All eyes on quarterback Jake Garcia as Miami travels to Charlottesville to face Virginia
It appears that Jake Garcia’s time is around the corner — and about 1,000 miles up the road near the Blue Ridge Mountains and colorful foliage in Charlottesville, Virginia.
All eyes will be on University of Miami redshirt freshman quarterback Garcia at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, when the Hurricanes (3-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) face the Cavaliers (3-4, 1-3) at Scott Stadium in a game that has taken on more intrigue since Hurricanes starter Tyler Van Dyke hurt his throwing shoulder last Saturday.
If Van Dyke can’t go, which is likely the case, Garcia — an upbeat, outgoing, affable former national star in high school — would get his first college start.
“I have complete confidence in Jake,’’ UM receiver Colbie Young, who broke out the past two weeks with a combined 15 catches for 228 yards and three touchdowns, said Saturday after UM’s 45-21 loss to Duke. Garcia threw three interceptions and fumbled twice last week in that eight-turnover collapse. “He’s the last one to keep his head down. He’s a hard worker. He’s a battler. We’re going to stand behind him. He knows we’re with him. I feel like he’s going to lead a great performance if he has to start next game.”
Miami coach Mario Cristobal said Wednesday he wouldn’t know Van Dyke’s status until “closer to game time’’ after it was reported by recruiting site CaneSport that Garcia was starting at Virginia and would likely start the following game against Florida State at Hard Rock Stadium, after which Van Dyke would be reevaluated.
It was unclear if Van Dyke would make the trip, though Cristobal said Wednesday he had “improved a bunch,’’ despite adding that “Tyler has practiced very little” and that Garcia was “taking the majority of reps.’’
“We don’t know who’s playing right now, but we’re practicing as if whoever is playing is ready,’’ offensive guard Jalen Rivers said Wednesday. “With Jake specifically, we’re making sure if he’s struggling, we’re here as an O-line to help him, communicating with him, because he hasn’t played a lot of the games and he hasn’t started. We’re making sure he’s comfortable with us. As a veteran myself, and with [DJ] Scaife and everybody on the O-line, it’s ‘Hey, if you need help, we’re watching film this evening, you can watch and walk through blitzes and all that stuff.’”
Also expected to get at least some action Saturday is No. 3 quarterback Jacurri Brown, a highly touted dual-threat freshman who has played in three games primarily as a wildcat quarterback. He has not yet thrown a pass.
Garcia’s season
The 6-3, 194-pound Garcia has played in four games this season, completing 32 of 49 (65.3 percent) passes for 470 yards yards and two touchdowns, with the three picks last week. He has been sacked six times. Last season he played in one game against FCS team Central Connecticut State on Sept. 25 as the backup to eventual 2021 ACC Rookie of the Year Van Dyke. Garcia went 11 of 14 (78.6) for 147 yards and two touchdowns before he was injured in that CCS game.
Garcia starred at Grayson (Georgia) High via his former home in Whittier, California. He was rated the nation’s No. 2 pocket passer by ESPN and the No. 5 pro-style quarterback for the 2021 signing class by recruiting sites Rivals and 247Sports.
Both Van Dyke and Garcia are frank and respectful in dealing with the media. But in contrast to the quieter, more subdued Van Dyke, Garcia is an extrovert who said he fell in love with his recruiting class and UM fans who made an all-out social media effort to lure him to the U after he had been committed for a year to Southern Cal. “Great fans,’’ he told the Miami Herald before arriving at UM last year.
This past March he described the injury he sustained — a high ankle sprain and torn ligaments, his father Randy previously told the Miami Herald — that occurred on his 45-yard run in the first half of UM’s 69-0 demolition of Central Connecticut State.
“When I felt my ankle, you know how you know you messed up and it’s like, ‘Oh man, I cut my finger.’ Your body gets kind of hot. I felt that feeling right away and I was like, ‘I probably broke my ankle, but I can’t come out because I didn’t throw any touchdowns yet.’”
Indeed, he returned for the second half and threw two touchdowns.
“I’ve definitely learned a lot from Tyler and I feel like you have to prepare for every game and every practice as if you are the starter,’’ Garcia said earlier this season. “When your number is called you have to make the most of the opportunity. It doesn’t matter if it’s Week 1 or Week 8 you gotta prepare the same way. That’ll carry you throughout the year.”
UVA threats
Garcia’s (or Van Dyke’s, if he plays) challenge could be even tougher with an offensive line that has been weakened by injuries and is playing on the road. The Canes entered the week tied for 93rd among 131 FBS team with 18 total sacks allowed, and tied for 96th in sacks per game. Cristobal said center Jakai Clark is fully healthy and is expected to start, but backup Jonathan Denis appeared to badly injure his left leg last week, former starting right guard Justice Oluwaseun is out long term and former first-round draft prospect Zion Nelson (knee) is still out.
The Cavaliers are tied for 15th nationally with 23 sacks, and 11th in sacks per game. Virginia is 39th in total defense (350.3 yards allowed per game) and 36th in passing yards allowed (202.6).
In part due to multiple injuries, UM’s rushing offense has been virtually nonexistent the past four games, producing 60, 42, 107 and last week’s 48 ground yards. If that continues, that could spell trouble for the quarterback.
Virginia has defeated Miami four of the past five games at Scott Stadium and is led by 6-2, 215-pound, left-handed senior quarterback Brennan Armstrong, who holds numerous UVA passing records but is also a running threat. Armstrong, however, is having a subpar year (136 of 246 for 1,618 yards and six touchdowns, with nine interceptions) after throwing for 4,449 yards and 31 touchdowns (10 picks) in 2021.
Said Cristobal in terms of Armstrong’s results declining: “They might be statistically. They’re not in terms of how effective and dangerous he is. He’s as talented as it gets.”
Last year the Hurricanes won their last five out of six game. With five regular-season games left, senior tight end Will Mallory said the team believes it can rebound again.
“We kind of realized, ‘Hey, we’re all we got and we’re all we need,’ Mallory said. “That’s what’s happening now, too. ...That’s what we deserve to do. We’ve been working way too hard to not do that. We’re going to come together, stay together and finish this as best we can.”
