42-yard touchdown on the Hurricanes’ next drive, then Perry found Jordan for a 2-point conversion. The scoreboard at Camping World Stadium briefly read 21-21 before a controversial review decision overturned the conversion and left Miami behind 21-19.
There were plenty of other highlights throughout the second half — a 44-yard pass to tight end Will Mallory off a fake quarterback run on fourth-and-1, a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jordan off a fake run and rollout, and a 25-yard dime to Harris on the run to set up the Hurricanes’ final touchdown in the fourth quarter — but it was never quite enough.
It was also a window into life without King. In this world, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee gets the most out of Perry’s ability and Perry proves to be a legitimate starter.
Perry’s college football career is not over. Next year, he’ll have a chance to be a starter somewhere and some MRIs the next few days may determine whether it could still be at Miami.
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 11:51 PM.
