Former Canes QB and current coach at QB Country Malik Rosier joined the CanesInSight Podcast to discuss the Fiesta Bowl. Below is everything he said about the matchup.
What does it mean for a quarterback to get your team to the winner’s circle in a game like Ohio State where it’s not easy to just throw the ball all over the yard?
Carson came over because he needed a fresh start, but also because this roster is talented. He doesn’t have to do everything by himself. And where he wants to go is the NFL.
There are quarterbacks who can take over a game, but you don’t see that often, even in the NFL. You might see it once or twice a year where a guy completely takes over. Most weeks, the best quarterbacks win by making the right decisions.
He’s learning there will be games and moments where you have to make the throws on passing downs and concepts you like, and other games where you have to take the backseat. You check it down. You accept that the defense isn’t giving you the shot plays. That’s maturity.
The hard part is progression. Anyone can see cover one and throw a fade. What’s hard is going one, two, three, to four and finding the checkdown or the running back underneath.
I’m proud of him, and it’s not only about what you do on Saturdays. It’s also about how you get everyone else locked in. Can you get 30, 40, 50 guys focused every rep, every day? Those practice reps add up.
That was my message to Cam Ward last year, and it applies to Carson too. We know you can make plays. Now lead the room. Get everybody locked in. With the style of offense we run and what teams have been giving us, the run game has been a huge part of who we are.
What have you seen from Trinidad Chambliss that could potentially cause issues for Miami?
The first thing is confidence. He’s a confident quarterback with a chip on his shoulder, and that spreads to the team.
I was at Georgia for a year, and Stetson Bennett had that same confidence. He was counted out, and he played that way. Chambliss came in with a low portal ranking, and he’s treated every rep as an opportunity. That mindset can lift an entire roster.
From a football standpoint, he can stretch the field, but he also throws with touch and placement. I saw layer throws. I saw driven throws. He can throw the deep ball. He can throw level-three concepts. He can change pace and trajectory.
Their offense also has good flow. It isn’t gimmicky. They spread you out, work quick game, diagnose what you’re playing, and once they find the rhythm of how they want to attack, they keep pressing the same stress points. The biggest key is knocking them out of that rhythm early.
What do you see from their ability to get rid of it quick and neutralize pass rushers?
We’ve seen this approach before. Louisville did it well: quick game, drags, slants, screens. You make the defense run sideline to sideline and tackle in space, and you slow down the rush because the ball is out.
My biggest concern going into Ohio State was: if you take away the top threat, does the underneath stuff become an issue? I thought Miami did a very good job of limiting that. When teams play quick, the answer has to be catch-and-tackle.
Ole Miss will have drives. They’ll score. But Miami’s secondary has improved in space, and if you keep the quick game to clean completions and immediate tackles, you can live with it.
Where does Kewan Lacy factor in for them in this game?
Setting the edge is everything. His biggest runs against Georgia came when he bounced outside. He’ll press the lane, then jump cut, stiff arm, and turn it into a race to the boundary.
He reminds me of the type of back who sets up leverage, then wins with burst and toughness once he gets to the perimeter. I don’t have his exact size (5'11, 200), but he has speed and he’s dynamic. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield.
Miami’s edge players have to win reps that don’t look glamorous: stretch plays, forcing the ball back inside, clean tackles when he tries to bounce. If you overpursue, he will cut it back or get outside and make you pay.
What’s your take on the portal and NIL—especially for quarterbacks?
First, find a place that loves you, not a place that needs you. You can tell the difference. A staff that loves you recruits you consistently, stays on you, and has a real plan for you.
A lot of programs chase production because coaches are under pressure. They don’t always have time to develop talent the way they used to. That’s the reality.
With NIL, if you’re a true top-tier player, you can ask for what you want. If you’re not, focus on fit and opportunity. If you believe you’re worth a number, prove it on the field. If you play well enough, your school will pay you to keep you or another school will pay you to take you.
For college players entering the portal, understand two things: a lot of guys won’t find a new home, and the same flaws your current coaches see are the same things the next staff will see. If you don’t fix them, the problem follows you.
I almost transferred. The choice was: leave, or fix the issues first. If you compete after fixing the issues and still don’t win the job, then make the move. Too many guys leave before they address what’s holding them back.
How does this group of skill talent stack up across college football?
They don’t overwhelm you with size and speed across the board. It isn’t a lineup of 6’4 guys running 4.3s.
What they do well is understand spacing and how to get open in their system. In spread offenses, routes adjust based on coverage. If you don’t understand those details, you won’t be where the quarterback expects you to be.
They also have strong hands. I saw them extend, pluck the ball, and finish through contact. They weren’t body-catching. In tight windows, that matters. Those two traits—spacing and hands—stand out.
If you’re facing this Miami defense, what are you looking for? What jumps out?
The issue is you can’t just slide protection to one guy because the defensive front is deep. If you slide to one edge rusher, the other side can still wreck the play.
So you have to identify the second-level and back-end threats: who is disguising, who is bluffing, who is coming. The safeties and nickels can change the picture and create free runners if you’re not clean with IDs.
You also need controlled misdirection. Not trick plays—controlled answers off your base offense. Quick play-action, backside flats, leverage throws, getting the ball out to stress the edges and force tackling.
The goal is to find small matchups and disrupt Miami’s rhythm without inviting the pass rush to tee off.
What do you see from Ole Miss on defense?
They’re an okay defense. They can do enough to win, but they aren’t dominant.
What stood out to me was the run defense. Georgia got too many efficient runs—10, 12, 15 yards—especially inside. If Ole Miss doesn’t commit numbers to the box, Miami can turn the game into body blows.
Miami’s run game is demoralizing because it isn’t only about explosives. It’s about consistent physical wins. Pancakes. Movement. Drives where you feel it. If you let that happen, you can lose psychologically, not just on the scoreboard.
So I expect Ole Miss to load the box and make the quarterback beat them more than they want Miami to run it down their throat.
Do you think DB blitzing could work against Chambliss? How do you handle defenders who can chase you?
You start with what you’re good at and see if it works. But if he’s elusive and making people miss, a spy can be better than constant pressure.
With pressure, if the quarterback sees it, he can set you up—bait the blitzer, escape, and create space. A spy stays square and limits scramble lanes when the pocket breaks.
Miami tackles well in space. That’s a big deal. When you trust your open-field tackling, you can be more aggressive with pressure packages because completions don’t automatically become explosive plays.
If you were a player in the Lane Kiffin situation, does it bring the team together?
It can. Losing a head coach is disruptive, especially with a big personality involved, but the team can rally around the idea that they’re still the program and still have the opportunity.
There should be respect because the foundation and the roster were built during that era, even if the way it unfolded left frustration. The key is leaders—players and administrators—keeping the group focused and preventing it from splintering.
Where do you land on playing multiple sports if a quarterback has the physical ability to do so?
I’m for it unless you’re certain your kid is a top-10 pick and you know that early.
Other sports teach transferable movement. Baseball teaches sequencing, hip-shoulder separation, and staying compact. Soccer helps footwork and conditioning. Boxing drills—without sparring—teach rotation, balance, and controlled violence in tight spaces.
The point is to use other sports to build athletic skills that translate directly to quarterback play.
Any portal QB fits that stand out?
I wanted Sorsby, but he’s going to Texas Tech.
I like Sam Leavitt at Arizona State. He plays tough, wins, and carries a chip on his shoulder. He also adds mobility as a run-game element while still being able to throw.
I also think you may see late portal movement—guys testing NFL feedback, then deciding whether to return. Sometimes those situations develop later than people expect.
Long-term, though, this should be the last year Miami lives in the portal at quarterback. At some point, the recruited quarterbacks in the system have to develop and take over. With a young quarterback there will be bumps, but if the roster is strong around him, those bumps don’t have to sink you.
When you’re watching the game early, what are you focused on in the first quarter?
Coverage structure and safety behavior.
Motion tells you a lot: man, zone, and how they adjust. Safeties tell you the coverage family. Even safeties often signal quarters. Uneven, single-high structures often signal cover three or cover one.
The first quarter is a chess match: what coverages do they lean toward versus certain personnel and formations? Are they rolling the safety to the tight end? Away from him? Where is leverage?
Once you understand that, you know where the run lanes are and what pass concepts are available.
What does it mean for a quarterback to get your team to the winner’s circle in a game like Ohio State where it’s not easy to just throw the ball all over the yard?
Carson came over because he needed a fresh start, but also because this roster is talented. He doesn’t have to do everything by himself. And where he wants to go is the NFL.
There are quarterbacks who can take over a game, but you don’t see that often, even in the NFL. You might see it once or twice a year where a guy completely takes over. Most weeks, the best quarterbacks win by making the right decisions.
He’s learning there will be games and moments where you have to make the throws on passing downs and concepts you like, and other games where you have to take the backseat. You check it down. You accept that the defense isn’t giving you the shot plays. That’s maturity.
The hard part is progression. Anyone can see cover one and throw a fade. What’s hard is going one, two, three, to four and finding the checkdown or the running back underneath.
I’m proud of him, and it’s not only about what you do on Saturdays. It’s also about how you get everyone else locked in. Can you get 30, 40, 50 guys focused every rep, every day? Those practice reps add up.
That was my message to Cam Ward last year, and it applies to Carson too. We know you can make plays. Now lead the room. Get everybody locked in. With the style of offense we run and what teams have been giving us, the run game has been a huge part of who we are.
What have you seen from Trinidad Chambliss that could potentially cause issues for Miami?
The first thing is confidence. He’s a confident quarterback with a chip on his shoulder, and that spreads to the team.
I was at Georgia for a year, and Stetson Bennett had that same confidence. He was counted out, and he played that way. Chambliss came in with a low portal ranking, and he’s treated every rep as an opportunity. That mindset can lift an entire roster.
From a football standpoint, he can stretch the field, but he also throws with touch and placement. I saw layer throws. I saw driven throws. He can throw the deep ball. He can throw level-three concepts. He can change pace and trajectory.
Their offense also has good flow. It isn’t gimmicky. They spread you out, work quick game, diagnose what you’re playing, and once they find the rhythm of how they want to attack, they keep pressing the same stress points. The biggest key is knocking them out of that rhythm early.
What do you see from their ability to get rid of it quick and neutralize pass rushers?
We’ve seen this approach before. Louisville did it well: quick game, drags, slants, screens. You make the defense run sideline to sideline and tackle in space, and you slow down the rush because the ball is out.
My biggest concern going into Ohio State was: if you take away the top threat, does the underneath stuff become an issue? I thought Miami did a very good job of limiting that. When teams play quick, the answer has to be catch-and-tackle.
Ole Miss will have drives. They’ll score. But Miami’s secondary has improved in space, and if you keep the quick game to clean completions and immediate tackles, you can live with it.
Where does Kewan Lacy factor in for them in this game?
Setting the edge is everything. His biggest runs against Georgia came when he bounced outside. He’ll press the lane, then jump cut, stiff arm, and turn it into a race to the boundary.
He reminds me of the type of back who sets up leverage, then wins with burst and toughness once he gets to the perimeter. I don’t have his exact size (5'11, 200), but he has speed and he’s dynamic. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield.
Miami’s edge players have to win reps that don’t look glamorous: stretch plays, forcing the ball back inside, clean tackles when he tries to bounce. If you overpursue, he will cut it back or get outside and make you pay.
What’s your take on the portal and NIL—especially for quarterbacks?
First, find a place that loves you, not a place that needs you. You can tell the difference. A staff that loves you recruits you consistently, stays on you, and has a real plan for you.
A lot of programs chase production because coaches are under pressure. They don’t always have time to develop talent the way they used to. That’s the reality.
With NIL, if you’re a true top-tier player, you can ask for what you want. If you’re not, focus on fit and opportunity. If you believe you’re worth a number, prove it on the field. If you play well enough, your school will pay you to keep you or another school will pay you to take you.
For college players entering the portal, understand two things: a lot of guys won’t find a new home, and the same flaws your current coaches see are the same things the next staff will see. If you don’t fix them, the problem follows you.
I almost transferred. The choice was: leave, or fix the issues first. If you compete after fixing the issues and still don’t win the job, then make the move. Too many guys leave before they address what’s holding them back.
How does this group of skill talent stack up across college football?
They don’t overwhelm you with size and speed across the board. It isn’t a lineup of 6’4 guys running 4.3s.
What they do well is understand spacing and how to get open in their system. In spread offenses, routes adjust based on coverage. If you don’t understand those details, you won’t be where the quarterback expects you to be.
They also have strong hands. I saw them extend, pluck the ball, and finish through contact. They weren’t body-catching. In tight windows, that matters. Those two traits—spacing and hands—stand out.
If you’re facing this Miami defense, what are you looking for? What jumps out?
The issue is you can’t just slide protection to one guy because the defensive front is deep. If you slide to one edge rusher, the other side can still wreck the play.
So you have to identify the second-level and back-end threats: who is disguising, who is bluffing, who is coming. The safeties and nickels can change the picture and create free runners if you’re not clean with IDs.
You also need controlled misdirection. Not trick plays—controlled answers off your base offense. Quick play-action, backside flats, leverage throws, getting the ball out to stress the edges and force tackling.
The goal is to find small matchups and disrupt Miami’s rhythm without inviting the pass rush to tee off.
What do you see from Ole Miss on defense?
They’re an okay defense. They can do enough to win, but they aren’t dominant.
What stood out to me was the run defense. Georgia got too many efficient runs—10, 12, 15 yards—especially inside. If Ole Miss doesn’t commit numbers to the box, Miami can turn the game into body blows.
Miami’s run game is demoralizing because it isn’t only about explosives. It’s about consistent physical wins. Pancakes. Movement. Drives where you feel it. If you let that happen, you can lose psychologically, not just on the scoreboard.
So I expect Ole Miss to load the box and make the quarterback beat them more than they want Miami to run it down their throat.
Do you think DB blitzing could work against Chambliss? How do you handle defenders who can chase you?
You start with what you’re good at and see if it works. But if he’s elusive and making people miss, a spy can be better than constant pressure.
With pressure, if the quarterback sees it, he can set you up—bait the blitzer, escape, and create space. A spy stays square and limits scramble lanes when the pocket breaks.
Miami tackles well in space. That’s a big deal. When you trust your open-field tackling, you can be more aggressive with pressure packages because completions don’t automatically become explosive plays.
If you were a player in the Lane Kiffin situation, does it bring the team together?
It can. Losing a head coach is disruptive, especially with a big personality involved, but the team can rally around the idea that they’re still the program and still have the opportunity.
There should be respect because the foundation and the roster were built during that era, even if the way it unfolded left frustration. The key is leaders—players and administrators—keeping the group focused and preventing it from splintering.
Where do you land on playing multiple sports if a quarterback has the physical ability to do so?
I’m for it unless you’re certain your kid is a top-10 pick and you know that early.
Other sports teach transferable movement. Baseball teaches sequencing, hip-shoulder separation, and staying compact. Soccer helps footwork and conditioning. Boxing drills—without sparring—teach rotation, balance, and controlled violence in tight spaces.
The point is to use other sports to build athletic skills that translate directly to quarterback play.
Any portal QB fits that stand out?
I wanted Sorsby, but he’s going to Texas Tech.
I like Sam Leavitt at Arizona State. He plays tough, wins, and carries a chip on his shoulder. He also adds mobility as a run-game element while still being able to throw.
I also think you may see late portal movement—guys testing NFL feedback, then deciding whether to return. Sometimes those situations develop later than people expect.
Long-term, though, this should be the last year Miami lives in the portal at quarterback. At some point, the recruited quarterbacks in the system have to develop and take over. With a young quarterback there will be bumps, but if the roster is strong around him, those bumps don’t have to sink you.
When you’re watching the game early, what are you focused on in the first quarter?
Coverage structure and safety behavior.
Motion tells you a lot: man, zone, and how they adjust. Safeties tell you the coverage family. Even safeties often signal quarters. Uneven, single-high structures often signal cover three or cover one.
The first quarter is a chess match: what coverages do they lean toward versus certain personnel and formations? Are they rolling the safety to the tight end? Away from him? Where is leverage?
Once you understand that, you know where the run lanes are and what pass concepts are available.
