Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

October 22, 2018 at 8:50 pm.

Rosier back to starter against BC

Miami coach Mark Richt will start Malik Rosier at quarterback when the Hurricanes play Boston College on Friday night, but the coach said he isn’t second-guessing his decision to bench the senior after four games and start redshirt freshman N’Kosi Perry.

Rosier did not play in the two games immediately following his benching, but Richt went to him when Perry struggled early against Virginia in the loss to the Cavaliers in Miami’s last outing.

Rosier completed only 12-of-23 pass attempts after taking over for Perry but did get the Hurricanes (5-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) into the end zone with an 11-yard run late in the fourth quarter of the 16-13 loss. Richt then named Rosier the starter for Boston College early in practices during the bye week because of his experience going against a veteran Eagles’ defense.

“Not really because I believed what I believed and you’ve got to go with your gut and your heart and what you believe is right,” Richt said when asked if he had any regrets for replacing Rosier and giving Perry his first collegiate start last month against North Carolina. “If you think something is right, then you do it.

“Then if you think a change back is a better decision regardless of what people might think, then you’ve got to do it. That’s what leadership is all about — to make decisions that may not be popular or may not be understood.”

Richt said he told all the quarterbacks, which would include suspended redshirt freshman Cade Weldon and true freshman Jarren Williams as well, that the change is not a “personal thing” against anybody or for anybody.

“We as coaches are trying to get the best players in the game to give us the best chance to win at all positions,” Richt said. “That’s how we’re doing it.”

Richt added that an Instagram video that Perry posted of him riding in a car with a great amount of money in his lap would not be an issue in determining Perry’s playing time against the Eagles (5-2, 2-1 ACC).

Though a questionable display, no NCAA rules were violated.

“It has been addressed,” Richt said. “It’s not very mature, obviously. But he didn’t break any laws; he didn’t break any NCAA rules. He is good standing, but the image is not good. We don’t like that.

“He’s just got to be more mature and more wise in what he does. I didn’t like it. He knows that. He knows that it was not a very wise thing to do.”