Reports from the Miami Herald and Canesport have surfaced that Tyler Van Dyke is 50/50 for the Miami Hurricanes season-opener against Miami (OH). The starting quarterback suffered a finger injury in practice last week that may jeopardize his playing time. He hit his finger on a helmet in practice, and if he does play against Miami (OH) Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium, he will not very likely be at 100 percent.
What does this mean?
Jacurri Brown and Emory Williams are the next two quarterbacks on the depth chart. This is a close race between the two signal callers for the backup quarterback job.
Brown, the six-foot-four sophomore from Valdosta, GA, made two starts and appeared in eight games last season. At a 60 percent completion percentage, Brown had a total of 230 yards passing and threw for three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed for 233 yards.
Willams, a six-foot-five true freshman, threw for 2,049 yards, 21 touchdowns, and four interceptions in his senior year.
Both do not seem quite ready to take over the full-time starting position.
Who wins the backup job?
Presumably, Brown should get the nod based on his experience. Still, rumors around campus suggest that Williams is the better passer and is farther along with new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson's offense. It's a toss-up at this point.
How does this affect the season?
Miami has the talent to get by Miami of Ohio no matter who is under center to start the game. However, the game will be closer than the Vegas experts think, as Miami was favored by 17.5 last week and has already dropped to 16.5. I expect that number to continue to plummet. The question is, of course, the severity of the injury. Miami needs a healthy "TVD" to win against Texas A&M eight days after the season opener.
Miami opens its season on Friday, September 1st, at 7 PM Eastern.
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