Tyler Van Dyke expresses trust in Miami coaches after critical error vs. Georgia Tech
Saturday night was a dark one in Coral Gables, as the Hurricanes were just 37 seconds away from their first 5-0 start to a season since 2017. Miami had a three-point lead over a Georgia Tech team without any timeouts left, and instead of taking a knee to close out the game, decided to hand the football off to running back Don Chaney.
Chaney fumbled the ball, the Yellow Jackets regained possession, and the rest is history as they drove 74 yards down the field in 24 seconds to pull off a stunning 23-20 win over the No. 17 ranked Hurricanes.
There’s no question that the loss was a tough pill to swallow for Miami, but quarterback Tyler Van Dyke revealed the team has since rallied together and are looking ahead.
“We had a whole leadership meeting, we said we’re gonna put this behind us,” Van Dyke said. “We know who we are as a team, we got to get the young guys going as leaders and get the whole team going. So we’re putting that behind us.”
Miami’s mistake will go down as one of the most inexcusable coaching blunders in recent football history, which can make things difficult for their players moving forward. But Van Dyke made it clear that he still has trust in his coaching staff moving forward despite the critical error on their behalf.
“And have the utmost faith in the coaching staff, really believe in every single one of the coaches we have. They put a great game plan every week for us, so not worried about that,” Van Dyke said. “They’re gonna do the best they can to help us succeed, so can’t wait for Saturday to get out there with them.”
Van Dyke was also asked if the decision to not take a knee surprised him, as he too has received some flack for not taking a knee as the team’s quarterback who could have potentially overridden the poor coaching choice.
“I mean I’m trusting the coaches, so I’m just playing football. Going out there, doing what I have to do,” Van Dyke said. “That game’s in the past now, I don’t even want to talk about it. We got to move on to UNC, it’s a short week so just gotta get ready for this game coming up on Saturday.”
Dwelling in the past definitely won’t help the Hurricanes moving forward, especially given their next opponent, as they pay a visit to Chapel Hill to take on an undefeated North Carolina team this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Trinton is the owner of CanesToday. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, he is a freshman in high school and wants to graduate from the University of Miami
