Van Dyke’s explosive arm bodes well for Miami Hurricanes’ future. Duke could help, too
Nothing like a grand time in the driving rain, slip-sliding through mud and sopped football-field grass, riding on the shoulders of those who will carry on your legacy as you exit your home stadium forever.
And nothing like knowing you have a young, exceptional quarterback to continue the charge into whatever the future might hold — now including a bowl game.
The Miami Hurricanes had fun again on senior day Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. They had pride again. They had resolve again to fight back from a somewhat nerve-racking fourth quarter and plunge the dagger with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Van Dyke to senior Mike Harley for the eventual 38-26 UM victory over Virginia Tech.
The Hurricanes (6-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) travel to downtrodden Duke (3-8, 0-7) for a 12:30 p.m. regular-season finale Saturday in Durham, North Carolina.
“Coming off that heartbreaking loss against FSU,’’ Van Dyke said, “we still fought. Everybody came together and fought for the seniors. It was just a great way to send them out.”
Van Dyke dominates
Van Dyke, only a second-year freshman, became the only Atlantic Coast Conference quarterback over the past 15 seasons with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns in five consecutive games. He finished the game 19 of 33 for 357 yards and three touchdowns, and would have had another 72 aerial yards and an extra touchdown had Will Mallory’s impressive third-quarter touchdown not been nullified by a holding penalty on offensive lineman Zion Nelson.
The 6-4, 224-pound Van Dyke slipped on the wet field Saturday in the second quarter, went into the medical tent and exited with a brace on his left knee. He said he was OK and would be sore Sunday, but felt better in the second half. UM fans are depending on it.
Van Dyke, by now a clear contender for ACC Rookie of the Year, is 168 of 275 for 2,550 yards and 22 touchdowns, with six interceptions in nine games, including the opener, in which he played at the end and threw one incomplete pass.
“All 11 guys on the field are doing their job with that,’’ Mallory said of Van Dyke’s explosive play-making ability. “Tyler is making those throws and guys are making contested catches. It’s a whole offensive effort.”
In Van Dyke’s six starts, he’s 168 of 274 (61.3 percent) for his 2,550 yards. In UM’s last five games, four of which the Hurricanes have won, Van Dyke is 123 of 189 (65 percent) for 1,813 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions.
“Each week I’m learning from the game before, just watching a lot of film and learning from mistakes,’’ Van Dyke said. “I’ve got to give credit to the O-Line. There were zero sacks tonight. They protected me well. The receivers, too, made great catches downfield. I can’t do it without any of those guys. The whole team has really helped me come into this role and given me the confidence I have now.”
‘Phenomenal’
Diaz, who was ecstatic for his players despite not knowing his future with the program after athletic director Blake James was fired last Monday, called Van Dyke’s development “phenomenal.’’
“Every week he shows guts and courage and makes plays. In year two of this system, we have improved. Everyone is starting to play better around the quarterback. You see some of the catches the guys are making.
“[Charleston] Rambo’s resurgence to me is as key of a story to our offense. The biggest thing is that the football team believes that Tyler Van Dyke can lead us. I think that has been true from day one. I think that is why our guys play like that. Even when we sort of hit that spot right there in the third [quarter] where we stalled a little bit, we knew we could find the plays to make in the fourth quarter which, ultimately, we did.”
Rambo/Harley
Senior Rambo led all receivers Saturday with seven catches (in 11 targets) for 116 yards. He now has 1,071 yards and five touchdowns on 71 receptions this season and needs one more catch to to tie Leonard Hankerson’s single-season school record of 72 catches in 2010. Rambo also is only 92 yards shy of breaking Allen Hurns’ single-season UM record of 1,162 in 2013.
“I feel like I can just throw it up there and he’ll make the play,’’ Van Dyke said of Rambo.
Harley, whose own numbers have undoubtedly been reduced because of transfer Rambo’s addition this season, nonetheless has made some crucial, clutch catches of his own this season. Harley has 44 catches for 447 yards and five touchdowns, and needs five more catches to break Reggie Wayne’s career record of 173 from 1997 through 2000.
Harley, who said he would definitely participate in a bowl game rather than opting out, needs 71 yards in his next two games to pass Phillip Dorsett as No. 8 in UM career receiving yards. He needs 85 yards to pass No. 7 Travis Benjamin and 99 yards to pass No. 6 Hankerson.
“That would be huge for me and for my family,’’ Harley said regarding Wayne’s record.
▪ As strong as UM’s passing game was Saturday, its running game was poor. The Canes netted 54 yards on 30 carries, a 1.8-yard-per-carry average. UM’s rushing offense is ranked 100th (126.5 yards a game) of 130 FBS teams.
Bowl destinations
With Saturday’s victory, the Hurricanes are bowl bound, but could end up at a number of destinations, with nine teams having already qualified for 12 possible spots. Three other teams — Florida State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech — each need one more win to qualify.
UM won’t know it’s destination until all the games are played, but some possibilities are the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at 11 a.m. Dec. 31 in Jacksonville; New Era Pinstripe at 2:15 p.m. Dec. 29 in New York; Duke’s Mayo Bowl at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 30 in Charlotte, North Carolina; Military Bowl at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 27 in Annapolis, Maryland; Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 31 in El Paso, Texas; the Wasabi Fenway Bowl at 11 a.m. Dec. 29 in Boston; and the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl at 8 p.m. Dec. 29.
A win against Duke would likely preclude the Canes from going to lower-tier bowls TicketSmarter Birmingham at noon Dec. 28; Union Home Mortage Gasparilla at 7 p.m. Dec. 23 in Tampa; and SERVPRO First Responder Bowl at 11 a.m. Dec. 29 in Dallas.
This story was originally published November 21, 2021 at 3:45 PM.
