Toss out the awards. QB D’Eriq King, already a major force for UM, wants win over FSU

Two down, two victories, two impressive performances by new University of Miami quarterback D’Eriq King, who was amply rewarded by a heap of weekly honors.

There was the Atlantic Coast Conference Quarterback of the Week award and Earl Campbell Player of the Week award and Maxwell Player of the Week and Manning Award Star of the Week and Davey O’Brien Week 3 Great 8 Award. (Insert breath here.)

King, a graduate transfer with Houston the past four years, would toss all those accolades aside for a victory in his first showdown against Florida State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC) at Hard Rock Stadium. King said Wednesday that he knew this was a compelling rivalry all the way back to when he played at Manvel High in Texas.

“I know it’s a big game inside Florida and honestly everywhere in the country,’’ King said. “I played for [former FSU Heisman Trophy winner] Charlie Ward. He was my high school coach for a little bit, and he used to talk about it all the time.

“It’s a big week for everybody, and I’m ready to be part of it.’’

Among nation’s leaders

After victories against Alabama-Birmingham and then-No. 18 Louisville, King is 34 of 54 (63 percent) for 469 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions. He has 92 yards and a touchdown rushing, and has been sacked three times. Those numbers are good enough for him to be ranked sixth nationally in passing touchdowns, 14th in total offense, 16th in passing yards per completion (13.8) and 18th in passing efficiency.

He acknowledged there “was a big jump’’ in improvement from the UAB opener to the 47-34 win at Louisville, but that “honestly, I don’t think we played too well’’ last week. “We had a lot of stuff we can get better at. We made strides in the passing game. We made some plays downfield. So that was good, but there’s still a lot we’ve got to get better at — and I have to get better at first. We’re working on all that this week in practice.’’

King had previously mentioned that the Hurricanes weren’t close to reaching their full potential. “When you envision the offense realize its potential, what does it look like?” he was asked Wednesday during a Zoom session.

“Very explosive,’’ King said. “We have the guys to be a really, really explosive offense scoring a lot of points. So, that’s the biggest thing we have to keep getting better at as far as the passing game. We’re doing a really good job in the running game.

“We’ve just got to be more detailed. There are a lot of small things we’re missing out on — me, the O-line, wide receivers, running backs. That was a big focus this week, to be more detailed and know what we’re trying to get done.”

Herbstreit’s take

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, assigned to the ABC broadcast Saturday night, told WQAM’s Hurricane Hotline that King’s temperament reminds him of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson when Wilson played for North Carolina State and then transferred to Wisconsin for his final season.

“[Wilson] shows up in Madison and was there four weeks and was unanimously voted a team captain,’’ Herbstreit, who admires King’s maturity, said. “D’Eriq is very humble. He’s a grinder, keeps his head down. He’s all about the process.

“This [UM] program, I know they’ve had some names, but they’ve not had stability at that position since, to me, Ken Dorsey... I hope he stays healthy and this thing continues for him.”

King’s right tackle, Jarrid Williams, also transferred from Houston for this season. He indicated Wednesday that he’s always confident that King will come through, no matter how big the game is considered.

“I don’t feel like he changes how he prepares for a game,’’ Williams said. “He’s definitely well prepared throughout the week. I’m not really worried about what he’s going to do on the field because I already know what I’m expecting, especially from playing with him for basically three years. I know he’s going to go out there and do what he does.

“He’s humble for sure,’’ Williams continued about King’s continual honors. “He’s not big-headed at all. I joke around with him from time to time about some of the stuff we see on Twitter as far as the awards he gets. He takes it and it’s not anything cocky at all.”

Canes coach Manny Diaz said this week that what King gives his offense beyond the obvious running and passing and playmaking ability is confidence.

Beyond running and passing

“That entire game on Saturday,’’ Diaz said. “The key moment for sure was when we hit the long pass to [tight end] Will Mallory. “Will makes a great play, breaks a tackle, it’s a [74-yard] gain. We get called for a false start...“We’re backed up into our 10-yard line and we’ve got third-and-14. And if you don’t believe in your guy and the team doesn’t believe in your guy, how many times do you see a team just hand the ball off and punt?

“D’Eriq gets back out there and just rips [a 31-yard completion] to Mark Pope — the longest throw you can make and then, bang, we get going and we end up scoring to make it 14-3.”

King said he played in some big games at Houston, including against UM offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee’s former SMU Mustangs, but that the FSU matchup “is by far the biggest rivalry game I’ve ever played in.

“It’s a game you must win in Miami.’’