Perry Poised to Continue Growth at Virginia Tech
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – One of the goals the Miami Hurricanes set before every game is to be better than they were the week before.
The week-to-week development helps players continue to grow and improve and the more players do this the better off the team and program will be.
The Canes saw quarterback N’Kosi Perry put together one of the best performances of his young career last Saturday at Georgia Tech.
“I think he ran the offense well,” offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said. “I thought he definitely looked poised and relaxed in the pocket. I thought he threw the ball well. There were a couple that he probably would want to have back. A few mistakes; the cut off the snap deal that happened on the short yardage play. But I thought he played his butt off. Gave us a chance by putting the ball in play. Didn’t give up any sacks. We did a good job of protecting him for the most part; O-line and running back wise. Also, he did a really good job to kind of avoid some sacks that kind of happened earlier in the game. But just giving him the chance to play ball and put the ball in play and let our receivers make plays.”
Perry completed 60 percent of his passes, going 14-for-23 for 165 yards. The redshirt freshman credits experiences he has learned from over the course of the 2018 season with helping him grow as a player.
“I feel like with my inexperience earlier in the season that I was more ready now than I was before,” Perry said. “I’m more comfortable, I’m more prepared. I knew how to prepare better. That was the main thing.”
The young signalcaller had a renewed and heightened level of focus ahead of Miami’s matchup against Georgia Tech and made sure to include his teammates as he prepared to face the Yellow Jackets.
“I watched a lot more film,” Perry said. “Definitely the studying part on my own. Not just in meetings and studying in the facilities, but on my own. That was the main goal. Not just watching it by myself, but getting the players involved.”
That step forward in his development is an encouraging sign that has Miami’s coaches excited about how Perry will continue to develop going forward.
“I think he’s maturing,” Brown said. “I think he is starting to understand what it takes to be a big time quarterback. I think in a pro-style system, he has to run the ship, has to be the leader. He has to know more than everybody else knows, he has to work harder than everybody else does. And like you just mentioned, him being able to bring others a long, helps to make us better.”
Running back Travis Homer has seen a different mindset from Perry recently and feels the young quarterback is more comfortable taking a leadership role. In addition to the mental confidence Perry has shown, Homer sees a player that is more well-versed in what he needs to do and how he needs to play to help lead his team.
“I think he’s a lot more comfortable with the position and I think that’s going to help us a lot going into this next game,” Homer said. “What he was able to do on the ground, getting first downs and everything, really helped us out.”
Perry showed flashes of brilliance at Georgia Tech, including engineering a 95-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter to bring the Canes within six points. He will look to do more of that on the road this week at Virginia Tech.
“The home crowd always gives us an advantage, I think,” Perry said. “From the quarterback standpoint, I feel like no matter if you’re home or away, you have to be locked in all the time and perform the same.”
Freshman wide receiver Dee Wiggins played a key role on that final possession at Georgia Tech, hauling in a 24-yard reception from Perry on third down to keep the Canes’ drive moving towards the end zone. Wiggins was impressed with the poise and performance Perry put together on that drive.
“The final drive was great,” Wiggins said. “He put the team on his back, basically. He improves every day in practice and he improves every game.”
Perry has tried to remain positive and upbeat despite the Hurricanes’ 5-5 record. The redshirt freshman knows the season has not gone the way Miami had hoped, but believes the team’s mindset is contagious and he hopes to help form it in a positive way.
“That’s a huge thing,” Perry said. “If you’re not motivated, it’s a lot of negativity. When you’re positive, that rubs off on everybody, the energy is a lot better in the locker room, on the field and off the field. It all ties in together.”
