Sept. 27, 2007

By Bill Hass
theACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Crystal balls are not standard issue for college freshmen, and for Miami quarterback Kyle Wright, it's just as well.

As the nation's top-ranked high school quarterback, he might have had a hard time accepting it if he had foreseen not playing for two years, followed by a string of 21 consecutive starts, then a broken thumb and another major disappointment.

"I wouldn't have believed it," Wright said. "I certainly didn't envision not starting in my senior season."

But sometimes these things have to come full cycle. After not starting Miami's first and second games this season, Wright finds himself back in his customary role as the Hurricanes begin the ACC stretch of their schedule with a game against Duke Saturday at noon.

"I wanted to come in, win a lot of games, win a championship and play in a BCS bowl game," he said. "And we still have a chance to do that this year. We're very optimistic going into conference play. We just have to go out and play and have fun."

The Canes completed their non-conference schedule with a 3-1 record, including a 34-17 thrashing of 20th-ranked Texas A&M on national TV last Thursday. Wright was especially sharp in that game, completing 21-of-26 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns. He set the tone on Miami's opening drive, leading the Hurricanes 80 yards in 18 plays and converting all five third-down opportunities.

"He threw it everywhere and completed them all - inside routes, outside routes, over the middle, in traffic," said Patrick Nix, Miami's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "Of his incompletions, three were drops, one was tipped and he threw one away. He was on his game in everything he threw, making very good reads and decisions."

Wright said he received excellent protection from his line, enabling him to stay in the pocket and settle into a rhythm. He also adhered to Nix's philosophy of "taking what the defense gives you" instead of trying to do too much, an occasional trait of his in the past.

Duke coach Ted Roof said his team will have to find a way to disrupt Wright's rhythm, which is harder to do when a quarterback is a senior.

"The guy has played at a very high level for a very long time," Roof said, "and I think those guys who are battle-tested like he is, they can steer the ship through adversity and understand that you just keep playing and don't get bogged down in mistakes. And he's not making a lot of mistakes right now anyway."

Wright's path to this point has been full of peaks and valleys. With Brock Berlin in control of the quarterback position in 2003 and 2004, Wright took a red-shirt season and then a backup role when he threw only nine passes.

But he won the starting job as a sophomore in 2005, guiding the Canes to a 9-3 record while throwing 18 TD passes against 10 interceptions. Last season he started the first nine games, before breaking his thumb against Virginia Tech (he kept playing) and missing the final four games.

Thrown into competition against Kirby Freeman in the spring and pre-season camp, Wright admitted he was shocked when he was told he would not be the starter.

"I had worked so hard in the off-season and the spring," he said, "so it was hard to swallow. I kept my sanity by working hard and trying to be ready when my time came again."

Head coach Randy Shannon was not surprised by Wright's initial reaction to the news.

"The first day he was upset about it, which is typical of most guys who are competitive," Shannon said. "The next day he came back out, happy-go-lucky, flying around, getting himself better and staying focused on what is the big picture. Like I keep telling guys, you never know when your number is going to be called. He did a great job of staying focused, watching extra film and practicing the right way."

Nix said Wright didn't go into a shell and responded by competing even harder.

"My experience is that football is a great humbler for a player or a coach," Nix said. "Nothing is handed to you and you're not always going to come out on top. It teaches you to handle adversity and keeps you grounded."

Wright said the experience has helped him gain some valuable insight into the world of college athletics. In youth sports and in high school, he had never missed a game in football, basketball or baseball because of injury or because he was passed over for someone else. Within a year, both happened to him at Miami.

"There are a lot of trials and tribulations you don't plan for," he said. "You have to react to them. It forces you to grow up. It's hard to understand at the time, but it makes you better in the long run."

Wright didn't play in Miami's opening win over Marshall and didn't start against Oklahoma, although he did finish the game against the Sooners. He was named the starter for the third game, a win over Florida International, and followed that with his precision performance against Texas A&M.

"We haven't had a big-time win like that around here in a long time," he said. "It was like giving us a breath of fresh air."

As for the rest of the season, Wright said he isn't concerned about his own stats or how he might improve his standing for next April's NFL draft.

"My accomplishments will come as the team goes," he said. "If we go out and win, it means I'm throwing the ball well, the receivers are catching it well, we're running well, the offensive line is protecting well and the defense is playing well. We just need to play like we did last week and keep trusting in each other."

It's no coincidence that Wright's play has helped the Hurricanes' offense get in sync. And Miami's coaches think that will continue.

"There's a reason we put him in there," Nix said, "and we expect him to continue playing well."

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Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Bill Hass on the ACC" for theACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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