Sonny Dykes provides injury update on Kendre Miller, timeline for decision on status for national championship

NS_headshot_clearbackgroundby:Nick Schultz•01/07/23•

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The big question TCU has to answer before Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship against Georgia is the status of running back Kendre Miller. He got hurt in the Fiesta Bowl against Michigan and coach Sonny Dykes has expressed optimism about Miller’s chances of playing Monday night.

During his media day press conference Saturday, Dykes said it’s still wait-and-see to make sure Miller is 100% for the game.

“He, the day before yesterday, did a little bit of work,” Dykes told reporters. “It was one of those deals where we wanted to give him some time to rest up and recover and see where hew as at. He did a bunch of work, probably a little bit more than we thought he was going to be able to do. Woke up yesterday a little sore. I think he feels better today. We’ll continue to try to see where he’s at.”

Miller is an integral part of the TCU offense, leading the team with 1,399 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. That’s why Dykes said the team doesn’t want to rush him back onto the field even though he’s been getting some work in.

Dykes knows the timetable he has to make a decision on Miller’s availability, though, and he expects one to come soon.

“I think, to me, in the next 24 hours is when, obviously, we’ll have to make a determination,” Dykes said. “I have a pretty good idea on what he’s going to be able to do going into the game Monday. We’re still optimistic that he’s going to be able to play. We’ll see how he feels today. I think today’s going to be important and just kind of see where he’s at, see how he feels.

“The biggest thing, obviously, is he’s confident in it, he feels good about it. We want him to be very effective. We just don’t want to put him out there and give him an opportunity to get re-injured.”

A decision on Miller might come down to kickoff, TCU running backs coach Anthony Jones told reporters Saturday. He said Miller is still 50/50 to play and he’ll be evaluated pregame, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.