Mario Cristobal confirms four Miami players medically cleared

On3 imageby:On3 Staff Report10/05/22

Miami will be back in action against North Carolina after a bye week, a bye week that seemingly did the Hurricanes a lot of good. Coach Mario Cristobal confirmed four players were medically cleared for Miami for this weekend’s contest when he met with reporters Wednesday.

Running backs Henry Parrish Jr. and Jaylan Knighton and defensive backs Tyrique Stevenson and Daryl Porter will be good to go.

“Henry and Jalen are good, they practiced full speed so they both are cleared for the game,” Cristobal confirmed. “Tyrique and Daryl Porter are also good to go.”

Both running backs suffered minor injuries in a 45-31 loss to MTSU on Sept. 24. Both left the game.

That was a big blow for the Hurricanes offense, which was already dealing with the absence of top wideout Xavier Restrepo. Parrish has been the team’s biggest impact player on offense so far this year.

The sophomore transfer from Ole Miss has tallied 67 carries for 359 yards and four touchdowns, while also adding six catches for 47 yards and another score.

Knighton, also a sophomore, has had a more limited impact but has contributed. He has run for 97 yards on 22 carries, but did the majority of his damage in a 77-yard outing against Texas A&M prior to his injury against MTSU. He looked to be in line for a heavier workload.

Miami gets medically cleared players back in secondary

While the news on offense is a big deal, getting Stevenson and Porter back in the secondary is also very important.

The Hurricanes were absolutely torched by the Blue Raiders before the bye week, giving up 408 yards passing. Miami currently ranks 113th in team passing efficiency defense, while ranking 94th in passing defense, allowing 251.0 yards per game.

Battling through some bumps and bruises this year, Stevenson has tallied seven tackles, an interception and a pass breakup.

Porter has logged five tackles, includding one for a loss.

Miami and North Carolina will kick off Saturday at 4 p.m. ET in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN2.