The Rundown Take
Bench Him or Ride It Out? U Talk Goes to War Over Tyler Van Dyke With Florida State on Deck
Six days before the rivalry game, Devin and Larry Frank Jr. threw open the phone lines for a marathon Monday night session that turned into a referendum on Tyler Van Dyke. Coming off a rough NC State loss, with the quarterback sitting on 10 interceptions over his last four games, the panel and a full rotation of callers spent close to ninety minutes arguing one question: does Mario Cristobal sit his quarterback, or does he let him play out the string?
Key Takeaways
- Miami sits at 6-3 heading into Florida State, and the panel is split on whether Van Dyke should start again this week.
- Larry Frank Jr. points to the Georgia Tech knee-down and the North Carolina turnovers as the moments the coaching staff should have made a change.
- Devin flags backup running back Rashard Smith going zero carries and zero targets despite averaging roughly 13 yards a touch when he does get the ball.
- Caller Nassau pushes back on the pile-on, noting Miami is a game ahead of last year's pace and pointing to a dropped interception that could have made the record even better.
- The panel debates offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson's scheme, with several callers arguing he isn't getting the ball to playmakers like Smith and Bashard.
The Van Dyke Debate
Devin opened by asking Larry Frank point blank when he'd last seen a starting quarterback throw double-digit interceptions over a four-game stretch and keep his job. Larry Frank didn't hedge — he called Van Dyke mentally checked out, pointing to a postgame press conference answer he read as pure disinterest, and argued this Miami team is talented enough to be undefeated if not for the Georgia Tech and NC State results. Multiple callers piled on, invoking backups Jacurri Brown and Emory Williams as options with more scramble ability, while a smaller contingent — led by caller Nassau — argued Cristobal inherited a roster with real limitations and deserves credit for the turnaround regardless of the quarterback situation.
Coaching Under the Microscope
The scheme critique ran almost as hot as the quarterback debate. Callers argued Shannon Dawson's offense isn't built to hide Van Dyke's late throws and isn't scripting touches for backfield weapons like Rashard Smith, who went unused in the loss despite a strong per-carry average on the season. Larry Frank connected it to Dawson's history: his system tends to work best with a dual-threat quarterback who can extend plays with his legs, which this staff doesn't currently have on the field. The room circled back repeatedly to the Georgia Tech decision to take a knee rather than push for more, calling it the moment the coaching staff tipped its hand.
Family in the Chat
Between the football arguments, the show carried its usual family thread — Larry Frank Jr. and Devin thanked the community for prayers and well wishes tied to a health situation with Larry Frank's wife, and longtime caller Ghost made a surprise on-camera reappearance mid-show to the room's delight. Regulars including Chris Kane, Kyle, B Mac out of Mobile and Nassau worked the phone lines deep into the night as Devin extended the show to fit everyone in.
"You gotta treat TVD how you treat the running backs — they fumble, you sit them. You gotta sit him."
With Florida State looming, the panel closed split but leaning pessimistic on the quarterback question, promising to revisit everything depending on how Saturday plays out.