Q&A With Ken Dorsey
by Chris Bello - October 5th, 2000

**Chris Bello spoke with quarterback Ken Dorsey days before his first of three starts against #1 Florida State. The Canes had lost five straight to the Noles and it was up to Mr. Dorsey to lead underdog Miami to an upset over a hated state rival. Miami was 3-1 on the season and #7 going into the October 7th match up while Dorsey was making only his 8th start of his collegiate career.


CB : What motivated you to head 3,000 plus miles to wear the orange and green? Was there any temptation to stay out west and play in the Pac-10?

KD: Yes, there was definitely temptation but I wanted to go to a program that had a tradition of winning and a fun place to go to and I think that I found that. I found a great combination here at Miami and people and a coaching staff that are right for me.

CB: What is your most memorable on the field and off the field moment over the past few years?

KD: My most memorable on the field moment had to have been playing against Syracuse last year and having the opportunity to start against them in front of a nationally televised crowd. Not all of my family had a chance to be there but they were all watching on TV. Just having that opportunity was really a good moment for me.

Off the field it was this entire summer and how hard we worked as a team in order to prepare for this year. That is the biggest-the-field memory I've made. Seeing the dedication this team has.

CB: How do you handle the pressure and expectations of quarterbacking a storied program such as Miami's?

KD: It's having the mentality to not let yourself get swamped in it. You have got to have other things to fall back on and sometimes just time to yourself when people aren't drilling you about the program or anything like that. That's been the key for me.

CB: What has surprised you most about college football versus high school and do you thrive on getting "thrown into the fire" and playing so young?

KD: The biggest thing has been the speed and how fast everything is in the game. Practice speed and game speed are two completely different things I really didn't know about until I got a chance to play in games and it's something that has taken some time to adjust to but once you do it's a lot of fun.

CB: Which NFL players have you modeled your style of play after and how do you feel about the Bernie Kosar comparisons?

KD: I love having the Bernie Kosar comparisons because he's been able to accomplish so much throughout his career. If people see a little bit of him in me, that's just great, you know, to share those kind of similarities.

The guys in the NFL that I've modeled myself after are not only Bernie, but guys like Joe Montana. The guys that experienced a lot of success with poise in the pocket and making things happen on the field.

CB: What are some of your pre-game rituals?

KD: I always sit in the same seat on the bus, listen to the same music - nothing hard like ACDC, but something that'll keep me relaxed - a variety of stuff. It's not more of a "fired up" thing - it's a "relaxing thing" - something to keep the mind at ease.

CB: Obviously you would like to beat Florida State and Virginia Tech this season. But which win would mean more to you?

KD: If you ask me this week, the Florida State win means more to me. If you ask me in a couple weeks when we play Virginia Tech, that one is going to mean more to me. It's state rivalry vs. conference rivalry but both are big games. In the end both of them will mean just as much.

CB: If you weren't playing football every Saturday, how would you spend your weekends?

KD: Just going to games and hanging out if I didn't play football. When it's not football season it is laid back and relaxed - just trying to get away from everything - a lot of TV and a lot of golf.

But right now I can't wait for Saturday!

CB: Neither can we, Kenny....

Born and raised in Miami, FL and a CanesTime.com columnist since 1996, Chris Bello now resides in San Diego, CA and handling online sales and providing content for allCanes.com. Feel free to send your comments or to contact him at chris@allCanes.com