Miami needs some positive intervention at UNC. Inspired play would be a good start
If bad things happen in threes, or multiples thereof, maybe the Miami Hurricanes are due for something really good Saturday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
In no particular order: Three losses, that last-second field-goal attempt, nearly a dozen players missing practice this week with a non-COVID virus, dissension, starting quarterback D’Eriq King’s season-ending injury, starting center Corey Gaynor’s season-ending surgery, backup quarterback Jake Garcia’s ankle surgery...
Throw in the main culprit — uninspired, poor play — and you have an FBS mess.
The good: Wins against the Sun Belt Conference’s Appalachian State and Central Connecticut State of the FCS.
From the outside looking in, that’s what it seems to have come down to going into the 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Kenan Stadium. Not a whole lot of positives at this point, other than new starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (25 of 41 for 473 yards and four touchdowns) could be the pick-me-up the Canes need in Van Dyke’s first road start.
The Tar Heels (3-3, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who were ranked 10th to begin their 2021 campaign, have had an equally disappointing season — though the Canes (2-3, 0-1) would be thrilled to leave Chapel Hill with a 3-3 record.
The 2020 fiasco
It is almost inconceivable to think that UM entered last year’s home game against UNC ranked ninth in the AP Top 25 poll with an 8-1 record. The Canes were trampled, almost literally, by a No. 20 UNC that rushed for 554 yards — the most ever against UM. The Tar Heels gained 778 total yards in that regular-season finale on Dec. 12, 2021.
Here’s some excellent news for this year’s Canes’ defense: Now in the NFL are former Tar Heels running back Michael Carter (New York Jets), who rushed for 308 yards and two touchdowns in last year’s game; and running back Javonte Williams (Denver Broncos), who rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns.
UNC had the top rushing game in the nation in 2020, per Pro Football Focus. Now, the Heels, led by 6-0, 210-pound tailback Ty Chandler (498 yards and five touchdowns), have the 38th-best rushing offense of 130 FBS teams (194.2 yards per game), still a definite threat. Miami’s rushing defense is 57th nationally (allowing 135.4 rushing yards per game).
Sam Howell
North Carolina is led by quarterback Sam Howell (112 of 185 for 1,697 yards and 16 touchdowns, with five interceptions), who is ninth nationally in passing touchdowns and 15th in passing yards. Howell can also run. He is UNC’s second-leading rusher with 395 yards and three touchdowns, including the yardage lost from 23 sacks. The Tar Heels are 124th in sacks allowed, and the Canes’ defense is 50th with 11 sacks.
Last year, Howell threw for a score, ran for a score and caught a touchdown against Miami.
“Miami, I hate that D’Eriq King is hurt,’’ UNC coach Mack Brown said this week. “He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
“Probably the big story for them is the [second-year] freshman quarterback...Tyler Van Dyke. He’s big. He’s very, very accurate. But he can run for a big guy, too.’’
Added Brown: “Miami is a very, very talented team... they’re young and like us, they’re trying to find who they are and trying to get on track. So, it should be a great game.’’
Bye weeks
Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz is under plenty of pressure heading to the midpoint of his third season, and this will be his only regular-season game in 2021 that follows a bye week.
Before finally beating NC State on the road last November, the Canes had lost their previous four games following bye weeks after Diaz became head coach in 2019. His first season there was the North Carolina game after the Florida opener, the Virginia Tech game after Central Michigan and finally FIU after Louisville. (Never mind that the Canes also lost to Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl after weeks of preparation.)
Last season, then No. 1 Clemson was the first of two teams that followed bye weeks, and few could have expected a UM victory.
“We just gotta keep building,’’ Diaz told WQAM earlier this week after acknowledging resentment among some of the veteran Hurricanes who have lost playing time to younger teammates. “These things will all be forgotten when the ball hits the foot Saturday in Chapel Hill. We’re going through what we need to be going through.’’
This story was originally published October 15, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
