Interesting article on Parrish (great attitude)

[Sound_n_Fury]

Parrish catching on

 

Roscoe Parrish has rebounded from an early-season demotion to become Brock Berlin's go-to receiver.

 

BY GEORGE RICHARDS

 

grichards@herald.com

 

 

Butch Davis didn't think Roscoe Parrish was big enough to play wide receiver at the University of Miami.

 

As a senior at Miami High in 2000, Parrish wasn't offered a scholarship by the then-Hurricanes coach and was set to sign with North Carolina State. But when Davis resigned in January 2001 to coach the Cleveland Browns, Parrish found he had big fans in offensive coordinator Larry Coker and receivers coach Curtis Johnson.

 

When Coker was promoted to replace Davis, the first recruit he called was Parrish.

 

Coker offered a scholarship, and an ecstatic Parrish couldn't wait to sign the papers.

 

''I couldn't stop smiling,'' Parrish said Wednesday, ``I always wanted to be a Hurricane.''

 

Coker's intuition paid off, especially this year. Parrish, a fourth-year junior listed at 5-9, is Miami's leading receiver with 21 catches for 331 yards and six touchdowns.

 

Not bad for a player benched after Miami's victory over Florida State as coaches made a statement about Parrish's practice work ethic. Parrish responded to the demotion by becoming Brock Berlin's favorite target, with all six touchdowns coming in the past four games.

 

''Roscoe has definitely stepped up his game,'' Coker said. ``He's exciting to watch.''

 

TURNING POINT

 

After Berlin and UM's receivers were criticized by Coker and the media after a lackluster performance at Houston, the improvement has been remarkable. Berlin had a career game the next week at Georgia Tech, and UM's once-maligned passing game draws nothing but raves these days.

 

Miami's offense wasn't blamed for Saturday's loss to North Carolina -- the defense gave up more than 500 yards -- but still Parrish thinks his unit could have won it. ''We are capable of scoring 50 points,'' he said, ``and if we would have done that, we wouldn't be sitting right here where we're at right now.''

 

Against the Tar Heels, Berlin had his third straight game with more than 250 passing yards, and both he and Parrish credit that to their new post-practice workout sessions that sometimes last into the darkness.

 

''We're running those routes over and over,'' Parrish said. ``We're tired and your body doesn't want to go anymore, but we keep pushing ourselves to do it once more. It really helps to be on the same page with the quarterback, and we're getting the eye contact down. That's something we never had before. We're running routes until we get it right.''

 

This year is one Parrish will remember, especially after last year. Undergoing knee surgery was just the start of a frustrating season in which Parrish spent two nights in a Tallahassee hospital after getting crushed on a play and suffering a bruised lung. He would later have a fumble returned for touchdown in a loss to Virginia Tech, and then his grandmother died before the Hurricanes played at Pittsburgh.

 

EARLY DEMOTION

 

So when things didn't start well this season, Parrish decided he wasn't giving up. His early demotion only opened his eyes.

 

''I had big goals, and then things went down for me,'' he said, ``but I couldn't sit there and feel sorry for myself. What it did was make me more humble and make me want to work hard. I look at every practice and every game as if it's my last. I felt like the first two games I didn't play to my potential. Some people feel sorry for themselves and keep going down the same path. You reap what you sow.''

 

And the benefit is going to Parrish, Berlin and the Hurricanes.

 

''He just keeps making big plays for us,'' Berlin said. ``We always knew he was a big-time player. We talk during the week about certain plays we want to hit, and there have been plenty of times we're in the huddle and I tell him to get open and it'll be a touchdown. You can see his eyes get big because he knows it.''

[jarthur31]

This guy sounds like a player. Let's hope he's durable enough to survive in the NFL.