Will Hurricanes’ Damari Brown play in title game? What final availability report says
Damari Brown might be available for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
The Miami Hurricanes listed the cornerback as game-time decision on the final availability report released ahead of No. 10 UM’s title-game matchup with the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers on Monday night.
Brown 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 — due to a foot injury.
The redshirt sophomore was listed as questionable on each of the first three availability reports and said at media day Saturday that his status for the game was “still up in the air.”
Brown has been part of Miami’s four-player rotation at outside cornerback all season with OJ Frederique, Xavier Lucas and Ethan O’Connor, but that group could be tested Monday.
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 — a rule UM said needs to be re-evaluated.
“We feel it was unjustly administered, and now it impacts the last game of the season,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said Sunday. “We do have the ability, again, as an officiating crew and the powers that be to revisit that to give every team due process and their best ability to compete in this game.”
Lucas on Saturday said: “I really didn’t agree with the call, but it is what it is. Still got to go out there and play football when I get my chance.”
Meanwhile, Frederique missed UM’s final five regular-season games and was injured late in the Ohio State game. He was seen on crutches and in a boot after the win over the Buckeyes and played sparingly in the semifinal against Ole Miss, but said Saturday that he’s good to go. Ja’Boree Antoine got extended playing time against Ole Miss as the cornerback depth thinned.
This story will be updated.
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