FILM STUDY: Common theme emerges as you break down Tyler Van Dyke’s biggest issues over his last three starts
It’s been somewhat a tale of two seasons for Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. Through his first four starts of the year, all victories, Van Dyke completed 74.7 percent of his throws and averaged 260.5 passing yards per game with 11 touchdowns and just one interception.
In his three starts since? A 65.8 completion percentage (8.9 percent lower than the first four games) with 280.7 passing yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Just to put that in a full-season perspective of 12 games, his first four games would convert to a school-record 33 TD passes with three INTs. His last three outings would convert to a full season of 20 TD passes and a ridiculous 28 INTs. That’s how bad it is, just on a small scale.
A big difference before October hit, right? It didn’t even take till Halloween for this to get scary.
Miami is 1-2 in those last three Van Dyke starts, with the lone win an ugly one in overtime this past weekend against a 2-6 Virginia team, 29-26.
So what has gone wrong?
Have injuries caught up to him? Well, he suffered a hand injury prior to Game 1 but fared fine those first four games. So throw that idea out. The knee injury that forced him to miss the Clemson game? You could argue that had an effect this past game, but he’d thrown five INTs the prior two games he started before that injury.
Is it a predictable passing offense that is now getting figured out by coordinators who are dropping guys into coverage at key spots with Van Dyke struggling to go to his second and third reads? Perhaps.
Are opposing defensive coordinators working hard to take away his favorite target Xavier Restrepo and focusing personnel in the middle of the field where coordinator Shannon Dawson loves to attack? Maybe.
Is there a problem with in-game adjustments, given that Van Dyke said after this past game that he has to study film more, but he’s already known for studying nonstop. Is it a case where when he sees something he doesn’t understand he sometimes is just tossing the ball up to spots without understanding safety help or seeing if the one-on-one coverage is tight? There could be something to that, too.
Or could it be Van Dyke is throwing the ball too early at times because he doesn’t want to get hit considering his hand and now knee issues? That could be as well, as he does tend to get the ball off quickly most of the time. But that’s just conjecture.
What is real is that he’s really struggled these last three games with some bad mistakes, and if he doesn’t rectify it then this will become a one-dimensional offense relying on a strong run game and managing Van Dyke with shorter passes and check downs to keep the ball out of harm’s way. Is that how you’re going to beat decent NC State and Louisville teams along with a top FSU team on the road in the next three games?
That’s a rhetorical question.
What you will see in EVERY one of his seven interceptions (and almost eight) the last three games is that Van Dyke isn’t hurried on any of them. In each of them aside from one he has at most four rushing without a blitz as the defense settles into coverage … and he usually has an outlet wide open that he either doesn’t see or doesn’t throw to.
That’s a bad recurring common denominator.
With the above in mind, let’s go into the film room and take a look at his biggest mistakes over these last three games to break down just what happened:
VS. GEORGIA TECH OCT. 7
2nd quarter, scoreless game 3-13 GTECH21 (03:32) Shotgun #9 T.Van Dyke pass intercepted by #1 L.Brooks at GTECH00 #1 L.Brooks return 25 yards to the GTECH25 (#9 T.Van Dyke).
Here you see Van Dyke with all kinds of time but he appears nervous in the pocket, as you see him sort of pat the ball after he drops back and no one is free initially. Georgia Tech is only rushing four and Miami is in max protect, so there’s really no excuse for this pass. The pass is thrown too late and hangs up, and Van Dyke doesn’t account for safety LaMiles Brooks coming over from the middle of the field to help in coverage. Oh, and do you notice Henry Parrish on the checkdown on the left side with no Georgia Tech defendedr within 10 yards? Yeah, we noticed that as well. Just an all-around really bad decision and throw.
3rd quater, Miami leads 10-7 2-10 MIA25 (02:47) Shotgun #9 T.Van Dyke pass intercepted by #18 A.Harvey at MIA42 #18 A.Harvey return 16 yards to the MIA26 (#64 J.Rivers).
Here you again see Georgia Tech only rush four and drop into coverage. And Van Dyke again has an open checkdown throw to the back but forces it into a tight window trying to hit Jacolby George on the deeper route. As we saw in the first interception, Van Dyke simply doesn’t see that there is another defender in the area. You can see Ahmari Harvey (who would have had the assignment of covering the back out of the backfield) reading Van Dyke’s eyes and dropping backward to help out Jaylon King on the play. He intercepts it easily.
4th quarter, Georgia Tech leads 14-10 3-7 GTECH25 (14:25) Shotgun #9 T.Van Dyke pass intercepted by #14 J.King at GTECH19 #14 J.King return 66 yards to the MIA15 (#9 T.Van Dyke).
This is a case of a miscommunication by Jacolby George and Van Dyke as much as anything. Jaylon King appears confused just prior to the snap, looking to the sideline for his responsibility. So Van Dyke makes the quick throw with King one-on-one on George. But as George sits down eight yards from the line of scrimmage he drifts toward the sideline and Van Dyke’s throw goes to the inside for the INT that is returned 66 yards with Van Dyke showing great effort chasing King down at the UM 15. This is actually a blitz but it doesn’t affect the play at all and Van Dyke in fact probably doesn’t see it coming or need to as he’s making a quick read and has the back in protection on that side to pick up the blitzer. The question here is if George was supposed to go inside and went outside or if Van Dyke made a horrible pass. Based on what Shannon Dawson said after the game, this one might have been more on George than Van Dyke.
AT NORTH CAROLINA OCT. 14
3rd quarter, UNC leads 21-17 1-10 MIA14 Shotgun #9 T.Van Dyke pass intercepted by #33 C.Gray at MIA23, End Of Play.
A recurring theme in the interceptions is that the other team rushes four and Van Dyke isn’t hurried into these throws … and that there are open checkdown receivers. In this case it’s Xavier Restrepo who comes open at the top of the screen with no one within five yards of him. Van Dyke initially does look at Restrepo, but the outside pass rush doesn’t give him a throwing lane. So he instead forces the ball on a snap decision into coverage where he simply does not recognize the linebacker Cedric Gray dropping into zone coverage. It’s as easy an interception as you’ll see. Van Dyke also sort of double clutches before he throws, almost like he isn’t quite sure what he sees, before launching the ball.
Final play of game, Miami loses 41-31 1-10 UNC31 No Huddle-Shotgun #9 T.Van Dyke pass intercepted by #27 G.Biggers at UNC05 #27 G.Biggers return 5 yards to the UNC10, End Of Play.
We don’t need to harp on this one too much since it was a desparation throw on the final play of the game. UNC rushes three, Van Dyke throws deep and the safety is waiting in the end zone for the throw and jumps in front of the pass for the pick.
VS. CLEMSON OCT. 21
Van Dyke out injured
VS. VIRGINIA OCT. 28
1st quarter, UVA ahead 7-0 1-10 CAVS36 Shotgun #9 T.Van Dyke pass intercepted by #13 S.Westfall at CAVS10 #13 S.Westfall return 0 yards to the CAVS10 (#7 X.Restrepo).
This is a case where it just seems like Van Dyke has made up his mind pre-snap based on what he sees at the line that he’s going deep to Restrepo. And Restrepo does have a step but the ball is underthrown for an easy interception. Again you see on this play that Brashard Smith as the checkdown guy is all alone on the left side … or Van Dyke could have thrown to Mark Fletcher short on the right side as he also had plenty of room to run. Again Van Dyke has all day to throw with the opponent rushing four.
3rd quarter, UM ahead 17-13 3-10 CANE45 (03:12) Shotgun #9 T.Van Dyke pass intercepted by #5 K.Robinson at CAVS37 #5 K.Robinson return 14 yards to the CANE49 (#22 M.Fletcher Jr.).
Here you see Virginia rush three and leave two in the middle in zone, and with plenty of time to throw Van Dyke initially has his eyes on Restrepo running deep out of the slot but there is safety help over the top. So it seems like almost without thinking Van Dyke just slings the ball to the left side where Brashard Smith for a moment seems to be getting open. But there is a safety coming over the top and a very small window of opportunity and the throw comes too late and too short and is intercepted. This is a play where Miami sends all four receivers deep but no one is really open so it has to be a play where Van Dyke just throws it over the head of a receiver and out of bounds and punt with a four-point lead. He forced it.
NEAR INTERCEPTION in 4th quarter, UVA ahead, 20-17 2-6 CAVS36 (10:17) Shotgun #9 T.Van Dyke pass incomplete deep middle to #3 J.George broken up by #9 C.King.
Virginia is rushing four here and Miami is protecting with six, and Van Dyke has plenty of time to throw … again, a recurring theme in his interceptions. The Canes are going three wide and also sends tight end Cam McCormick on a deep out on the right side. Van Dyke appeares to initially look at Restrepo near the sticks but he’s getting a lot of defensive attention. With no one coming open Van Dyke just launches the ball up down the middle for Jacolby George, who is well covered by Coen King. Luckily for Miami the ball got jarred out of King’s chest when he landed or this game might have ended with a different result (Miami hit a tying field goal on the drive).
After the most recent game Van Dyke was asked to assess his play.
“Obviously I did not play well at all,” Van Dyke said. “They did a great job mixing it up. They did a great job making it tough to see, covering the middle of the field. They tried to make me force things and I kinda got greedy a little bit. I just have to check things down more than I did today.
“I feel confident, I just have to make better decisions. I can’t force the ball down the field. I just have to get back to work. Maybe that’s preparing better, get in the film room more than I did. Just have to be better in general. Can’t force the ball.”
Mario Cristobal acknowledged it was a rough day for his QB and said that “There were some throws he’d like to take back, but it’s also when you play come from behind football, you’re going to get some of that.
“Today was muddy. Things weren’t as clear as they have been in the past. We’ve got to scheme it up better. We’ve got to coach better and we’ve got to play better. I don’t want to, in any way, shape or form, say anything but Tyler is our quarterback and he’s done a really good job in a lot of instances. Today wasn’t his best day and that happens sometimes.”
The “sometimes” has now been three games in a row, though.
Miami hopes it doesn’t become four in a road game against a decent NC State team this coming Saturday night.
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