Miami getting healthier for playoffs, but were injuries a blessing in disguise?
The Miami Hurricanes appear to be getting healthier at the right time.
As the No. 10 Hurricanes (10-2) prepare for their first-round College Football Playoff game against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies (11-1), Miami coach Mario Cristobal said the anticipation is that just about every key player should be available for the game on Dec. 20 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas (noon, ABC).
Most notably: Defensive tackle David Blay Jr. is expected to return after a three-game absence, cornerback OJ Frederique Jr. is slated to be full-go after missing the final five games and wide receiver CJ Daniels should be at 100% after getting limited reps in Miami’s final two games.
The main player UM is holding out hope for that might not be available is nickel cornerback Keionte Scott, who did not play in Miami’s final two regular-season games at Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh due to an undisclosed lower extremity injury.
This run of health comes after the Hurricanes already had a pair of key players in running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. return to close out the regular season. Starting linebacker Wesley Bissainthe was also limited for a couple of weeks but didn’t actually miss any playing time.
“We’re getting healthier at the right time,” Cristobal said Monday, “and we still have 10-12 days to get even more healthy.”
But in hindsight, the Hurricanes overcoming those injuries just might benefit them in terms of a hopeful playoff run and in the long-term because of the valuable game reps gained by players who otherwise would have been reserves.
Fletcher missing two games and being eased back into action once he did return opened the door for the emergence of Girard Pringle. The true freshman rushed for 302 yards and one touchdown on 48 carries (a 6.3 yards per carry average) plus caught four passes for 53 yards and another score over Miami’s four-game winning streak to close the regular season.
At defensive tackle, the absences of Moten and then Blay created additional opportunities for sophomore Justin Scott. The former five-star recruit started Miami’s final five games and logged 15 tackles, six-and-a-half of which were tackles for loss (including one sack).
In Scott’s absence the past two weeks, freshman Bryce Fitzgerald, primarily a safety, started at nickel cornerback the final two weeks after being used in limited packages through the first 10 games of the season. Fitzgerald thrived even with the additional workload, logging six tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and his team-high-tying fourth interception of the season in the wins at Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.
And while Keelan Marion and Malachi Toney, both already starters, were the main benefactors in Daniels’ absence in terms of pure production, the likes of Daylyn Upshaw and Joshua Moore, both freshmen, saw expanded time at wide receiver. Tight end Elija Lofton was more involved down the stretch, too, catching touchdowns in each of Miami’s final three games.
It’s also a message to future recruits: If you show that you’re capable of making an impact, you will get playing time. True freshmen have taken just shy of 2,000 snaps for the Hurricanes.
Hetherman a Broyles Award Finalist
Hurricanes defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman on Tuesday was named a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to college football’s top assistant coach.
In his first year at UM, Hetherman has overhauled Miami’s defense. The Hurricanes rank among the country’s best in points allowed per game (sixth, 13.8), yards allowed per game (11th, 277.8), yards allowed per play (eighth, 4.51), rushing yards allowed per game (seventh, 86.83), rushing yards allowed per play (10th, 2.90), opponent third-down conversion rate (10th, 29.94), sacks (tied for 17th, 34), tackles for loss (tied for 22nd, 79) and turnovers forced (tied for 24th, 20).
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