Kelly Leads Canes Into Battle
Oct. 15, 1999
By MARK LONG
Associated Press Writer
MIAMI (AP) – Quarterback Kenny Kelly has started just five games for theMiami Hurricanes.
But in those 20 quarters, Kelly has made a season’s worth of improvement.
Kelly, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Tampa, played his best game with theHurricanes last week against No. 1 Florida State. He was 27-of-41 for 370yardsand three touchdowns.
He stayed in the pocket longer than he did in previous outings, madebetterdecisions and better throws, and he seems equally poised to lead the24th-ranked Hurricanes (2-3, 0-0 Big East Conference) through their conferenceschedule, which begins Saturday against Temple (1-5, 1-1).
“You can just tell Kenny’s confidence has risen to a different level,”linebacker Dan Morgan said. “We saw some great effort from him last Saturday,and he’s going to get better and better. And that’s going to be scary forotherteams.”
Despite losing 31-21 to the Seminoles, Kelly certainly scared FloridaState.He led the Hurricanes to three first-half touchdowns and a 21-14 lead, theonlytime Florida State has trailed all season.
“I knew it was going to come around sooner or later,” Kelly said. “Iprepared well and I felt good. It was just a matter of time before my time wasgoing to come. Saturday was my time.”
Kelly’s time was supposed to have come earlier this season.
Also an outfielder in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization, Kellytook overMiami’s starting quarterback job this fall and led the Hurricanes to an upsetof Ohio State in the Kickoff Classic.
Then he struggled in losses to Penn State and East Carolina,scrambling whenit wasn’t necessary. He threw four interceptions against the Nittany Lions andcompleted just 40 percent of his passes against the Pirates.
“It’s all part of the growth process and he had a growth spurt” againstFSU, Miami coach Butch Davis said. “He played like we expect him to play forthe next two years.”
No pressure, right?
“After a game like that, he’s going to have a lot expectations,” widereceiver Andre King said. “They expect him to throw for 370 yards every week,but in reality that’s probably not going to happen.
“He just needs to be himself and keep getting better. He’s a greatathletesand he’s making great decisions. You can just see him getting more and moreconfident in the pocket as he’s calling plays and throwing the ball.”
With two more years of eligibility remaining, Kelly could be the key toMiami’s climb back to national prominence.
“I don’t consider myself a rookie anymore,” said Kelly, who has thrownfor1,053 yards and eight touchdowns. “I know the offense and I’ve got five gamesunder my belt, so I’m pretty much a veteran.”
