Hurricanes’ quarterback situation in disarray after Williams’ injury, Van Dyke’s struggles

Thrust into the starting role in front of a raucous sold-out crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium, Miami true freshman quarterback Emory Williams showed promise in the leading role for the Hurricanes.

Williams went 8 of 23 for 175 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-20 loss to the Seminoles before exiting the game with a severe arm injury late in the fourth quarter. Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal said Williams was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation with a “significant injury.”

Despite being carted off the field toward an awaiting ambulance, Williams continued to encourage the Hurricanes through tears.

“I know you guys know I’m hurt, but you got to go win this for me,” Miami running back Don Chaney Jr. said about the message from Williams. “You got to get this first down, got to go move the ball down the field. Go win this.”

Even though the Hurricanes ultimately fell to No. 4 Florida State, Williams showed what the future could look like for Miami.

Tyler Van Dyke entered Saturday’s game against Florida State for the injured Williams, who was 2 of 7 for 29 yards and threw the game-sealing interception on fourth and 10.

Van Dyke was one of the nation’s top-rated quarterbacks in early October. Since then, he has struggled, throwing 10 interceptions in his previous four games heading into Saturday, leading to Cristobal’s decision to start Williams.

“He has a super bright future,’’ Cristobal said of Williams. “And the truth of the matter is I think Tyler Van Dyke has a super bright future. There was a rough patch there and we made a decision, but I think everybody jumps to conclusions too quickly. Tyler is an awesome young man. It was a very tough decision. He handled it extremely well.”

The decision to go with Williams was seemingly working for the Hurricanes before the injury. He connected with junior wide receiver Jacolby George for two touchdowns, including an 85-yard score in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 27-20, stepping up as a leader for the Canes.

“We feel bad for Emory, he fought the hardest out of all of us,” George said. “He has the most confidence, and if anything went bad, he would pick everybody up. To be that young, you can look up to somebody like that.”

With Williams likely done for the season, Miami finds itself with a quarterback decision to make. Cristobal said sophomore Jacurri Brown had a chance to start against Florida State, despite not getting playing time this season after starting five games last yearn

“He’s doing well, I would say he was even on the docket to play regardless of the situation,” Cristobal said of Brown. “He has played really well. We thought that this was the best move for our team today, to start Emory, and that should Emory have gotten hurt that Tyler was ready because Tyler had a really good week of practice.”

Brown and Van Dyke will compete for the starting role in next week’s matchup against Louisville. In his five games played in 2022, Brown threw for 230 yards on 27 of 45 passing, posting three touchdowns and three interceptions.

So far this season, Van Dyke has thrown for 2,057 yards, with 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Williams may be the guy for Miami’s future, but next week’s starter is yet to be determined.

This story was originally published November 11, 2023 at 10:39 PM.