Tyler Van Dyke benched as Hurricanes upset by Middle Tennessee

Miami, Florida – In the span of two quarters, the hype was destroyed as Tyler Van Dyke saw the bench and the Hurricanes fell to Middle Tennessee 45-31. Not even the debut of Jake Garcia could save them. Heavily favored to win, UM was outplayed from start to finish down 24-3 at one point. The Blue Raiders came to South Florida hoping to knock off the strongest opponent in their schedule and succeeded.

During their opening series, it was 4th and 1 on Miami’s 48-yard line. Rather than punt, they went for it. This was a challenge. However, one The U did not answer. Miami’s defense failed to stop the big plays and the offense dug itself a huge hole with costly turnovers. In contrast, Garcia’s appearance in the second half was a shot in the arm for players and fans alike. Despite this, the Blue Raiders kept on attacking.

HALFTIME

Middle Tennesse 24
Miami Hurricanes 10

Impressions:
– Van Dyke has been terrible this game. 2 INTS. 13 of 25 pass attempts for 114 yards and 1 TD.
– UM has 3 turnovers (2 INTs, 1 fumble)
– Canes been outdone by MTSU in nearly all aspects#GoCanes #ItsAllAboutTheU pic.twitter.com/QIC8rcvUfg

— Gabriel Garcia (@Gabewritesports) September 24, 2022

A nightmarish start

The first half was as ugly as the weather. Van Dyke’s first pass of the day was intercepted by Decorian Patterson resulting in a 28-yard field goal. His second pass of the game resulted in another interception. Zaylin Wood took it to the house for the 15-yard score. Things got worse. Jaylan Knighton fumbled on UM’s third drive making it three turnovers in seven minutes of play.

𝘿𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨.

Check out some of the biggest plays by the Blue Raider defense in Miami. #BLUEnited | #EATT pic.twitter.com/7KC1JyaAvr

— Middle Tennessee Football (@MT_FB) September 25, 2022

Fortunately for the Hurricanes, Kamren Kinchens regained possession picking off Chase Cunningham on the first throw of the series. Settling in the Blue Raiders’ offense shined late in the first quarter. Cunningham found DJ England Chisholm for the 71-yard touchdown. Chisholm finished the day with a pair of catches for 169 yards, both were TDs.

Change in leadership

A hype-train derailed

So that happened. Earlier in the week, I was asked what would it take for Van Dyke to lose his starting job. I said three interceptions and no touchdowns. Although not as catastrophic he only completed half his passes (16 of 32) for 138 yards, getting a TD while being picked off twice. Still pretty bad. The Blue Raiders were not afraid of this team and showed it. I had this squad finishing 10-2. After today? You can throw that right out the window. The same problems that have plagued the program continue.

The University of Miami paid Middle Tennessee $1.5 million to play them at Miami Gardens today.

Bag secured ✅
First victory over an AP-ranked team in program history ✅

[📸: @MT_FB] pic.twitter.com/IOzS7dqWKE

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 25, 2022

Revisiting this week’s preview, aside from how disappointing Van Dyke has been we saw very little of Elijiah Arroyo and Redding’s impact was severely limited. Equally important, only three positives were Andres Borregales hitting all four extra point attempts and the 39-yard field goal, Smith’s kick returns (seven for 217 yards and 1 TD), and Kinchens’ INT.

The Highlight Of The Game For Me, My Baby Boy 92 Yards Return! With Heart And Kisses At The End! #GoCanes 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/OxhgMgGHD6

— Gloria (@MsPip23) September 25, 2022

Furthermore, I see Garcia with cautious optimism. He completed 10 of 19 passes for 169 yards, that’s something. Soon, we’ll see if the Van Dyke show has been canceled and whether Garcia can find success under Josh Gattis’ offense.

Between the injuries and inconsistent performances, the Miami Hurricanes can easily finish 8-4, even 7-5. Look at these past four weeks and now look at what’s ahead. I’m not encouraged, are you? Fortunately, the Canes have the bye week to view the tape, make further corrections and really look deep into themselves. Regardless, the painful truth is there’s no quick fix for what ails the team and it’s going to take Mario Cristobal quite a bit of time to right the ship. If ever.

Photo | Danis Sosa