RB Dallas will miss rest of the season
Gruesome elbow injury could mark the end of junior’s UM career
CORAL GABLES — What many would’ve imagined after seeing Miami Hurricanes junior running back DeeJay Dallas’ gruesome elbow injury in Saturday’s loss to FIU has turned out to be the case.
Dallas will miss the rest of the season, coach Manny Diaz said Wednesday. At this late point in the year, that would mean a regular-season finale at Duke on Saturday and the Hurricanes’ bowl game next month.
The junior standout also may have played his last game for the Hurricanes. Being draft eligible, he could have his sights set on the NFL. He likely will make a decision in the near future.
As of Monday, the last time Diaz spoke to the media, he did not have a definitive answer on Dallas’ status, saying, “It could have been a lot worse.”
Dallas finished with 693 rushing yards on 115 carries (a 6.0 yard-per-carry average), eight rushing touchdowns and two more receiving scores.
Sophomore running back Cam’Ron Harris is preparing to handle lead running-back duties. He assumed that role on several occasions during the season, when Dallas was out. Redshirt sophomore Robert Burns also is expected too see action at running back, along with former five-star recruit Lorenzo Lingard, who the team is planning to redshirt after playing in just one game this season.
In other injury news, Diaz said sophomore tight end Brevin Jordan, who missed the last two
games with a left foot injury, should play against Duke. He was a game-time decision against FIU, but did not play.
On Monday, Jordan was named one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award for the nation’s top tight end.
Junior receiver Jeff Thomas was listed as questionable for Saturday’s game.
“Jeff ’s been limited with a [sore] back, so that’s been kind of what he’s working through,” Diaz said.
Message to recruits: There have been five recruits who have decommitted from the Hurricanes’ upcoming two recruiting classes since Miami’s 30-24 loss to FIU, the latest being Largo High three-star outside linebacker AJ Mathis on Wednesday morning.
A pair of local UM players voiced their messages to recruits this week. Redshirt freshman defensive end Greg Rousseau, a Coconut Creek native who attended Hialeah Champagnat Catholic, is appreciative to those sticking with the team through tough times.
“Definitely a lot of respect for them,” Rousseau said. “Because at lot of people see [we] lost to FIU and are like, ‘All right, I’m not coming anymore.’ Those people really didn’t want to be here in the first place, so that’s cool. But once you are all in and stay committed, there’s a lot of respect to those guys.”
Said Cam’Ron Harris, a Miami Carol City grad who says he’s in communication with several recruits: “Just don’t look at our record. We’re still here and we’re a working program. I know everybody, a lot of recruits, are looking at 10-0 teams and all the other teams, but Miami is it. And we’re still working, we’re still learning and we’re building this program.”
On faking injuries: Manny Diaz was asked Wednesday if there’s anything that can be done about players faking injuries, as FIU apparently did on several occasions to get a free timeout against the Hurricanes on Saturday.
“That’s beyond me and no one likes it, but the officials, they come to me and they say, ‘We’re not allowed to judge intent,’” Diaz said. “So, right now, it’s a loophole in a rule that everybody wants solved. I don’t think anybody comes to watch that, but they’ll have to figure out some type of way to curtail it.”
FIU coach Butch Davis has denied those allegations.