Mark Richt Admires Rosier's Toughness, Big Plays From Miami Hurricanes Offense

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The Miami Hurricanes did a lot of things right in their 31-6 win on the road at Duke.

Although the Blue Devils defense managed to bottle up the Hurricanes offense for most of the second and third quarters, Miami established dominance through aggressive defense (11 tackles for loss, 5 sacks) and big plays on offense.

Of Miami's four touchdowns, three were scored on plays over 25 yards. Two were scored on plays over forty yards.

Many of these big plays started with the toughness of their quarterback. On Miami's first touchdown, Malik Rosier stood in the pocket and took a big hit from a Duke defender as he delivered a pass. The result? A perfectly thrown dart to senior receiver Braxton Berrios in the back of the end zone from 27 yards out.

"Malik, he did a bunch of really great things," head coach Mark Richt said on the Joe Rose Show, Monday on 560 WQAM. "One thing he probably did best was just standing in there. Protection is not always perfect. When people were coming after [him] he stood in there and threw some strikes. I'm really proud of him."

Rosier finished the game 15-26 for 270 yards and two touchdowns.

The other touchdown pass went 49 yards to speedy sophomore receiver Ahmmon Richards. Richards made his 2017 debut against Duke after missing Miami's first two games with a hamstring injury.

On his long touchdown, Richards did most of the work with yards after the catch, burning six Duke defenders along the way.

"He played well," Richt said of Richards. "We had a couple stop and go routes on him. We hit him on just a simple crossing route (on the touchdown) but [Duke] played man coverage with no safety help. The tight ends were out kind of pushing forward. They created a little pick for Ahmmon, and he was gone."

Richards caught three passes for 106 yards. He had another long touchdown catch called back for a penalty.

The Hurricanes climb one spot in the AP rankings, now number 13 in the country.

Up next, the 3-0 'Canes face unranked Florida State (1-2) on the road in Tallahassee.

Richt spoke about his team's excitement for the national TV rivalry matchup with the Seminoles, adding some kind words about their true freshman quarterback, James Blackman.

"We're just excited to play. You work so hard for these kind of moments and we're looking forward to going there and playing a great team. Nothing's changed about their defense. They're unbelievable in that regard. They're breaking in a young quarterback who's getting better with every snap. They'll be ready to go, and we will too."

Kickoff for Miami at Florida State is set for 3:30 PM on Saturday, October 7th from Doak Campbell Stadium. You can hear the game on 560 WQAM.

You can listen to Mark Richt's full interview on The Joe Rose Show above.