Homer, Herndon carrying load

CORAL GABLES – For the Miami Hurricanes, depth at both running back and tight end has been an issue since spring football.

Things have only gotten worse with preseason All-ACC running back Mark Walton undergoing season-ending surgery on an injured ankle and on Sunday, Mark Richt saying reserve tight end Michael Irvin II won’t play again until fixing some off-field issues.

Fortunately for Miami, running back Travis Homer and veteran tight end Chris Herndon are helping the Hurricanes.

During Miami’s 27-19 win over Syracuse, Homer was the only Hurricane aside from quarterback Malik Rosier to run the ball. He finished with 95 yards and a late 33-yard touchdown run.

Herndon, meanwhile, had a career-high 10 catches for a career-high 96 yards and a touchdown while dealing with a minor shoulder injury.

“As far as running back depth, Homer, we’ve been saying it all along, has a lot of stamina and when your No. 1 back is feeling good, you keep him in the game. He’s the kind of guy who can handle a lot of reps and can handle some special teams reps on top of that,” Richt said.

“... As far as tight ends is concerned, the only guy we have right now a lot of faith that he not only knows what to do on every play but can execute is Herndon and it’s kind of the same with him. As much as he can handle, we’re going to give him.”

Next game: No. 8 UM at UNC, Saturday, noon, ESPN2

Christy Cabrera Chirinos