By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
 
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
 
The Miami Hurricanes are back in prime time this week, opening conference play against fellow Coastal division foe North Carolina at 8 p.m. Saturday night on ACC Network. In a game filled with storylines, from ACC implications to a pair of head coaches that once worked together, it’s the freshmen quarterbacks making their league debuts that might be the most intriguing.
 
“I think it will be cool for everyone to watch,” Miami redshirt freshman Jarren Williams said. “I’m not really worried about what he’s doing. I focus on my offense and what I need to be doing, but I know he’s a talented guy and I am sure it will be fun for the fans to watch on Saturday.”
 
Williams and North Carolina true freshman Sam Howell are two of the premier young quarterbacks in the ACC and they will get a chance to show off their skills before a sold out crowd inside Kenan Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.
 
“I’m excited and I feel prepared,” Williams said. “These two weeks really helped with learning the game plan. I think we’re all really comfortable with the game plan. There’s a lot of excitement, but I have to remain focused and take it each play at a time and not get ahead of myself. Just tune out the noise like I did in the first game.”
 
The Lawrenceville, Ga., native had an impressive debut as Miami’s starting quarterback two weeks ago against No. 8 Florida, finishing 19-for-30 for 214 yards and a touchdown. With his start against the Gators, Williams became UM’s seventh freshman QB to start a game since 2008. Now he is eager to build off his debut and be even better in his first ACC game.
 
“I made some mistakes that I learned from and now I can go into a similar atmosphere and correct those mistakes,” Williams said. “I’m excited to go out there and remember the play clock and manage the offense like I should. To get that opportunity again is good.”
 
Howell also opened eyes in his collegiate debut, throwing for 245 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start at UNC. The Monroe, N.C. native led the Tar Heels to a comeback win over rival South Carolina in their season opener. He also showed the traits of a gifted young leader that were evident to Miami’s coaches as they studied film of Howell’s debut.
 
“His toughness, first and foremost,” Miami head coach Manny Diaz said. “Which we kind of knew, we knew about him in high school. I thought he showed great toughness. Then his poise in the fourth quarter, just playing pitch and catch on some of those fades as if it was like routes on air or pat and go. Just not fazed by the moment of playing in a pro stadium against South Carolina…just out there just playing.”
 
Both quarterbacks will lead their respective teams into a packed stadium on Saturday night. Howell will have the support of an excited fan base that is riding the high of a 24-20 win over the Gamecocks. Williams and the Hurricanes know the Carolina faithful will be loud and proud, but they are ready for the environment after their opening game against the rival Gators.
 
“I feel like it helps everybody, not just me,” Williams said. “It helps the O-line, the receivers, the defense, just being in that type of environment definitely gave us a good feeling and understanding of the game. Especially for me, just understanding how things go and understanding that when I break the huddle I need to get my eyes on the play clock and get the play call and just get things moving smoothly.”
 
Williams knows that hard work goes a long way in getting better as a football player and the redshirt freshman has been diligently honing his craft with offensive coordinator Dan Enos ever since he left Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., two Saturdays ago. The young signal caller feels like he has improved significantly in a lot of areas since the season opener.
 
“I would say my pocket presence, not watching the rush,” WIlliamsa said. “Every play, keeping my eyes down the field and if you have to run, then you have to run. But when you watch the rush, you tend to run out the pocket when you can step up and make a throw. I just feel like I’ve been really making that a point of emphasis this week of not watching the rush, just keep my eyes on my progressions and getting the ball down the field to my receivers.”
 
Speaking of receivers, redshirt senior K.J. Osborn and his fellow wide outs will look to help Williams shine on Saturday in Chapel Hill.
 
“The only thing we can do is make tough catches for him,” Osborn said. “Coach Enos is going to coach Jarren to do what he does. We can come back and communicate with him on the sideline, talk about different coverages and things like that, but the only thing we can do is keep running routes and keep getting open, communicate with him, and make tough catches for him to make his job easier.”
 
Meanwhile, Miami’s defense will look to make Howell’s first game in Kenan Memorial Stadium a challenging one. UM linebacker Shaquille Quarterman knows the freshman QB will be eager to excel in his first opportunity to play in front of his home crowd.
 
“He’s definitely a young quarterback and I think he plays with a lot of passion,” Quarterman said. “He’s not afraid to tuck it and run. He doesn’t run away from contact either. When you’re dealing with a guy like that, you’ve got to be wary coming out of pass coverage and first responding to the scramble.”
 
A year ago, the Hurricanes forced six turnovers and scored three defensive touchdowns in a 47-10 thrashing of the Tar Heels in Miami’s 2018 ACC opener. But the Canes saw UNC’s offense play a balanced game last week against South Carolina and they know the Heels will come out ready to play on Saturday night.
 
“I think that they do what they do well, the same thing they did last year,” Quarterman said. “They are going to run the ball. They really like their backs, so they are going to do anything they can to keep the ball in their playmakers’ hands and it always starts with the run. If they can open up the run, then they can open up a lot of things. That’s college football for you. From last year to this year, that’s what I see. They have some veteran guys at the position. That’s our first thing as a defense. We’re always going to stop the run first and deal with everything second.”
 
The Hurricanes will open ACC play for the second consecutive year against the Tar Heels. Saturday will also be the Canes’ first conference game under Diaz’s leadership and the first-year head coach knows the Heels are already showing a new demeanor under new head coach Mack Brown.
 
“What you’d expect – it’s a new program, you can see a new culture,” Diaz said. “Very similar to us where you see players that aren’t burdened by the ghosts of the past. They can play like that. Their demeanor and temperament throughout the course of the game, I thought, was very upbeat and positive, which is all to be expected.”
 
The Tar Heels’ defense, which forced a pair of interceptions last week against South Carolina, will look to confuse Williams with disguised coverages and speed up the quarterback’s internal clock with their pass rush. 
 
“North Carolina runs a very active defense,” Diaz said. “They do a lot of blitzing and a lot of movement up front, so it will be a challenge to make sure we get on the right guy and get the plays a chance to get executed.”
 
“I feel like they’re a tough team,” Williams said. “They fly to the ball. Coverages wise, the safeties and the DBs, we’re really going to treat it just like we treat every other game. We’re excited to play them.”
 
The wait is nearly over and the excitement is evident. Williams and the Hurricanes are eager to get back in action and get Diaz his first win as a head coach.
 
“We’re hungry and you can tell everybody wants to get a win,” Williams said. “We have the opportunity to go do that. I know the guys are all excited to get back out there and hit somebody again and win. You can just get the vibe from the team that we are ready to go earn some Ws.”