Two Hurricanes’ playing status in jeopardy for national title game vs. Indiana
Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said two key players’ statuses are in jeopardy for No. 10 UM’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium (7:30 p.m., ESPN).
Those two who might not play for the Hurricanes: Tight end Elija Lofton and cornerback Damari Brown.
Lofton played just 12 of 91 offensive snaps in Miami’s Fiesta Bowl win over Ole Miss before being carted off the field in the second quarter. Alex Bauman, who has split time with Lofton as UM’s starting tight end, played 82 snaps.
Lofton is fourth on the team with 23 catches and 218 receiving yards.
Brown, meanwhile, has been sidelined for all three of Miami’s playoff games — wins over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Ole Miss.
As for other players who were banged up at various points against the Rebels on Thursday, Cristobal said edge rusher Akheem Mesidor is “in great condition” after banging up his elbow in the fourth quarter, defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. was “full throttle” in practice and cornerback OJ Frederique Jr. is good to go despite being only playing five snaps against Ole Miss.
Frederique missed UM’s final five regular-season games. Against Ohio State in the quarterfinal game, he played 41 of Miami’s 60 snaps against Ohio State before getting injured late in the third quarter. He was seen on crutches and in a boot after that game but managed to play sparingly in the semifinal against Ole Miss.
Frederique and Brown have been part of Miami’s four-player rotation at outside cornerback all season with Xavier Lucas and Ethan O’Connor. Lucas was ejected in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss and is slated to miss the first half of the national championship game as a result. Ja’Boree Antoine got extended playing time against Ole Miss as the cornerback depth thinned.
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