| | | |
Friday, December 13, 2002
Both QBs under pressure
Associated Press
MIAMI -- Florida State's Chris Weinke wants to stay off his
left foot as much as possible. Miami's Ken Dorsey wants to stay off
his back as much as possible.
|  | | With Chris Weinke's injury, Travis Minor becomes a key figure in FSU's offense. |
Both quarterbacks expect the worst Saturday when the No. 8
Hurricanes (3-1) play host to the second-ranked Seminoles (5-0).
Weinke, slowed all week by a sprained left foot, anticipates
starting, but knows he'll be limited. If he can't play, the
Seminoles will turn to Marcus Outzen.
Dorsey's concerns are a little different.
"I have no question in my mind that I'm going to take some late
hits," Dorsey said. "I'm sure in their game plan they can afford
a 15-yard penalty on me here and there. I have no doubt that's
going to happen. The key is getting back up and staying in my
game."
Though they differ in age and experience, Weinke and Dorsey are
strikingly similar. Drop-back passers who typically make few
mistakes, they are successful starters and have emerged as team
leaders.
Weinke and Dorsey also expect to win. So do their teams, who
will rely heavily on the two quarterbacks Saturday at the Orange
Bowl.
The 28-year-old Weinke is 26-1 as a starter. His only loss came
when he threw six interceptions against North Carolina State as a
sophomore in 1998. He didn't throw another one the rest of the
season.
And he hasn't lost since.
"Year after year after year, he's been the one stabilizing
aspect of their offense," Miami coach Butch Davis said. "They've
changed some offensive linemen and turned over receivers, but he's
been there to effectively run their offense.
"You're not going to go into ball games and trick him. Maybe
three years ago, you could disguise, bluff and show a lot of things
and maybe get him to make some fundamental errors and throw into
bad coverages. But there's very little things he hasn't seen in the
last several years."
Weinke has completed nearly 64 percent of his passes this
season, throwing 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. Against
Miami last year, Weinke had 332 yards passing and two TDs in a
31-21 win. He did it without his top receiver, Peter Warrick.
|  | | Cornerback Mike Rumph and Miami's top-ranked secondary will be showcased against FSU. |
Weinke also is one of only five first-year starters to win in
this rivalry. Florida State's Thad Busby and Peter Tom Willis and
Miami's Craig Erickson and Steve Walsh are the others.
Dorsey wants to be next.
The 19-year-old sophomore is 6-1 as a starter. In those games,
Dorsey has completed 64 percent of his passes and has 18 touchdowns
and just one interception.
He has thrown 121 consecutive passes without an interception -
two attempts shy of tying the school record set by Heisman Trophy
winner Gino Torretta in 1992.
"It's a whole different level when you're playing Florida
State," Dorsey said. "It's almost like playing an NFL game. It's
going to be a lot of fun, but it's going to be a really big
challenge."
The Seminoles don't have quite as much for respect for Dorsey.
"Any time you playing a young quarterback, you're going to be
able to confuse him," linebacker Brian Allen said. "He's going to
fold under pressure. There are a lot of different things we're
going to show him this weekend."
The Hurricanes torched Florida State's secondary last year.
Kenny Kelly threw for 370 yards and three TDs, and Santana Moss
caught nine passes for 180 yards and two scores.
The Seminoles don't think that will happen with Dorsey.
"Kenny Kelly, he is more of a threat," said defensive end
Jamal Reynolds, who leads FSU with 10 sacks. "He can hurt us on
the run or throwing the ball. It's just great to have a guy that's
not as much of a threat as Kelly."
Maybe not as dangerous as Kelly, Dorsey is still a threat -
especially if he stays off his back.
"He is at home, so that will help out a little bit," Seminoles
coach Bobby Bowden said. "He hasn't teed it up against us, but
he's mighty good. We've got to harass him, got to have something to
break his rhythm or he'll pick you to pieces."
| | | |
|
|
