Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke: Cinderella or pumpkin?
When the Hurricanes played in Chapel Hill last year about this time of the month, Tyler Van Dyke was their starting quarterback only because fellow freshman Jake Garcia and veteran transfer D’Eriq King were both out for the season with injuries.
Van Dyke was starting his fourth game in a regular season that ultimately wound up 7-5 for the U. If coach Manny Diaz had another choice, Van Dyke would have likely returned to the bench. But after playing poorly in a first half the Tar Heels led 31-17, Van Dyke’s light bulb went on and he almost led Miami to a victory that fell short in literally the last six seconds.
Having tossed two interceptions early in the game, Van Dyke had driven the Canes into the Carolina red zone and faced a third-down and 4 at the 16-yard line. His attempted fourth touchdown pass was deflected into the air by UNC linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel before Cedric Gray came down with the ball as the Tar Heels hung on to win 45-42.
In each of the final six games of the season, Van Dyke threw for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns. Even though Diaz got fired, Van Dyke was one reason alum Mario Cristobal left Oregon to return home. Over the summer, the ACC Rookie of the Year made a watch list for the Heisman Trophy.
Fast forward almost a year, and Van Dyke has reverted to his early freshman form. He has led an offense that sputtered after totaling 100 points in two easy wins over Bethune Cookman and Southern Mississippi. The Hurricanes lost at No. 24 Texas A&M, 17-9, and then, somehow, were routed at home by Middle Tennessee State of Conference USA.
Cristobal benched Van Dyke in the second half of that 45-31 embarrassment and has spent the entire off week deflecting questions about who his quarterback would be against UNC Saturday at 4 pm.
So, in essence, Tyler Van Dyke is exactly where he was a year ago going into the game at Kenan Stadium. From third string to a starter and potential star back to a benchwarmer and now the center of Cristobal’s quarterback controversy that the head coach denies he has.
“We are honest that Tyler has played great football here for a long time,” Cristobal exaggerated, “and you don’t turn your back on your quarterback because we had a bad day.”
Only this season, Cristobal can go back to Garcia, one of the most heavily recruited prep quarterbacks in the country, if Van Dyke doesn’t deliver. So the pressure that TVD has never known before is clearly on.
Featured image via The University of Miami
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