Mario Cristobal provides positive injury updates on several players

Mario Cristobal is trying to string together back-to-back victories for the first time since the beginning of the season but has a tough task at hand. Miami will be traveling to face off against No. 9 Clemson — the second ranked matchup on the road for the Hurricanes this year. Getting some players back from injury should help Cristobal’s squad.

An injury update was provided on multiple players, beginning with running back Don Chaney. Cristobal confirmed everything is fine from a medical perspective. But when looking at it from a football standpoint, Chaney is still looking to shake things off.

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Cristobal said not tackling in practice is why Miami is still cautious, making sure Chaney can handle getting hit during a game.

“Don Chaney has practiced and he has practiced full,” Cristobal said. “How much he will play? I think we have to let the rest of the week play out. He has practiced and he has taken reps. But you have to keep in mind, at this time of year, we don’t tackle. So that’s the one part of his return to play.

“He hasn’t been hit and no collisions. Done a great job with ball security, which he naturally did. He’s very, very, very close. Medically, he’s completely cleared. Just from a shake it off, knock off the rust, he’s right about there.”

Chaney suffered a season-ending injury during the 2021 season and has yet to appear in the game for Miami under Cristobal. Just two regular season win remains and depending on results, a full slate of bowl practice and a bowl game.

Mario Cristobal on four other Miami players

Four other players were then mentioned by Cristobal, with some good news and some bad. The first three were good, saying Jalen Rivers, Leonard Taylor, and Henry Parrish could all have roles against Clemson.

“Jalen (Rivers) will be a game-time decision,” said Cristobal. “We feel real good about Leonard Taylor. We feel really good about Henry Parrish. Those guys have had consistent, successful practices.”

However, Jared Harrison-Hunte was ruled out by Cristobal, saying he will not play Saturday night in Death Valley.

Miami currently sits at 5-5 in the ACC, with games against Clemson and Pitt. Getting a victory in one of the final two games would be huge for the program, as players could continue to get healthy while still practicing.