CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Miami quarterback Emory Williams’ significantly injured left arm is expected to heal in time for him to participate in spring practice, Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said Monday.
Williams suffered the injury — one so severe that some onlookers had to turn away — in the final minutes of Miami’s 27-20 loss to No. 4 Florida State on Saturday. Williams’ arm was placed in an air cast before he was taken to a Tallahassee hospital for further assessment.
“Very proud of him for his effort,” Cristobal said. “I’m very proud of him for the way he handled everything.”
Williams’ injury means Tyler Van Dyke — who has been Miami’s starter for much of the last three years — will be back in that role Saturday when the Hurricanes (6-4, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) play their home finale against No. 9 Louisville (9-1, 6-1).
Williams completed 8 of 23 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns against the Seminoles. He became the first quarterback in nearly a full year to have multiple TD passes against Florida State; the most recent before Saturday was Anthony Richardson, who had three scoring passes for Florida against the Seminoles on Nov. 25, 2022.
The right-arm-throwing Williams got hurt with just under three minutes left, scrambling to his left and diving to barely get a first down on fourth-and-2 to extend Miami’s final drive and keep hopes of the upset alive. He could be heard immediately screaming in pain after the play.
“I thought he played his tail off and I thought he battled,” Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “He really, really showed a lot of fight.”
Van Dyke already being declared the starter eliminates Miami having a second consecutive week of quarterback speculation. But Cristobal said Jacurri Brown — who appeared in eight games last year but has yet to throw a pass in a game this season — will get work this week as well and compete for time.
Van Dyke lost the starting job to Williams for the Florida State game, then came in for the remainder of the final series following the injury. He was 2 of 7 for 29 yards, throwing an interception on Miami’s final play — his 12th of the season, tied for fourth-most in the country and one more than he had in his first three seasons with the Hurricanes combined.
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