Freshman QB Jacurri Brown carves out important role for Miami. And lots of injury updates

The Miami Hurricanes believe Jacurri Brown might be the quarterback of the future in Coral Gables.

Now, he has also has an important role in the present.

With short-yardage situations vexing Miami in the first month-plus of the season, the Hurricanes turned to Brown for multiple third-and-short situations Saturday, and the freshman delivered both times to help Miami beat the Virginia Tech Hokies, 20-14, in Virginia.

“We’ve always had packages like that,” coach Mario Cristobal said. “It was just the right time to use it.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback played two snaps at Lane Stadium and kept the ball both times for runs, picking up two first downs.

On the first, Brown replaced fellow quarterback Tyler Van Dyke for a third-and-2 and ran up the middle for 3 yards and a first down in Virginia Tech territory, setting up the Hurricanes for a field goal to go up 10-0 in the first quarter. On the second, he came in on third-and-1 and exploded for a 19-yard run out to near midfield, helping Miami eventually score a touchdown to go up 17-0 in the second quarter.

Brown’s second run was nearly a touchdown, as he spun out of one tackle and was caught from behind near midfield after he lost his balance. He popped up and pumped his fist, and teammates slapped him on the head when he returned to the sideline.

Miami (3-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) finished the game 8 of 17 on third downs — its best conversion rate since going 7 for 7 its season-opening rout of the FCS Bethune-Cookman Wildcats last month.

“We also had struggled in some of our short-yardage situations and were looking for something just a little bit different,” Cristobal said. “You can sit there and just say, ‘Hey,’ or you could adapt, and we chose to adapt and found something that can help us.”

It’s also a good opportunity for Brown, who will compete for a starting job at some point — perhaps as soon as next year, if Van Dyke opts to enter the 2023 NFL Draft.

Although he’s currently behind Jake Garcia on the depth chart, Brown was a four-star prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2022 and ran as fast as 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash, drawing comparisons to quarterback Hendon Hooker, who’s now a Heisman Trophy contender for the No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers.

“He’s a stud, man. His story is one of a kind,” Cristobal said. “That’s a tremendous human being and he’s an elite competitor, too. That guy gets after it relentlessly in the weight room and workouts, and whatnot and he’s got a real bright future here at Miami.”

Injury updates on Nelson, Hurricanes

By the end of their weekend in Blacksburg, the Hurricanes were down seven starters from the previous week due to injuries.

Running back Henry Parrish Jr., wide receiver Michael Redding III, offensive lineman Justice Oluwaseun, linebacker Waynmon Steed Jr. and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson were not in uniform, offensive lineman Jakai Clark did not play and tight end Will Mallory left early, leaving Miami with holes all across the roster.

The Hurricanes, however, are optimistic nearly all of those injured players will be able to suit up Saturday against the Duke Blue Devils when they return to Miami Gardens.

Parrish, Redding, Mallory, Clark and Stevenson all have looked good early this week, Cristobal said, and there’s a good chance all could play this weekend. Oluwaseun is the only one of these injuries expected to be long-term.

“His is a little more significant,” Cristobal said, “so he’ll miss time.”

Cristobal did not provide any specific update on Steed. The Hurricanes also did not give any specifics on what the injuries were, but Clark, Oluwaseun and Stevenson all left Miami’s loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels on Oct. 8 with injuries.

Star tackle Zion Nelson, meanwhile, remains sidelined after experiencing “a setback” following offseason knee surgery, Cristobal said. The junior offensive lineman missed the first two games of the year before debuting against the then-No. 24 Texas A&M Aggies last month, only to miss the next three games.

Nelson was a preseason All-American, according to Athlon, College Football News and The Athletic.

The Hurricanes could get some additional reinforcements this week, though: Wide receiver Jacolby George has “a chance to return here this week” after missing the last three games with a hand injury, Cristobal said.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Xavier Restrepo remained at least 2 1/2 weeks from returning, at Cristobal’s last check, and running back Donald Chaney Jr. remains four weeks from getting back.

This and that

▪ Akheem Mesidor wasn’t just the best defensive lineman in the ACC this weekend, according to the conference’s weekly positional awards. He was, according to the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the best defensive player in the entire country, earning Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week honors Sunday. The junior defensive lineman notched 3 1/2 sacks Saturday and led Miami with eight tackles.

▪ Redshirt senior punter Lou Hedley was the ACC Specialist of the Week after he averaged 44.8 yards on seven punts Saturday, pinning the Hokies inside their own 10-yard line four times. Mesidor was the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his game-wrecking performance in Blacksburg, Virginia.

▪ The Hurricanes’ Oct. 29 game against the Virginia Cavaliers in will kick off at 12:30 p.m. at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia, the league announced. The game will air on regional sports network, likely Bally Sports Florida or Bally Sports Sun. It will be Miami’s third straight game not to air on national television.