CORAL GABLES – Say anything you want about Malik Rosier.
But there’s at least one thing he’s truly outstanding at.
The Miami fifth-year redshirt senior quarterback is great at taking any kind of criticism head-on and doing his best to apply it in the right manner.
Let’s face it: Rosier had a game he would rather put behind him against then-No. 25/now-No. 11 LSU (1-0) on Sunday night (Sept. 2). He finished the season-opener with 13 of 35 passes completed (37.1 percent completion rate) for 259 yards, a 32-yard touchdown pass to freshman wideout Brian Hightower, and two interceptions in the 33-17 loss for then-No. 8/now-No. 22 Miami (0-1).
In light of his “opportunity” to improve his overall performance moving forward, Rosier was relatively forthcoming to media members after today’s practice about all that transpired in the Advocare Classic.
“For me this one was pretty bad,’’ Rosier said. “From my point of view, there was so much more I could have done, so much more left on the field. That’s something I can’t have happen, especially with our receivers and talent base on the field. I have to give these guys a chance to make plays for me all over the field.”
Not long after the game, Rosier did take some time in the film room to evaluate himself and his entire team.
“We went back and watched the film and there were a lot of missed executions,” the 6-1, 216-pound quarterback said. “Some of them started with me; a lot of it started with me…They [LSU] did a great job executing, and that is something that we didn’t do from the quarterback position to the receivers to the offensive line. It was a full team unit, and it is something that personally I am going to take blame for. We got to go ahead and get better. We’ve got a team in Savannah State that brings a lot of different blitzes, so we’ve got to be prepared for it.”
Rosier also deserves a lot of credit for addressing the quarterback controversy that sort-of exists right now at Miami. He knows that many fans and pundits want to see him get benched in favor of redshirt freshman quarterback N’Kosi Perry, who did not suit up against LSU due to violation of team rules.
There have been plenty of calls for Rosier’s time as the starting quarterback to end since Miami’s regular season finale last season, which was a loss to Pittsburgh this past November. As the heat turns up for Rosier to get demoted, so does his awareness of what actually could happen if he doesn’t improve moving forward.
“Obviously, if I keep messing up, then by all means Coach Richt has the right to bench me and let somebody else play,’’ Rosier told media members. “It’s one bad game, and we’ve still got 13, 14 more. I don’t plan on ever letting that happen again.”
When asked if Rosier would still be the starting quarterback, head coach Mark Richt was quick and to the point with his response.
“Yes,” he said. “Here’s the deal. If there’s an announcement to make it, I’ll make it. You all can ask all the [quarterback] questions you want, but if there’s ever a time something should change, I’ll tell you. That’s true at every position. I don’t mind you asking, but I’ll give you the same answer.”
Richt offered his take on the gap between Rosier and the likes of Perry, Cade Weldon, and Jarren Williams.
“All those guys are getting better,” he said. “I’m not going to say who’s going to play or who’s not going to play in this game. I’m not going to say that. The guys that deserve to play, will play.”
Here’s hoping that Rosier can play a role in ending Miami’s four-game losing streak – which dates back to last season’s three-game losing streak – by taking care of business against Savannah State this weekend.
The Hurricanes home opener against the Tigers is set for Saturday, Sept. 8, 6 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium.
