Tyler Van Dyke still believes this Miami team is special

Miami got off to a great start to the 2023 season, before faltering the past couple of weeks.

The Hurricanes had the game against Georgia Tech on Oct. 7 won until they ran a play when they didn’t have to and fumbled. Then last weekend, Miami lost at North Carolina for its second straight loss.

All of a sudden, a 4-0 season has quickly gone to 4-2 and is in danger of continuing in the wrong direction on Saturday against Clemson.

Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke said following the loss to UNC that Miami still has a chance to have a really good season and he is still confident in his team.

“I mean, this team is special,” Van Dyke said. “We know what we’re capable of. You know, we can’t fold. We’re going to make sure that we have the entire team, as leaders, just keep going.”

Miami and Clemson are both 4-2 entering the matchup, although they appear headed in different directions.

The Hurricanes have dropped back-to-back games after a 4-0 start, while Clemson is 4-1 in its last five games after dropping its opener against Duke.

The only loss for the Tigers since Week 1 was an overtime defeat at the hands of No. 4 Florida State. If Miami can find a way to win Saturday’s game, it would be a big confidence boost for the second half of the year. But if the Hurricanes come up short, it would keep Miami from taking the step forward that it was hoping to in Year 2 under Mario Cristobal.

“It’s still a long season left. We’re going to do our best to win games,” Van Dyke said. “That’s the main thing is just win. And obviously do better during the game and not make those mistakes in critical situations.”

Mario Cristobal refutes concerns over reported Tyler Van Dyke injury

Miami needs Tyler Van Dyke healthy against Clemson and throughout the rest of the season.

Earlier this week, head coach Mario Cristobal refuted a report that stated that he was banged up.

“I keep telling you I don’t talk about injuries,” Cristobal said. “I just told one of our guys that he’s ready to go. So you have to write what you have to write. Next question, please.”

It’s clear that Cristobal was not trying to speak about Van Dyke’s injury after his star quarterback was sacked three times and hit hard versus the Tar Heels defense on Saturday. But regarding his status for their next game, he made it clear there’s no concern about Van Dyke being under center for the Hurricanes this Saturday when they face Clemson.

“For him playing? Zero. Was he banged up in the game? Yeah he got banged up. But is he tough? Absolutely. He’s really tough, he wants to win, he’s ready to roll,” Cristobal added.