Freshman earns second-straight start at QB for Miami
With D’Eriq King and Jake Garcia out with injuries, Miami will start second-year freshman Tyler Van Dyke on Thursday against Virginia, per Tom D’Angelo of the Palm Beach Post.
“UM QB news: D’Eriq King not warming up (out). Jake Garcia out with an injury, confirmed by UM,” D’Angelo tweeted. “Tyler Van Dyke will start. Peyton Matocha will be the backup”
Van Dyke starts for the second-straight week after completing 10-of-11 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns in week four against Central Connecticut State.
D’Eriq King remains out with a shoulder injury that he suffered in the second half of Miami’s 38-17 loss to Michigan State. Garcia is out with an undisclosed injury.
In three games, King has thrown for 767 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions while completing over 66 percent of his passes. King has also rushed for 96 yards on the season.
Miami head coach Manny Diaz offered an update on King after the Michigan State loss
“D’Eriq’s roughed up pretty good,” Diaz said in his weekly radio appearance on WQAM, the school’s flagship station.
Miami enters a critical matchup with Virginia after a 2-2 start to the season with losses to Alabama and Michigan State. Following the loss to Michigan State, The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reported that there are growing calls to replace Diaz as the program’s coach.
In the report, Jackson uses multiple sources close to the program. Included in his list are a current UM official, a former assistant coach with no ties to the current staff, a former player, an NFL scout and two Board of Trustees members. All spoke under the condition of anonymity.
The report details that there is a swelling movement to replace Diaz as head coach for the program, but that it is not big enough to warrant a change right now. However, if Miami suffers any more major losses this season the situation could change.
Miami will take on Virginia on Thursday night to open conference play. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m EST on ESPN.