You think Miami wins a ship in 2001 with Rosier?l
Absolutely.
Maybe we don't dominate, but we win it. Here's the thing, and this is not a knock on Ken Dorsey at all. Let me go ahead and put it up front before anybody goes to whining about it.
Ken Dorsey is a better QB than Malik Rosier BY FAR.
But there might, MIGHT, be 10 guys from the 2017 team that would have seen any meaningful snaps on that 2001 team. We did not rely on Dorsey to win games. We didn't even really rely on Dorsey to make plays. Dorsey attempted 318 passes. 318 times the coaches asked Dorsey to go make a play. Malik Rosier had 415 passing attempts and 131 rushing attempts. 546 times last season we relied on Rosier to go make a play.
In 2001, not one time did the defense give up a lead in the 4th quarter. Not one time was Dorsey tasked with leading the team down the field and winning the game. We played three games that you might even be able to consider close games.
vs. FSU - W 49-27 - Dorsey was 51% passing
vs. VaTech - W 26-24 - Dorsey was 47% passing
vs. BC - W 18-7 - Dorsey was 48% passing
The biggest difference between that team and the 2017 team? Defense and O-line play. Last season we had a running back break 100 yards only 4 times. Bethune, Toledo, GaTech, and Notre Dame. 9 times we failed to have a back gain 100 yards. 4 times we didn't have a back break 50 yards. And twice Malik Rosier was our leading rusher. Against Pitt, that game everyone likes to pin solely on Rosier, Homer led all backs with 12 yards. 12 ******* YARDS AGAINST PITT! And don't give me that nonsense about teams loading the box to stop the run. I don't give a **** if they put 12 in the box. If our line can't manage more than 12 yards of push in 60 minutes against Pitt, that O-line is trash.
Everybody knew GaTech couldn't throw the ball and was just gonna line it up and run the football. They ranked 3rd in rushing YPG.
Everybody knew Notre Dame couldn't throw the ball and was just gonna line it up and run the football. They ranked 8th in rushing YPG.
Everybody knew UGA couldn't throw the ball and was just gonna line it up and run the football. They ranked 9th in rushing YPG.
Everybody knew Bama couldn't throw the ball and was just gonna line it up and run the football. They ranked 10th in rushing YPG.
Everybody knew Ohio State couldn't throw the ball and was just gonna line it up and run the football. They ranked 15th in rushing YPG.
Auburn was 21st.
Wisconsin was 22nd.
LSU 28th.
All of these teams, the recipe to beating them was the same. Stop the run and force their QB to beat you with his arm.
We were 79th in rushing YPG! And that's WITH Rosier breaking the single season record for rushing from the QB spot. 133 YPG. That is garbage.
The reason we won a championship in 2001 with Dorsey's 56% completion rate is because they had a phenomenal defense and O-line. That team averaged 204 rushing YPG. That was good enough to be right there with LSU this season. We had a back break 100 yards in 10 out of 12 games, and the only game we were held under 50 was a blow out against Troy where we had everyone on the bench.
It's funny. At the start of last season, we knew what Rosier's limitations were. This board was full of dooms day prophets who said we were too thin at RB. Walton has no proven back up. If he goes down and we have to rely on Rosier we'll be lucky to win 7 or 8 games. Rosier and winning 10 games was a pleasant surprise. Homer doing what he was able to do even after Walton went down was a pleasant surprise. Berrios stepping up and being THE guy at receiver when we couldn't rely on Richards was a pleasant surprise.
If you had told this board at the beginning of last season that we were going to lose Walton, be without Richards for the majority of the year, and lose Herndon down the stretch, and still win 10 games, get to the ACCCG and the Orange Bowl, you would have been laughed out of town. ****, many people thought those accomplishments were beyond our reach even IF fully healthy.
