Flying High Over Hard Rock
By Christy Cabrera Chirinos
HurricaneSports.com
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Not long after K.J. Osborn arrived at Miami, the graduate transfer sat down to watch film in an effort to learn more about his new teammates, particularly his fellow receivers.
It didn’t take him long to realize how much talent, speed and athleticism there was in the receivers’ room he was joining now that he was a Hurricane.
There was Jeff Thomas and Dee Wiggins’ speed. Mike Harley’s moves. Mark Pope’s growth.
On Saturday, during Miami’s dominant 63-0 win over Bethune-Cookman, everyone else got their chance to see just how special Miami’s receivers and tight ends groups can be.
Hurricanes quarterbacks Jarren Williams and N’Kosi Perry combined for 333 passing yards, the duo connecting with 10 different playmakers over the course of the game. Eight of those players had multiple catches and three receivers totaled more than 50 yards.
That came after a performance last week at North Carolina in which nine different receivers caught passes. And as Miami moves forward through the rest of its schedule, Osborn said that depth will be one of the Hurricanes’ biggest assets, particularly in ACC play.
“We learned early on, when we put the offense in, that with all the shifts and motions, that there are so many different ways to get the guys the ball,” said Osborn, who finished with four catches for 58 yards. “It’s in our hands. We have an awesome coach in [offensive coordinator Dan Enos] drawing things up, able to get guys open and things like that. We’re going to be open, so it’ll be about the details and executing. We can take it as far as we want to take it.”
Saturday’s win provided more than a few milestone moments for Osborn and the rest of the Hurricanes’ receiving corps.
Osborn caught his first touchdown at Hard Rock Stadium. Both junior Mike Harley and freshman Larry Hodges caught their first touchdowns as Hurricanes. And both Mark Pope and Brian Hightower had career-high receiving totals with 92 yards and 51 yards, respectively. Freshman Jeremiah Payton, meanwhile, caught his first pass as a Hurricane.
“Coach Enos always preaches to us that he’s not just going to throw to one person. We all do our routes, we all block, we’re all going to get love and we’re all going to eat,” said Hodges, a tight end out of Tampa’s Jesuit High School who finished with two catches, both of which were touchdowns. “The way Coach Enos’ offense is set up, we can all have good games and we can all touch the end zone. … It meant a lot to get those touchdowns. I went through a lot this summer, just working hard at 5 a.m. every day. It meant a lot to help my team win.”
Miami’s receiving corps weren’t the only ones happy with the group’s play Saturday.
Williams, who made his first home start in the win, finished 19-of-24 for 254 yards with three touchdowns. He also had a long throw of 54 yards that was caught by Pope in the first quarter.
And as one might expect, the quarterback credited his playmakers for his numbers.
“Working with those guys every day, they make me better and they make my job easier, too” Williams said. “Going out there every day, just getting on the same page and building that trust with each other, it just makes Saturday easy.
“And getting all those guys involved is very important. It makes it hard for the defense. They can’t just focus on Jeff Thomas or K.J. Osborn. They’ve got to worry about that whole crew. All those guys are special in their own ways, so I feel like spreading the ball out and giving everybody their opportunity, it just makes it harder on the defense. It’s a good thing.”
Also good is the fact that Saturday’s victory likely gave Miami’s receiving corps – and offense as a whole – a much-needed dose of confidence after two tough losses to open the season.
The key now, Osborn said, is for the Hurricanes to build on what they accomplished.
“I feel like we did good. And like coach [Manny] Diaz said, the score and the stats are great and I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff we can clean up. But I felt really good,” Osborn said. “Seeing some of the young guys make plays, that was something we’ve been waiting to show the world.
“This was huge. Guys like Mark Pope getting his first deep ball, Harley getting in the end zone, that’s huge for those guys’ confidence. Now, they won’t be out there nervous. They’ll be comfortable and when those guys are comfortable, they’re going to be dangerous.”
