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Miami football is having a rough go of things. Down 24-3 to an unranked Middle Tennessee squad, which was previously winless against top 25 teams, the Hurricanes were giving the fans at Hard Rock Stadium little to cheer about. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who tossed two first-half interceptions, started to feel the fans' frustrations, as they began to chant for his backup, Jake Garcia, to enter the game.
Faced with a large deficit to overcome and a lackluster offense, Mario Cristobal pulled the plug, benching Van Dyke for Garcia in the third quarter, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. In doing so, Miami football finally got the fans at Hard Rock Stadium to cheer.
Jake Garcia in. Van Dyke pulled. Fans cheer, for the first time today.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) September 24, 2022
That can't feel good for Tyler Van Dyke, who finished the day 16 of 32 for 138 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown by the Middle Tennessee defense.
Such were the frustrations of the Miami football faithful at Hard Rock Stadium. To make matters worse for Van Dyke, Garcia quickly led the Hurricanes on a touchdown drive, cutting into the Middle Tennessee deficit.
Shortly after that, the “Garcia” chants picked up once again. With time left in the third quarter and a whole fourth period left to go, it's unclear if Miami football is going to survive this contest.
If they do, it will open up some serious questions about Tyler Van Dyke and the Hurricanes offense. Not only that, but it will be hard for Cristobal to go back to Van Dyke, as the Hard Rock Stadium masses have spoken.