Miami Injuries: Questions To Be Answered
With multiple Hurricanes injured versus the Aggies, which Miami players step up?
The Miami Hurricanes came out victorious versus the Texas A&M Aggies, but there were some players that were obviously beat up.
Besides the obvious serious nature of Kamren Kinchens’ injury and unknown return date, due to injury there were other key Canes that were in some way, shape, or form – even if just for a while – that needed to come out of the A&M game.
- There was Akheem Mesidor walking around on the sideline in a boot and street clothes.
- Another defensive end, Nyjalik Kelly, was on the bench for much of the second half. He never had a boot on or any other medical apparatus.
- Defensive tackle Branson Deen missed considerable time during the contest as well.
- Freshman running back Mark Fletcher, Jr. also did not play much and his injury has not been identified. Miami's running back depth chart has shown to be deep, so hopefully he can miss whatever time has been deemed as needed and it will not impact the Miami running back room.
In addition to more noticeable injuries, as a rule, playing in slugfests like the Miami versus Texas A&M game, that probably generated a lot of players with injuries that should be considered playable as well.
That brings us to four key questions for the known players to have left the game and the situations that come with those players possibly being out.
1) Everyone has hoped for a speedy recovery for Kinchens. Until then, how do the Canes operate while he’s out?
To be clear, any safety that calls plays and/or makes checks and helps organize a defense, that’s a player a team can all but not afford to lose. It’s also probably impossible for someone to have measured Kinchens’ value to the Canes due to his playmaking ability anyway.
Still, if he’s out for several games, will Miami shift that responsibility to James Williams or will it operate in a different manner? Williams has proven to be a game-changer but it would be nice to leave his responsibilities the same. It's going to be interesting to see how Miami operates.
2) Does Miami’s defensive end rotation change or not?
This question could be considered up in the air as well. Maybe Kelly has already been cleared and he’s good to go. Hard to say based on limited information thus far.
Even if Kelly had come back to full strength and practicing at 100% prior to the Bethune-Cookman game, that did not mean Mesidor was good to go (or likely to be). Against Bethune-Cookman, at Temple, and maybe against Georgia Tech, the Canes could probably get away with not having him in the lineup.
Losing him for the trip to Chapel Hill to play North Carolina (Oct. 14) and quarterback Drake Maye could be an entirely different story. Clemson (Oct. 21) would be another that losing Mesidor’s talents would have to be considered difficult to overcome. Point blank, there’s never been a shortcut around injuries. Miami has always needed a healthy Mesidor.
3) Miami’s defensive tackles played well against A&M without Deen in the lineup for part of the A&M game, but would that trend continue if Deen missed several games?
Like with Mesidor, Miami has needed its starter in the lineup at defensive tackle. The rotation can eventually be overworked if Deen cannot play and play soon.
Over the course of a season, the proper amount of rest is absolutely pivotal – including during the games by constantly rotating players – for any college football team to consistently showcase a quality defense.
One of the killers for any team has been key players having played too many reps and being worn out by the time November rolled around. See the 2022 Miami defense’s November numbers for evidence.
Here was a great example. Between Clemson and Pittsburgh, the Tigers and Panthers rushed for 449 yards and 6 touchdowns versus the Canes last November. Miami was worn down and injuries killed that defensive unit.
There can be a potentially bright side to this scenario. Sometimes players have stepped up in big moments, even unexpectedly, when coming into the game after a fellow Cane has been injured.
Maybe defensive ends like Rueben Bain, Jr. and Jahfari Harvey, plus defensive tackles like Jared Harrison-Hunte and Ahmad Moten, will rise to the occasion until everyone can play again.
4) Playing for your brothers, which starters also step up while other players are banged up?
There was no specific player to mention here. Just in general, which Canes find a way to improve their play even if they were already playing at a high level?
This could be more than making a tackle or getting an interception. For instance, helping other Canes line up properly before the snap, being encouraging, being a leader, and giving maximum effort in practice just like in the game.
All of those characteristics have helped the Miami defense before, and moving forward, those components will be welcomed as well.
Miami has been a little banged up. That does not mean the Hurricanes cannot overcome. It’s also a chance for every Miami defender to show his abilities with even more chances to shine.
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