Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King sustains apparent right knee injury in Cheez-It Bowl
A potentially serious knee injury for D’Eriq quickly turned the Cheez-It Bowl into a nightmare for the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday.
King sustained an apparent right knee injury late in the first half of Miami’s showdown with the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Orlando, walking off the field without putting much weight on his right leg as he headed into a medical tent. The injury occurred on a scramble with 4:06 left in the second quarter, on a play wiped out because of a defensive penalty.
With a little more than four minutes left in the half, King surveyed the defense and couldn’t find anywhere to throw — Oklahoma State was flagged for holding — so he rolled to his right and took off to try to pick up some yards. He cut off his right leg and appeared to plant slightly awkwardly before Cowboys safety Tre Sterling upended the quarterback, sending him tumbling to the ground after a 5-yard gain. As soon as he landed, King grabbed at his right knee in pain. Teammates and coaches quickly dropped to a knee as trainers tended to the redshirt senior.
The Hurricanes ruled out King early in the third quarter, ESPN reported. Miami referred to injury as a “right leg” injury and said he would be further evaluated once the Hurricanes returned to South Florida.
Miami coaches asked King whether he wanted to take the cart off the field, ESPN reported, but he decided to limp off with the help of trainers. He returned to the sideline in the third quarter, wearing street clothes and walking on crutches with a brace on his right knee.
Perry quickly threw two incomplete passes after he entered and the Hurricanes settled for a field goal to cut Oklahoma State’s lead to 11. King had led No. 18 Miami to the Cowboys’ 7-yard line as the Hurricanes tried to stage a comeback after falling behind by 21 in the first half.
King, who transferred to Miami from the Houston Cougars in January, was a revelation for the Hurricanes this season. In the regular season, King completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,570 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions, and ran for 520 yards and four touchdowns on 122 carries. On Saturday, King announced he would return to Miami for one more season, using an NCAA rule which allows all players an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, King went 10 of 13 for 113 yards and one touchdown, and added eight carries for 18 yards before exiting. Perry finished the half 3 of 6 for 22 yards. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is the third-stringer on the depth chart.
King has a history with knee injuries. In 2018, King tore the meniscus in his right knee while playing for Houston, cutting short his junior season.
The Hurricanes are optimistic they can return to the national conversation with King at the helm in 2021. King, who felt he could be late-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, opted to come back to Coral Gables in part to chase larger goals. Now his health is the biggest question Miami faces.
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 6:58 PM.
