Van Dyke vows to get better after subpar Saturday
Tyler Van Dyke had a frank assessment of his play in the Hurricanes’ uninspiring 30-7 win against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles Saturday.
“We’re not going to win next week if I play like I did today,” the quarterback said.
The final stat line was more than fine — Van Dyke went 21 of 30 for 263 yards, one touchdown and one interception — only it didn’t tell the whole story.
Miami (2-0) trailed Southern Miss (0-2) late in the second quarter. The No. 15 Hurricanes got into the end zone only once in the first half. Van Dyke threw an interception on Miami’s third drive and didn’t throw a touchdown — his only one — until offensive coordinator Josh Gattis broke out a trick play in the third quarter.
Van Dyke started off just 7 of 12 for 80 yards — with two sacks and an interception — before the Hurricanes ran a twominute drill at the end of the first half and he went 5 of 6 for 61 to go into halftime with a 10-7 lead.
Ultimately, he shrugged it off for a solid-enough performance to win.
“Tyler played a good game,” Mario Cristobal said. “Is it an elite performance by him? I don’t think he’d tell you that.” The coach was right. “I’m happy we won, but I’m a little bit disappointed myself,” Van Dyke said. “I’ve just got to be better.”
Van Dyke never totally looked like his best self. He bounced a third-down throw to Will Mallory to end the Hurricanes’ first drive and then overthrew the star tight end as he ran free in the middle of the field on the next. His interception came on a corner route when he was too slow getting the ball out to wide receiver Michael Redding III and he was late again on another red-zone throw to Redding in the fourth quarter, leaving Miami to settle for a field goal.
Of course, Van Dyke is the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year, so there were still some big-time throws — namely one 30-yard laser to Brashard Smith in the first quarter after a Golden Eagle jumped offside and his 45-yard touchdown pass to fellow wide receiver Key’Shawn Smith off a flea flicker — it’s just the bad popped up more frequently than it usually does.
After the win, he was already at work trying to figure out what went wrong, with a nighttime throwing session with his receivers in the works.
“I think it’s a little bit my mechanics,” Van
Dyke said. “Sometimes I get a little bit too low [with my release point].”
Next up is a trip to Texas to face the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies for possibly Van Dyke’s toughest test yet as a starting quarterback and certainly the first major test for Gattis at Miami.
Through two games, Gattis’ more-balanced offense, and the fact the Hurricanes were facing inferior opponents, has dampened Van Dyke’s statistics after his scorching run of six straight games with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns to end last season.
Van Dyke now goes into Week 3 with just 456 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. For their offense to reach its highest ceiling and Miami to pull off an upset in College Station, the Hurricanes will need Van Dyke to deliver his best performance of this young season.
He knows it better than anyone.
“There’s definitely more to display,” he said.
David Wilson: 305-376-3406, @DBWilson2