No. 25 Miami Hurricanes surprised at dwelling by Center Tennessee Blue Raiders

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke — the ACC’s rookie of the yr final season and the No. 11 participant on Mel Kiper’s Massive Board for the NFL Draft — was benched within the third quarter of a disheartening 45-31 loss to Center Tennessee State on Saturday.

Every week after not producing an a landing in a 17-9 loss to Texas A&M, Van Dyke struggled once more, this time in opposition to what gave the impression to be inferior competitors. However the Blue Raiders — 25.5-point underdogs at kickoff time — picked him off twice earlier than he was finally pulled by first-year coach Mario Cristobal after finishing 16 of 32 passes for 138 yards and one landing.

“They coached higher than us, they performed higher than us,” Cristobal stated. “They have been higher. We did not do a adequate job. There isn’t any excuse. Actual males look within the mirror and do one thing about it and do not enable any cracks to occur from the within. All of us got here right here for a goal and a purpose. We have got plenty of work to do.”

Van Dyke was changed by Jake Garcia within the No. 25 Hurricanes’ loss. On his postgame radio interview, Cristobal didn’t decide to a starter for Miami’s subsequent sport vs. North Carolina, which is not till Oct. 8.

“It was a poor job by me,” Cristobal stated. “It was a poor job by our group, and a credit score to Center for doing what they did.”

Garcia accomplished 10 of 19 passes for 161 yards for the Hurricanes, who heard loads of boos from the followers who confirmed as much as what was not even a half-filled stadium; most have been lengthy gone earlier than the ultimate whistle.

For Center Tennessee State, large performs introduced the largest win in program historical past. Chase Cunningham handed for 408 yards and three touchdowns, together with a 98-yarder to DJ England-Chisholm, and Center Tennessee State surprised No. 25 Miami 45-31 for its first win in 21 tries in opposition to ranked opponents.

“It was a butt-kicking from the very starting,” MTSU coach Rick Stockstill stated.

He wasn’t unsuitable. MTSU (3-1) by no means trailed, compelled turnovers on Miami’s first three possessions, stopped the Hurricanes (2-2) on downs on three different events and scored on passes of 69, 71 and 98 yards — and had one other 89-yard go in there for good measure.

England-Chisholm caught two passes — the primary of them being a 71-yard landing within the first quarter, the opposite being the 98-yarder within the fourth — to assist the Blue Raiders seal the upset.

Cunningham accomplished 16 of 25 passes for Center Tennessee State, together with a 69-yard scoring throw to Elijah Metcalf. Cunningham and Frank Peasant additionally ran for scores for the Blue Raiders, and defensive finish Zaylin Wooden returned an interception for a landing.

“I belief my guys to the top, they usually received each single time,” Cunningham stated.

Key’Shawn Smith returned a kickoff 91 yards for a landing for Miami, which turned the ball over on its first three possessions and by no means escaped the early gap it dug/

“We checked out that crew, ‘Oh, we’ll win this sport,'” Miami offensive lineman Jalen Rivers stated. “So we got here in clearly unmotivated … and we obtained punched within the mouth.”

Hurricanes defensive again Kam Kinchens was extra direct: “Everyone performed horrible.”

Garcia entered halfway by the third quarter and introduced an instantaneous spark. He engineered a five-play, 72-yard landing drive — fueled by passes of 39 and 23 yards, Miami’s two greatest features of the day to that time — and obtained the Hurricanes inside 31-17 on a 1-yard rush by Thad Franklin, the primary of his two scores on the day.

The win was a very long time coming for Stockstill, who performed his school soccer at Florida State — Miami’s rival. The Seminoles went 0-2 in video games that Stockstill performed in opposition to the Hurricanes in 1980 and 1981.

These video games have been shut. This one wasn’t.

“Lots of people doubted us,” MTSU receiver Jaylin Lane stated. “However this reveals all about our perseverance.”

The Related Press contributed to this report.