Podcast: What Miami needs to do to go into College Station and beat No. 24 Texas A&M
The Mario Cristobal era is officially a few games old, but Saturday is really the starting point.
After two lopsided wins against inferior opponents to start the season, the Miami Hurricanes hit the road for the first time Saturday to face the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station, Texas. They’re looking for their first win against a Southeastern Conference opponent, a first win against a ranked team for Cristobal and a statement win in a hostile environment, filled with blue-chip recruits.
Even though they’re underdogs and missing their No. 1 wide receiver, they can get it done, and David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan explain how on a new episode of the Eye on the U podcast.
It all starts with Tyler Van Dyke, who played one of the worst games of his career Saturday in Miami’s 30-7 win against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and knows he needs to be better this weekend at Kyle Field. His challenge will be a bit tougher with wide receiver Xavier Restrepo out indefinitely, but this is the sort of game a quarterback like Van Dyke, who garnered some Heisman Trophy hype in the preseason, is supposed to win.
Of course, Van Dyke is only a small part of the equation, as the Appalachian State Mountaineers proved Saturday when they pulled off a stunning 17-14 upset at Texas A&M. Appalachian State limited the Aggies to just 38 plays and the No. 13 Hurricanes, with their new emphasis on running the ball, can follow a similar blueprint. It’s the best way to slow down No. 24 Texas A&M’s offense, which leans heavily on big-play explosiveness.
A win would go a long way for Cristobal and Miami, even though it won’t have anything to do with their chase for an Atlantic Coast Conference title. In college football, perception is important and the Hurricanes can boost their standing with an impressive road win.
As always, thanks for listening and please continue to rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
