Brock and a hard place

Berlin buckles down after tough start to lead miracle comeback

Brock Berlin racked up 278 of his 340 passing yards in the second half. AP

MIAMI -- -- Brock Berlin was the picture-perfect hero as he left the Orange Bowl field Saturday night, arms raised, grinning from ear to ear, taking a victory lap in front of throngs of screaming fans in the first few rows.

One never would have guessed that roughly an hour earlier, the same people were booing him.

In just his second start as a Hurricane, Ken Dorsey's successor officially wrote his own chapter in the book of great Miami quarterbacks with a very Dorsey-esque moment, leading his new teammates back from a 23-point deficit to stun his former teammates 38-33.

In completing 27 of 41 throws for 340 yards -- 278 of them after halftime -- Berlin went from question mark to star for the third-ranked 'Canes, who were in danger of being blown out of their own stadium as late as the six-minute mark of the third quarter.

"This has to put him in Ken Dorsey's category, at least a little bit," said receiver Kevin Beard, who caught seven of Berlin's passes for 164 yards. "He has some more proving to do, but he showed us the beginning."

The beginning very nearly could have been the end for Berlin, whose heroics were preceeded by three ghastly turnovers, two of them leading directly to Florida touchdowns during a run of 23 straight Gators points in the second and third quarters.

But when Berlin trotted on to the field -- to a cascade of boos he claims he didn't hear -- down 33-10 with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter, something changed.

The Hurricanes began running a hurry-up, shotgun offense of the variety Berlin got to run back at Shreveport (La.) Evangel High School and at Florida.

Suddenly, his protection was holding up longer. His receivers were getting open. And Berlin started seeing the field like he hadn't all game.

"We needed a change of pace," said offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. "It got Brock in a good rhythym."

That's putting it mildly.

In producing four consecutive touchdown drives of 85, 69, 70 yards and 89 yards, Berlin completed 18 of 21 passes -- including 12 in a row at one point. He also converted a key fourth-and-1 on what would become the game-winning drive with a 6-yard run on a bootleg keeper.

"We needed to score some points, so we started doing some two-minute stuff we'd worked on real hard," said an exhausted Berlin, who cramped up in both calves during the final drive and was so dehydrated he received treatment in the locker room afterward. "My teammates made huge plays."

Clearly, this was an emotional night for Berlin, who a week after returning to his hometown to face Louisiana Tech in the opener was lining up against guys he'd played with for two years.

One of them, Gators guard Shannon Snell, made all kinds of headlines during the week with his announced intention to "hit [Berlin] in the mouth."

Amidst the on-field chaos following the final gun, Berlin, who stepped out of character for a moment to do a mock Gator chomp toward the Florida fans, briefly reunited with Snell.

"He joked, 'Hit me in the mouth, hit me in the mouth,' " said Snell. "I knew Brock was a leader, I've been telling everyone from day one. He finally showed what he can do. I'm very happy for him, even though he beat us."

Even in victory, the 'Canes obviously have many questions to answer the rest of the season. In a repeat of late last season, their run defense was soft, allowing 178 yards on 39 carries. Their offensive line wasn't always sound, and they made a litany of major mistakes, including blown coverages and mindless penalties.

It helps that quarterback is no longer one of them.

With the graduation of Dorsey after last season and outspoken safety Ed Reed the year before, there was reason to wonder who would step up as the team's leaders. Tight end Kellen Winslow, a logical choice, seems a bit brash to play the role. Safety Sean Taylor, arguably the most talented defender, was one of the ones committing stupid penalties Saturday.

The soft-spoken Berlin, much like Dorsey, may be able to lead example.

"I think [the win] is immensely important [for Berlin]," said Chudzinski. "A lot of these guys haven't played together too long, so it can really help build a team. It helps his status as far as the team goes and having guys view him as their leader."

There were a few plays Saturday night their leader wishes he could have back.

And yet he had no hesitation saying this was his finest performance.

Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com.