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CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami quarterback D’Eriq King has a shoulder injury that needs further investigation this week.
King will meet with doctors again on Tuesday, coach Manny Diaz said. The Hurricanes, who fell out of the AP Top 25 on Sunday for the first time this season, will play against FCS team Central Connecticut State on Saturday before opening the ACC game against Virginia on September 30th.
“D’Eriq is pretty neat,” said Diaz on Monday during his weekly radio appearance on WQAM, the school’s flagship.
King was injured in Miami’s 38-17 loss to Michigan State last Saturday. King broke the Hurricanes’ single-game records in the game for completions and tries by hitting 38 of his 59 throws for 388 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
“I’m fine,” King insisted after the game.
In the second half of the game, he briefly left the field to be able to assess the shoulder and then returned without missing a snapshot. King was shaken and remained in the competition on at least two other occasions later in that game.
“The guy is doing anything for this program,” said Diaz. “The guy just sacrifices himself to help us … we need to get more of this around him. I think there are too many guys sitting there and watching D’Eriq and not playing with the same desperation as he thinks it was unfair to D’Eriq. “
If King – who ranks fifth this season with 27 deals per game this season – is out, Miami will choose between returning freshman Tyler Van Dyke or real freshman Jake Garcia to take on quarterback. Van Dyke has thrown three passes in very limited action for Miami in the last two seasons while Garcia is yet to make his college debut.
“We prepared them both every week as if they were both the backup,” said Diaz.
Miami is also awaiting the results of further testing from offensive lineman Jalen Rivers, who left with a knee injury during the Michigan state game.
“They did initial scans and it shows he has something,” said Diaz. “But we won’t know the initial duration until Tuesday.”
The Hurricanes opened the season in 14th place on the AP poll. They dropped to 22nd after an opening season loss to Alabama, lost two more spots after narrowly beating Appalachian State, and then dropped out completely after a 21-point home loss to Michigan State.
Miami had been in the AP rankings for 19 straight weeks, which was the eighth longest active streak in the country before the poll was released on Sunday.
“We deserve the expectation because this is the University of Miami and that’s why we come here, play here and train here,” said Diaz. “We accept that. And the three appearances fell short of expectations. That’s fair. … Our performance hurts all of us.”
King’s numbers in the loss to the state of Michigan surpassed two long-standing records in Miami.
Brock Berlin held the Miami record for completing a game for almost 18 years; he had 37 against West Virginia on October 2, 2003. Berlin and Ryan Collins shared the record for pass attempts in one game with 54; Berlin came in that 2003 game against the Mountaineers and Collins had so many against Memphis on November 27, 1993.
Central Connecticut State (1-2) recorded a 56-10 loss to Southeast Louisiana last weekend. The Blue Devils last played against a Power 5 team in 2017 and fell to Syracuse 50-7 that season.
