Quarterback Change Made, Hurricanes Washed by Middle Tennessee State, 45-31
On a rainy afternoon from Miami Gardens, Fla., the Miami Hurricanes' on-field performance was similar to the weather: gloomy.
Miami's first offensive possesion ended on the first play, with quarterback Tyler Van Dyke throwing his first interception of the contest on a pass intended for tight end Will Mallory. The Hurricanes' defense halted MTSU in the redzone, forcing the Blue Raiders to settle for a field goal.
UM's second offensive drive was even worse, as Van Dyke, on his second pass of the afternoon, threw another inteception on a pass that was batted at the line of scrimmage and then returned for a touchdown by sophomore defensive tackle Zaylin Wood.
This was Wood's first career interception and touchdown.
The Hurricanes responded with a 39-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Andres Borregales. This momentum was short-lived, as MTSU scored on the very next possesion.
Quarterback Chase Cunningham found wide receiver DJ England-Chisolm on a 71-yard deep pass that appeared to be against a blown coverage from Miami's defense. This extended the Blue Raiders' lead to 14, 17-3, at the end of the first quarter.
Van Dyke and the rest of the Hurricanes' offense continued their struggles into the second quarter, managing to score the first touchdown of the contest with just 1:20 remaining in the opening half. Miami trailed by two scores at the break.
After another touchdown from MTSU and two punted-away drives from the offense, the Hurricanes made a quarterback change, substituting redshirt freshman Jake Garcia in for Van Dyke.
The crowd at Hard Rock Stadium erupted when this change was made. Garcia led the Hurricanes down the field on his first drive for a touchdown. Sophomore running back Thaddius Franklin Jr. bulldozed his way into the endzone to finish off the possesion.
This cut MTSU's lead back down to 14, but the Hurricanes were unable to trim the lead any more.
Garcia completed nine of 18 passes for 161 yards. Van Dyke was as efficient, completing only 16 of his 32 throws, including a touchdown and two interceptions.
Ole Miss transfer running back Henry Parrish Jr. led the Hurricanes in rushing, rumbling for 57 yards on his 14 attempts. Frankling added in 36 yards on his 15 carries.
Senior Frank Ladson Jr. led all Miami receivers with six catches. Third-year wideout Key'Shawn Smith, in addition to his return touchdown, was the leader in yards with 81.
The Blue Raiders were powered by Cunningham, who threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 29 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts.
England-Chisolm led MTSU with 169 receiving yards on his two catches, which both ended in touchdowns.
Next up for MTSU, it will travel back home to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to take on UTSA on Friday, Sept. 30. Kickoff from Floyd Stadium will be at 7:30 p.m.
Miami has a bye week coming up. Its next game will be on at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 8, against North Carolina. The time for this game is yet to be determined.
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Luke Chaney is a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated-FanNation's AllHurricanes.com, covering recruiting and Miami Athletics. You can also find Luke on WVUM 90.5 FM as a play-by-play broadcaster. He is also the Sports Editor for The Miami Hurricane. Follow Luke on Twitter @luke_chaney4.