Hurricanes believe Tyler Van Dyke is ‘just scratching the surface’ after strong start

Via Adam Lichtenstein, South Florida Sun Sentinel

Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke said the “icing on the cake” of the Hurricanes’ 48-33 victory over Texas A&M came late in the game. Miami led 41-33 with about five minutes remaining. If they could run down the clock, they would pick up a signature win.

Instead of just running the ball to drain time, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson dialed up a passing play. Van Dyke hit wide receiver Jacolby George near the sideline. George dodged two Aggies defenders and sprinted the last of the 64 yards to the end zone, putting the final nail in the coffin for Texas A&M’s chances.

“I think he calls plays at the perfect moments,” Van Dyke said. “He knows when to take shots in situations, right when we cross the 50. I like his aggressiveness late in the game on that third down, calling that shot to Jacolby. I just like the aggressive play calls. You never want to get too comfortable, hand the ball off and try to run the clock out and then end up getting three-and-out, punting the ball away. … I liked the aggressiveness and the play call by him just to ice the game a little bit.”

Expect those aggressive play calls to continue; Dawson said aggression is a hallmark of his offenses, and Van Dyke is enjoying it.

“When you get conservative, you get beat,” Dawson said. “So we’re not going to do that. That’s just not how I was raised, coaching. That’s not how coach (Mario) Cristobal wants to be.”

The aggression showed on a few deep-pass attempts on Saturday. In addition to the 64-yard touchdown to George, Van Dyke threw a 52-yard touchdown to Isaiah Horton. Miami also drove down the field with several good passes late in the first half to take the lead for the first time.

“I have 100 percent trust in every single one of my receivers that go out there,” Van Dyke said. “You guys can see the deep threat we have. Anybody on the team in the receiver room can do that, not only (Horton), not only Jacolby. We haven’t even hit a deep one to Colbie Young yet. Tyler Harrell has the capability to do that. So many other guys.

Read the full article at- https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2023/09/12/hurricanes-believe-tyler-van-dyke-is-just-scratching-the-surface-after-strong-start/