Miami Hurricanes QB Tyler Van Dyke starts against Florida State Seminoles
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke returned as the Miami Hurricanes’ starter Saturday against archrival Florida State, just 14 days after leaving the game against Duke with a shoulder injury.
It is his first start since injuring his shoulder Oct. 22 against Duke.
Third-year sophomore Van Dyke, the 2021 ACC Rookie of the Year, hurt his throwing shoulder after he was sacked in the second quarter against the Blue Devils. He came out of the game and didn’t play at Virginia, but traveled to Charlottesville to help redshirt freshman Jake Garcia.
Miami was 4-4 and 2-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference heading into the game. FSU was 5-3 and 3-3.
UM coach Mario Cristobal said earlier this week that Van Dyke was “looking better and better every single day” and that UM entered this week “with preparing him to play, with preparing Jake to play and preparing Jacurri to play.’’
Going into the FSU game, Van Dyke was 152-of-237 (64.1 percent) for 1,728 yards and 10 touchdowns, with four interceptions in seven games this season. He had been sacked 12 times
Garcia was 47-of-78 for 595 yards and two touchdowns in five games, with three interceptions. He has been sacked eight times.
Brown has been used mostly in wildcat situations and played on Saturday, which would burned his redshirt eligibility.
Van Dyke started the FSU game last year at Tallahassee. The Seminoles scored 11 points late in the fourth quarter to win that game. Van Dyke finished 25-of-47 for 316 yards and four touchdowns, but threw two interceptions and lost a fumble that led to an FSU touchdown.
Injury updates
Hurricanes offensive lineman John Campbell Jr. was seen limping off the field at the end of pregame warmups but still started at his usual left tackle spot. The fifth-year senior has started all nine games this season for Miami at left tackle.
Safety James Williams and defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor both started Saturday. Williams did not play last week against Virginia, and Mesidor left the Virginia game early.
UM-FSU recruiting magnet
Cristobal was asked this week how important games such as Miami-Florida State are for recruiting. Dozens of high-impact prospects from multiple future classes — including 2023 five-star UM commits Cormani McClain and Francis Mauigoa — were expected to attend Saturday.
“Everybody has their own opinion, and I don’t think anyone should judge anybody for their opinion on how they value each and every game,’’ Cristobal said. “We value every game as the most important thing in the world. ... In terms of recruiting, there’s a lot of value in a lot of different things. I think most importantly is the track record of the staff — where they’ve been, what they’ve done, how they’ve won, who they’ve developed, how they’ve graduated, how they treated people, how they do way after the fact when football’s said and done, what their relationships are with those players that played for them.
“Our track record for our staff has always been excellent.”
Clay James semifinalist
UM fifth-year redshirt junior longsnapper Clay James was one of 12 college players announced this week as semifinalists for the 2022 Wuerffel Trophy.
The Wuerffel Trophy, college football’s gold standard for community service, is presented each February in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Named for 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, the Wuerffel Trophy “honors players who serve others, celebrate their positive impact on society, and inspire greater service in the world,’’ according to a Miami release.
Among several community service initiatives, James helped start a fundraiser to benefit the local Grove Outreach Food Bank. He also has also spent time volunteering with Best Buddies, Operation Christmas Child and the Lotus House. This past year, James was a student ambassador for the Miami’s ‘It’s On Us’ campaign, an outreach program that seeks to stop sexual violence on college campuses across the country.
“That guy does so much for so many people,’’ Cristobal said. “He affects people in so many ways and he’s extremely smart — super-high football IQ guy, great teammate. You don’t hear the name much, but like those positions, you typically don’t hear something till something goes wrong… But we certainly are appreciate of him and value him tremendously. Man, you couldn’t ask for a better representative.’’
This and that
▪ BetOnline reported that Miami is a college-football worst 1-7 against the spread this season. The Hurricanes were a 7 ½-point underdog to Florida State on Saturday.
▪ FSU running back Treshaun Ward, who missed the Seminoles’ past two games with an unspecified leg injury, warmed up pregame and was expected to return to action. Ward entered the game as FSU’s leading rusher with 488 yards and three touchdowns on 72 carries.
This story was originally published November 5, 2022 at 6:41 PM.
