Courtesy of Miami Athletics, By Christy Cabrera Chirinos:
During their time together as teammates, Cooper Barkate has watched quarterback Darian Mensah put together some memorable performances.
There have been game-winning drives. Picture-perfect throws delivered with pinpoint accuracy. A stretch against Wake Forest earlier this season where Mensah completed 24 straight passes, setting new Miami and ACC records in the process.
But there are still moments where Barkate can’t help but shake his head and be a bit awed by what his veteran quarterback – and friend – can do.
“We did a two-minute drill last week in practice and he threw one to [Malachi Toney] where he was running a wheel route, and I don’t think there could have been a better ball,” Barkate recalled. “And then the next play, he threw an out route to Elija Lofton where he was covered, good coverage. But the ball still literally hit him right in the chest as he was falling out of bounds. Back-to-back throws there that were just … yeah. That’s what he’s capable of.
“I don’t want to say I’m numb to it, but we see it in practice every day. That’s who he is.”
As the fourth-ranked Hurricanes prepare to face Clemson in a primetime, nationally televised ACC showdown on Saturday night in Death Valley, Mensah will be looking to build on what has been an absolutely torrid start to the season.
The quarterback has completed 94 of the 106 passes he has thrown in Miami’s first four games. His 88.7 completion percentage leads the nation, as do his 14 touchdowns.
Mensah is one of just two FBS quarterbacks nationally, along with Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor, to throw at least three touchdown passes in every game this season and according to CBS, is the first FBS passer in the last 30 years to have more touchdown passes than incompletions through four games.
His accuracy, teammates and coaches say, has become his calling card.
“You can tell through the course of his career that he’s a winner. He’s a competitor. But the biggest thing with him, with me, was [that] I saw a kid that was extremely accurate and that’s what I look for, number one,” said Hurricanes offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shannon Dawson. “You have to be able to throw the ball accurately from the pocket. You watch offenses out there that are struggling right now and there’s probably one common denominator and it’s really simple: they can’t throw the ball as accurate as the offensive coordinator or head coach wants them or needs them to. And when you can’t, offensive football is really hard…You have to be able to throw the ball accurately to make defenses play honestly and when you can’t, moving the ball is extremely difficult and that’s the one thing I saw with him that piqued my interest the most. He’s an extremely accurate thrower and he takes care of the football. Those two things were the two most important [things].”
Said Barkate, “I love playing with him because one, if you’re open, you know you’re getting the ball. You can run your route and if you know you’re going to be open, the ball’s already going to be there. And also, if you’re covered, you’re not going to have to worry about getting the ball thrown to you because he’s not going to throw it to you. The last game, when I had my touchdown, that thing was right in the middle of my facemask…it’s just perfect every time. I’ve always said he has a perfect arc on his ball … It’s a very catchable, easy ball where he can put some dip on it if he needs to. It’s just a very catchable ball.”
While Mensah tries to avoid looking at his individual numbers – he didn’t realize he’d broken records at Wake Forest until he was told postgame – he does pride himself on his accuracy.
Finding ways to put the ball exactly where his pass catchers need it to be, he says, is the result of hours of film study, of on-field work and of being surrounded by talented playmakers that work as hard as he does.
Those playmakers were part of the reason he chose to join the Hurricanes this season.
“It’s reps, film study, protection, good playmakers. It’s just a mix of everything,” Mensah said. “And like I’ve been saying since I got here, I think this is the perfect storm for me. It’s why I came here, because all around, I’ve got good playmakers and a great o-line as well. So, it’s a mix of everything.”
Mensah’s play has, of course, been a boon for the Hurricanes (4-0, 2-0 ACC).
Ahead of Saturday’s game at Clemson (3-1, 2-0), Miami has the top offense in the nation, averaging 588.8 yards per game. The Hurricanes have outscored their opponents 207-36 and Toney has already topped the 500-yard mark on the season.
Even Miami’s defenders say lining up against Mensah on a day-to-day basis is helping make them better.
“You have to play perfect coverage against him, or it’s going to get ugly,” said defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald. “It’s hard to stop him. It’s great when you’re on a team with him, but in practice, you better be ready to practice hard because he’s good.”
Mensah, for his part, is taking his early season start in stride.
His primary goal isn’t to continue putting up record-breaking numbers. It’s to help Miami win.
His next opportunity to do just that will come Saturday night at Clemson, where he expects to be tested by a tough Tigers defense and a raucous home crowd.
And he is embracing that opportunity.
“I try not to get infatuated with numbers because when you play a game, the numbers can look great, but you can still lose or you can still feel like you played a bad game,” Mensah said. “So, I try not to look at numbers. Obviously, the goal when you’re playing is to win and I really just base everything off that…
“I’m ultra excited for Saturday. It’s absolutely the stuff that I live for, to be in those types of environments and to be in those types of games. I worked my entire life for moments like these and I can’t wait to go show it.”
During their time together as teammates, Cooper Barkate has watched quarterback Darian Mensah put together some memorable performances.
There have been game-winning drives. Picture-perfect throws delivered with pinpoint accuracy. A stretch against Wake Forest earlier this season where Mensah completed 24 straight passes, setting new Miami and ACC records in the process.
But there are still moments where Barkate can’t help but shake his head and be a bit awed by what his veteran quarterback – and friend – can do.
“We did a two-minute drill last week in practice and he threw one to [Malachi Toney] where he was running a wheel route, and I don’t think there could have been a better ball,” Barkate recalled. “And then the next play, he threw an out route to Elija Lofton where he was covered, good coverage. But the ball still literally hit him right in the chest as he was falling out of bounds. Back-to-back throws there that were just … yeah. That’s what he’s capable of.
“I don’t want to say I’m numb to it, but we see it in practice every day. That’s who he is.”
As the fourth-ranked Hurricanes prepare to face Clemson in a primetime, nationally televised ACC showdown on Saturday night in Death Valley, Mensah will be looking to build on what has been an absolutely torrid start to the season.
The quarterback has completed 94 of the 106 passes he has thrown in Miami’s first four games. His 88.7 completion percentage leads the nation, as do his 14 touchdowns.
Mensah is one of just two FBS quarterbacks nationally, along with Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor, to throw at least three touchdown passes in every game this season and according to CBS, is the first FBS passer in the last 30 years to have more touchdown passes than incompletions through four games.
His accuracy, teammates and coaches say, has become his calling card.
“You can tell through the course of his career that he’s a winner. He’s a competitor. But the biggest thing with him, with me, was [that] I saw a kid that was extremely accurate and that’s what I look for, number one,” said Hurricanes offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shannon Dawson. “You have to be able to throw the ball accurately from the pocket. You watch offenses out there that are struggling right now and there’s probably one common denominator and it’s really simple: they can’t throw the ball as accurate as the offensive coordinator or head coach wants them or needs them to. And when you can’t, offensive football is really hard…You have to be able to throw the ball accurately to make defenses play honestly and when you can’t, moving the ball is extremely difficult and that’s the one thing I saw with him that piqued my interest the most. He’s an extremely accurate thrower and he takes care of the football. Those two things were the two most important [things].”
Said Barkate, “I love playing with him because one, if you’re open, you know you’re getting the ball. You can run your route and if you know you’re going to be open, the ball’s already going to be there. And also, if you’re covered, you’re not going to have to worry about getting the ball thrown to you because he’s not going to throw it to you. The last game, when I had my touchdown, that thing was right in the middle of my facemask…it’s just perfect every time. I’ve always said he has a perfect arc on his ball … It’s a very catchable, easy ball where he can put some dip on it if he needs to. It’s just a very catchable ball.”
While Mensah tries to avoid looking at his individual numbers – he didn’t realize he’d broken records at Wake Forest until he was told postgame – he does pride himself on his accuracy.
Finding ways to put the ball exactly where his pass catchers need it to be, he says, is the result of hours of film study, of on-field work and of being surrounded by talented playmakers that work as hard as he does.
Those playmakers were part of the reason he chose to join the Hurricanes this season.
“It’s reps, film study, protection, good playmakers. It’s just a mix of everything,” Mensah said. “And like I’ve been saying since I got here, I think this is the perfect storm for me. It’s why I came here, because all around, I’ve got good playmakers and a great o-line as well. So, it’s a mix of everything.”
Mensah’s play has, of course, been a boon for the Hurricanes (4-0, 2-0 ACC).
Ahead of Saturday’s game at Clemson (3-1, 2-0), Miami has the top offense in the nation, averaging 588.8 yards per game. The Hurricanes have outscored their opponents 207-36 and Toney has already topped the 500-yard mark on the season.
Even Miami’s defenders say lining up against Mensah on a day-to-day basis is helping make them better.
“You have to play perfect coverage against him, or it’s going to get ugly,” said defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald. “It’s hard to stop him. It’s great when you’re on a team with him, but in practice, you better be ready to practice hard because he’s good.”
Mensah, for his part, is taking his early season start in stride.
His primary goal isn’t to continue putting up record-breaking numbers. It’s to help Miami win.
His next opportunity to do just that will come Saturday night at Clemson, where he expects to be tested by a tough Tigers defense and a raucous home crowd.
And he is embracing that opportunity.
“I try not to get infatuated with numbers because when you play a game, the numbers can look great, but you can still lose or you can still feel like you played a bad game,” Mensah said. “So, I try not to look at numbers. Obviously, the goal when you’re playing is to win and I really just base everything off that…
“I’m ultra excited for Saturday. It’s absolutely the stuff that I live for, to be in those types of environments and to be in those types of games. I worked my entire life for moments like these and I can’t wait to go show it.”
