On Monday afternoon, Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal had press availability. During that availability, he commented on a few injuries affecting the Miami Hurricanes.
The good news for Miami per Cristobal,
is that EDGE Akheem Mesidor is fine after a minor arm injury in the Semifinals where an Ole Miss lineman feel on his arm. Furthermore, Cristobal noted that DT Ahmad Moten Sr was “full go” in today’s practice, and should continue to be so. Moten Sr. had been battling an ankle issue from a nasty hi-low combination block against Ohio State that ended with his leg rolled up on by an OSU lineman but no penalty called for the infraction.
As far as defensive backs O.J. Frederique and Damari Brown go, Cristobal said Frederique should be good to go in the National Championship game, while Brown is more “day to day” with his injury.
The injury that could affect Miami most is the one to TE Elija Lofton. While he didn’t go into specifics, Cristobal did say that the player in question who might not be able to play in the National Championship Game is Lofton, a starter on Miami’s offense.
If Brown is unable to play, expect to see more of true freshman CB Jaboree Antoine in the secondary. He played well in his snaps in the Semifinals, and will likely get more snaps in the Championship Game with starter Xavier Lucas suspended for a half due to a targeting call from the previous game. Double that if Frederique is limited in his game action.
With Lofton doubtful* — my assumption based upon Cristobal’s words today not an official designation — for the National Championship Game, look for more snaps from co-starter TE Alex Bauman, and snaps from true freshman Luka Gilbert. Miami could also go with even more 3 WR sets instead of 2 TE sets to utilize the depth at receiver over tight end in spots.
Honestly, this is a good injury report for Miami. There aren’t any new issues on the horizon, and most of the previous issues are trending positively, Lofton excepted.
Miami faces Indiana in the National Championship Game on Monday, January 19th at 7:30pm. The game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL, and televised on ESPN nationally.
