Miami likely will be without starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke because of a shoulder injury when the Hurricanes visit Virginia on Saturday in an Atlantic Coast Conference game in Charlottesville, Va.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers (3-4, 1-3) hope they get a stronger outing from starting QB Brennan Armstrong than they did last week in a 16-9 victory over Georgia Tech.
Armstrong completed 20 of 35 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown, but he threw two interceptions.
Virginia leads the nation with 19 turnovers and is averaging only 17.6 points per game.
First-year Virginia coach Tony Elliott remains upbeat, however.
“I think the offense is coming together. … The chemistry is a little bit better, the guys are understanding where Brennan [Armstrong] wants them to be,” Elliott said. “Brennan is getting a better understanding when or where to launch point is, what the timing is, and so you’re just starting to see some of those things click.”
Miami (3-4, 1-2) is among the worst teams in the nation in turnover margin (tied for 110th) at -0.71, with 17 giveaways overall. But the Hurricanes’ biggest question surrounds redshirt freshman Jake Garcia, who is expected to start after Van Dyke suffered his injury in last week’s 45-21 loss to Duke.
Garcia completed 13 of 21 passes for 198 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, but he also lost two fumbles. He has appeared in three games this season and is 32 of 49 for 470 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
“I am very confident in Jake,” Hurricanes offensive coordinator Josh Gattis told reporters on Monday. “… He’s been in other games and had success. He led us in success in that game in a short period of time, and so we’ll clean up the mistakes.”
A pleasant surprise for the slumping Hurricanes has been the emergence of sophomore Colbie Young, who earned ACC Receiver of the Week honors after his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game. Young caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns against Duke.
–Field Level Media
