Canes QB Williams Determined to Learn from First Start

By Christy Cabrera Chirinos
HurricaneSports.com

ORLANDO, Fla. – In the weeks leading up to his first collegiate start, Jarren Williams lined up against one of the top defenses in the nation, a unit that, last year, pressured quarterbacks relentlessly.
 
Still, as prepared as the Hurricanes redshirt freshman quarterback may have felt coming into Saturday’s 24-20 season-opening loss to Florida, there’s no doubt Williams endured a steep learning curve against the Gators, who did their best to make him uncomfortable all night.
 
“A couple times, I got pressured and I became a runner instead of being a passer. That’s definitely something I’m going to learn from,” Williams said. “When that rush is coming at you live, it’s a little different. But it was a great learning experience and I feel like I’m only going to get better.”
 
The good news for Williams – and the Hurricanes – is that even though there were the typical mistakes one might expect from a first-time starter, there were plenty of positive plays, too.
 
Williams, who appeared in just one game last season, was 19-of-29 for 214 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. He led the Hurricanes to three first-half scoring drives and opened the game with six straight completions, passes and plays that he said, made him feel comfortable as he eased into a game that was played in front of 66,543 raucous fans.
 
“I feel like it was really good as a momentum boost for the team, really,” Williams said of his first six completions. “That gave everybody confidence and let everybody know, if we stick to our training, we can move the ball with ease. It was really keeping everybody calm and knowing our assignment.”
 
Said Hurricanes running back DeeJay Dallas, “He played well. He played well. He was poised, took hits when it was necessary, stayed with his eyes down the field. I can’t complain about how he played. He played a dang good game.”
 
But while there were highlights – including a 25-yard-touchdown pass to Brevin Jordan that gave the Hurricanes a 13-7 lead just before halftime – there were plays that went awry, plays Williams said he’s determined to learn from as he studies his film in the coming days.
 
The quarterback was sacked 10 times and he conceded “a lot of them were on me.” Then there were the two fumbles, including one on the Hurricanes’ final drive that was recovered by right guard D.J. Scaife, but still cost the Hurricanes two yards at a most inopportune moment.
 
Two incompletions followed and the eighth-ranked Gators held on for the win.
 
Still, head coach Manny Diaz made it clear he felt Williams had played well and showed the nation why he emerged as the winner of Miami’s three-man quarterback race that also featured redshirt sophomore N’Kosi Perry and transfer Tate Martell.
 
“I mean, you probably can’t put a guy in a more adverse situation than in this stadium. The amazing atmosphere from both sets of fans, their defensive front, which we knew was really good,” Diaz said. “Jarren never really blinked. A lot of times he didn’t have a lot of time and I thought he played with a little bit of courage. Made some plays with his feet, scrambled, [had] throws to keep some things alive. I think you can see why we picked him to be our guy.”
 
With the season opener now behind them, Williams and the Hurricanes will turn their focus to ACC play and a Sept. 7 matchup at North Carolina.
 
Because the game against Florida was moved up a week, the quarterback will have nearly two weeks to study the film from his first start and prepare for the Tar Heels.
 
His goal, he said, is to make the most of his time.
 
“I mean, we’ve got two more weeks to prepare. That’s a lot of time. Of course I want to get out there next week and battle it out again, but we’re going to use this to our advantage,” Williams said. “That’s two weeks to go over the game plan and everybody’ll be on the same page. I feel like it’s really a good thing.”