Tag: Mario Cristobal

Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke dealing with a leg injury ahead of matchup against Clemson

Miami’s quarterback is dealing with a leg injury ahead of a huge Week 8 matchup against Clemson.

Reports from Susan Miller Degnan, a Miami football beat writer for The Miami Herald, have revealed that Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is dealing with a right leg injury and was spotted on campus Monday with his right leg wrapped in an ace bandage all the way up to above his knee.

This is major news for the ACC as the Hurricanes have one of their biggest games of the season in Week 8 against Dabo Swinney and the Tigers. Van Dyke has been great this year for Miami, completing 70.5 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions. 

When asked about the injury, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal had this to say: 

“I don’t talk about injuries,” Cristobal said. “I just told one of our guys that he’s ready to go. So, you have to write what you have to write and the next question.”

Clemson will face Miami this Saturday, Oct. 21, with kick-off at 8 p.m. ET on ACC Network.

Miami travels to North Carolina for highlight of ACC Week 7 schedule

The Tar Heels aim to keep pace with Florida State in the ACC while the Hurricanes try to make the nation forget about last week’s debacle.

For the last few weeks, ESPN FPI models have indicated the Miami Hurricanes had the best chance to unseat Florida State atop the ACC. Tyler Van Dyke was finally playing like a first-round pick, they had a multi-score Power 5 victory over Texas A&M, and their defense was well-rounded.

Then, Week 6 happened.

The power structure was likely bound to change even before the final minute on Saturday. Miami was in a one-score game with an unimpressive Georgia Tech squad, whom they trailed for a decent chunk of the second half after three interceptions from Van Dyke. But they had the lead with 37 seconds left and Georgia Tech out of timeouts, the game seemingly theirs. But they ran instead of kneeling out the clock, fumbled, and allowed the Yellow Jackets to go more than 70 yards in 30 seconds for the game-winning score.

Farther up the Atlantic coast, North Carolina threw their hat in the ring. The Tar Heels beat the Syracuse Orange, who started the season with four impressive wins in a row, 40-7. Suddenly, UNC was the obvious second-best team in the ACC. Nor could we forget Louisville, who stayed close behind after a huge upset of Notre Dame.

Now, the Tar Heels and Hurricanes play in Chapel Hill on Saturday to settle once and for all who should have the inside track at a title game appearance.

Here are the best Week 7 games in the ACC.

Miami, Cristobal top Misery Index as the world blasts embarrassing Georgia Tech loss

After a costly, unnecessary fumble against Georgia Tech cost Miami its first loss, coach Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes are under fire.

Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes are under major scrutiny after one of the most embarrassing college football losses of recent memory on Saturday.

With just 37 seconds left and Georgia Tech out of timeouts, all the Hurricanes had to do was kneel. Instead, they ran the ball, and the ensuing fumble set up the game-winning Yellow Jackets drive.

The nonsensical decision has remained the subject of national ridicule. USA Today’s Dan Wolken reserved a spot atop the Week 6 Misery Index for a decision he said “99.99 percent of functioning humans would not be able to understand.” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum called the choice one of the most inexcusable decisions in the history of the sport.

Scooby Axson, Wolken’s USA Today colleague, called it the “worst loss of the year.” In a weekly piece awarding grades to different programs, Axson gave the Hurricanes an “expulsion,” mocking not only the decision-making by Cristobal but the lack of defensive discipline that surrendered 74 yards in the final 26 seconds.

Cristobal admitted after the game that he should have called for his team to kneel out the clock, but his explanation for why he didn’t seemed nonsensical at best.

“We should have taken a timeout right there at the end,” he said. “Thought we’d get the first down, and we talked about two hands on the ball. But that’s not good enough.”

Mario Cristobal had the most baffling answer for why Miami didn’t kneel at the end of its stunning loss to Georgia Tech

Mario Cristobal, just say you made a mistake.

The Miami Hurricanes woke up Sunday morning with a 4-1 record, which is a shame because they should still be undefeated after Saturday’s home game against Georgia Tech.

The reason they aren’t lies right at the feet of head coach Mario Cristobal, who had his team run the ball with 33 seconds left in the game rather than kneel out those final seconds on the clock. Miami fumbled the ball away on that run, and Georgia Tech used those final seconds to score the game-winning touchdown. A complete disaster.

So, why didn’t Miami simply take a knee? Cristobal didn’t have a great reason after the game.

“The drive started, it was going to be at 1:57 and we ran about 1:27 off. And then it was recalibrated. We should’ve taken a timeout right there at the end. Thought we’d get the first down, and we talked about two hands on the ball. But that’s not good enough. Just should’ve told him to take knee. That’s it. Fumbled the ball at the 25, and they went 75 yards in two plays. So no excuse.”

I’m not even sure what Cristobal is trying to convey there. What was recalibrated, the play clock? And is he saying he should’ve taken a timeout in that moment to discuss whether to kneel or not? Was it really that hard of a decision?

Also, why was gaining the first down in a game that was effectively over so important? It wasn’t even fourth down yet. Cristobal was reminded of that important detail after his long-winded answer and finally just submitted, “We should’ve taken a knee.”

Yeah, ya think.

Social media explodes after Miami head coach Mario Cristobal’s inexcusable blunder

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal made one of the worst play calls in football history. Social media was all over it in unforgiving fashion.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/G4k1_ooBLH5_irLurdvW/1696483168005_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0iaTQyZ3dtazduNXh1ZXRjaWd2cHdzNHNtb3Z6Z2k1c3giIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMyNSI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]

It was one of the most indefensible coaching decisions in football history.

The Miami Hurricanes had the game won. They endured a three-interception game from quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to hold a 20-17 lead with less than a minute left to go. They had a 98.7% Win Probability, and all they had to do was to take a knee and walk off the field.

Instead, head coach Mario Cristobal called for a handoff to running back Don Chaney, who fumbled the ball, and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets recovered. Then, Georgia Tech Haynes King hit Malik Rutherford for 30 yards, and with two seconds left in the game, King hit Christian Leary for a 44-yard touchdown that won it for Miami’s opponent, 23-20.

The 17th-ranked Hurricanes suffered their first loss of the season as a result.

“We should have taken a knee,” Cristobal said.

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key agreed

“We kind of thought they were taking a knee.”

Even more amazingly, Cristobal has done this before. When he was the Oregon Ducks’ head coach in 2018, Cristobal’s team was playing Stanford, and the Ducks had a 31-28 lead with 51 seconds left in the game. On second-and-3 from the Stanford 43-yard line, the call was a handoff to CJ Verdell, who fumbled the ball. Stanford recovered, and went on to win, 38-31, in overtime.

“We felt pretty good about the run game,” Cristobal said after THAT event. “We just needed one more to get a first down and close out the game.”

As you might expect, social media was all over this one.

Mario Cristobal’s Miami mistake is one he’s made before

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal’s indefensible coaching decision is one he made before as Oregon’s head coach.

It was one of the most indefensible coaching decisions in football history.

The Miami Hurricanes had the game won. They endured a three-interception game from quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to hold a 20-17 lead with less than a minute left to go. They had a 98.7% Win Probability, and all they had to do was to take a knee and walk off the field.

Instead, head coach Mario Cristobal called for a handoff to running back Don Chaney, who fumbled the ball, and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets recovered. Then, Georgia Tech Haynes King hit Malik Rutherford for 30 yards, and with two seconds left in the game, King hit Christian Leary for a 44-yard touchdown that won it for Miami’s opponent, 23-20.

The 17th-ranked Hurricanes suffered their first loss of the season as a result.

“We should have taken a knee,” Cristobal said.

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key agreed

“We kind of thought they were taking a knee.”

Even more amazingly, Cristobal has done this before. When he was the Oregon Ducks’ head coach in 2018, Cristobal’s team was playing Stanford, and the Ducks had a 31-28 lead with 51 seconds left in the game. On second-and-3 from the Stanford 43-yard line, the call was a handoff to CJ Verdell, who fumbled the ball. Stanford recovered, and went on to win, 38-31, in overtime.

“We felt pretty good about the run game,” Cristobal said after THAT event. “We just needed one more to get a first down and close out the game.”

Mario Cristobal gets roasted after coaching decision ends in embarrassing loss

Mario Cristobal gets roasted after coaching decision ends in embarrassing loss

Were you an Oregon Ducks fan watching college football on Saturday night, and suddenly you felt a wave of deja vu wash over you while watching the end of the Miami Hurricanes vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets game?

That’s not surprising.

Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes lost a game in historic fashion, and the internet is loudly calling for Cristobal to lose his job for the coaching malpractice that took place.

If you’re unaware of what I’m talking about, let me try to sum it up:

Miami had a 3-point lead over Georgia Tech, with the ball, while the Yellow Jackets had no timeouts left with under a minute to play. Instead of taking a knee and ending the game, Cristobal decided to run the ball, and his team fumbled.

Georgia Tech recovered and then proceeded to go 74 yards in 26 seconds and win the game with a last-second TD.

It was bad.

What makes things worse is the fact that this is not the first time Cristobal has made this coaching mistake. In 2018 with the Ducks playing Stanford at home, Oregon had a chance to kneel the ball and end the game. Instead, Cristobal decided to run it, and CJ Verdell fumbled. Stanford recovered, and went on to kick a game-tying field goal, ultimately winning the game in overtime.

If you’re a football fan that enjoys watching the game while keeping an eye on social media, then Saturday night was the night for you. Cristobal got rightfully roasted for his coaching decision. Here are some of the best reactions online:

College football world roasted Mario Cristobal for Miami’s disastrous loss to Georgia Tech

WHAT… WHY?! THE GAME WAS OVER.

WHAT DID MIAMI JUST DO?

When you think you’ve seen it all in college football, the sport delivers again with one of the wildest, most unbelievable game endings ever thanks to head coach Mario Cristobal and the No. 17 Miami Hurricanes.

Miami had a 20-17 lead at the end of the fourth quarter, and all the Hurricanes had to do was take a knee to end it. The game was over. There were 33 seconds left. Just take a knee.

But no, Cristobal and the Hurricanes opted to run the ball instead, and not only did they fumble on an unnecessary play, but they also then gave up the game-winning touchdown.

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King first found Malik Rutherford for a 30-yard gain and then connected with an open Christian Leary for a 44-yard touchdown and ultimately a 23-20 Yellow Jackets victory. It was Leary’s only reception of the day.

Simply unbelievable. This has to be one of the worst gaffes in college football history, but this also has to be one of the best calls ever.

Regardless of what Cristobal was thinking in that moment, the college football world absolutely roasted him.

Aggies Wire Staff Predictions for Texas A&M vs. Miami

Here are our predictions of how Texas A&M’s road trip to Miami will shake out on Saturday afternoon.

We’re just one sleep away from Texas A&M’s Week 2 road test vs. Miami, and after a full week of in-depth coverage to prepare you for what should be a very exciting and likely anxiety-inducing contest that could set the fate of Jimbo Fisher’s future with the program.

Dramatic enough? The Aggies are well equipped to take on the Hurricanes on both sides of the ball, as starting quarterback Conner Weigman is the present and the future for the Maroon & White. After throwing for five touchdowns in Texas A&M’s 52-10 opening season win, this is just the start of what could be a magical season.

Providing several key storylines and five players to watch ahead of the game, We at Aggies Wire have made our predictions, and let’s say we’re pretty confident that Texas A&M will get the job done, on the road no less.

Cameron Ohnysty, Managing Editor:

“Miami Head Coach Mario Cristobal is determined to change the narrative surrounding the program after matching Texas A&M’s 5-7 record in 2022, as the season took a horrible turn after coincidentally falling to the Aggies 17-9 in last year’s Week 3 matchup. With a clean slate and returning quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who thrives in the intermediate passing game, back at the helm, things are looking up… for now. On Saturday, if the Aggies’ defensive line fails to stop the run and lets Van Dyke and running back Henry Parrish Jr. set the tone early, I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a shootout.”

Texas A&M, who, as you all know by now, defeated New Mexico 52-10 to open the season behind a potent offense as new OC Bobby Petrino has made it known that his “feed the studs” mantra has come to fruition, and will continue throughout the 2023 season. On Saturday, the matchup is simple: For Conner Weigman to thrive in the pocket and find a rhythm in the passing game, the offensive line must hold up against a stout Hurricanes defensive front, while Miami safety Kam Kinchens is by far this biggest threat in the passing game, I’d have to agree with my colleague Pete Hernandez that the Aggies’s elite receiving options including Evan Stewart, Noah Thomas, Ainias Smith, Moose Muhammad III, and Jahdae Walker present a huge challenge for an otherwise young defensive backfield.”

Final Score: Texas A&M, 35, Miami, 28

Pete Hernandez, Staff Writer:

“Last season, Texas A&M outlasted Miami 17-9 in a defensive struggle that saw both teams struggle to throw the football. As for the sequel coming Saturday, I expect both teams to flip the script regarding how they move the ball through the air. The Hurricanes’ short to intermediate passing game should be fully displayed with a seasoned passer in Tyler Van Dyke.

That should be an intriguing contrast to the Aggies’ method of stretching the field with sophomore Conner Weigman looking deep. It could very much come down to whether Jimbo Fisher or Mario Cristobal will commit to playing aggressively. Both are veteran coaches who like to control the temp and lean on their defenses, but as we saw last week, Fisher and Petrino seem to be in sync regarding going for the kill on offense.

I don’t think Kam Kinchens in the secondary will be enough to stop the Aggies’ “pick your poison” wide receiver group. Texas A&M’s offensive line should put together a convincing performance against the Hurricanes’ front seven. It won’t be a blowout like last week, but a convincing win over a more competitive opponent moves Texas A&M to 2-0 and adds more support to their rebound campaign efforts.

Final score: Texas A&M 31, Miami 23

Jarrett Johnson, Staff Writer:

“While the Texas A&M defensive held the New Mexico Lobos to under 100 yards and below a 3.0 average there still seems to be a leaking on that side of the ball. Miami can run the ball and has a veteran quarterback who has a strong grasp of the system. Due to that, I believe the Hurricanes will succeed where the Lobos failed by sustaining long drives that result in points. Now you would think that would lead to a Miami victory, but it won’t. Bobby Petrino is going to open the offense this week after allowing them to just shy of 40 points and give the Aggies a 7-point victory.”

Final Score: Texas A&M 34, Miami 27

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=5]

12 Power Five coaches who need a strong start to the 2023 season to avoid the hot seat

These coaches could be looking for new jobs next year if they don’t turn things around quickly.

It seems a bit silly to even mention the phrase “hot seat” when we still haven’t even kicked off a ball in the 2023 season.

But this is modern college football. The sport has become dominated by both massive coaching contracts and, in turn, an expectation for quick success.

Gone are the days when coaches were given years at a time to program-build. The transfer portal allows for much quicker roster transitions than were previously possible, and NIL provides a more even playing field — in theory, at least.

But Power Five schools aren’t just becoming more impatient in terms of how long they’re willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to their coaches. They’re also becoming increasingly more likely to make changes mid-campaign, often even before November.

In 2022, seven Power Five coaches were fired before the start of the final month of the season. Three of those didn’t even make it to October.

That’s a trend we will almost certainly see continue in 2023. With that in mind, here are 12 Power Five coaches who absolutely must start the season on a high note to avoid the hot seat.

Some of these are new coaches still looking to prove themselves, while others are longer-tenured and hoping to recapture past success that has since faded. But the uniting thread between them all is that they could be searching for new jobs next year if they don’t turn things around quickly.

[affiliatewidget_deal1]

MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL: