Mario Cristobal and Tyler Van Dyke confident new offense fits Miami football
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Miami football program at ACC Kickoff in Charlotte on Tuesday was the impact that offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson has had on the Hurricanes since being hired from Houston during the offseason. Mario Cristobal and Tyler Van Dyke each discussed Dawson.
With Houston as offensive coordinator in 2022, the Cougars finished 16th nationally averaging 36.1 points per game. Houston was 22nd averaging 456.0 total yards per game, eighth producing 314.0 passing yards per game and 76th with 142.00 rushing yards per game last season. Miami was below Houston in all those numbers.
Wide receiver Nathaniel Dell had 109 receptions for 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2022. Dell led the nation in receiving yards and receiving TDs in 2022 and was second in receptions. The expectation is that the Miami football team will be far more prolific offensively in 2023 with Dawson calling plays.
Houston QB Clayton Tune completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,074 yards, 40 TDs, 10 interceptions and a 158.92 passer rating in 2022. Van Dyke projects to be far closer to his numbers under former OC Rhett Lashlee than the struggles the Miami offense had in 2022 with Josh Gattis calling plays.
"Mario Cristobal comments about Shannon Dawson“I think what Shannon Dawson has done in his history really fits Tyler, his skill set, the pieces around him.. Dawson has led some really high-level offenses over the course of his career. Really understands the importance of the timing and spaces and precision of the passing game and has gotten the ball in the hands of his best players.He has been a hit. You know, he has been a guy that our team instantly recognized…this guy is a really good coach, he is a really good person. We can connect here…Shannon Dawson views the Miami job as that job…We look forward to him continuing to evolve his offense and working with our players…I think I’ll let Tyler expand on his feelings on the offense when you guys get him up here.”"
Van Dyke is impressed by what Dawson accomplished at Houston. Expect Van Dyke to have more freedom than he did under the more regimented offense the Miami football team ran last season. Dawson will put the Miami players in the best position to succeed by taking what the defense gives them. Van Dyke commented below.
"“The thing I love about Coach Dawson’s offense, I mean, you guys saw what he did at Houston. Threw for almost — did throw for 4,000 yards, over 2,500 yards rushing. The thing I love about it is the freedom he gives the quarterback. Change a run play to a pass play, pass to a run.Giving receivers routes based on what the defense gives you. So just gives the quarterback a lot of freedom. It allows you to put the ball in the hands of the playmakers. That’s my job to do. So yeah, I’m very grateful that Coach Cristobal brought Coach Dawson in, and I’m excited for this year.”"
Van Dyke appeared with Cristobal at ACC Kickoff for the second straight season. Brad Kaaya was the last Miami quarterback who was the Miami starting QB for three seasons. Van Dyke has started 17 games over the last two seasons. Van Dyke won multiple awards as a redshirt freshman in 2022.
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The ACC named Van Dyke the conference Freshman of the Year and Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2022. Van Dyke hopes to build on the two-game performance he had 838 yards, five TDs and two interceptions versus North Carolina and Virginia Tech instead of the injuries and struggles that occurred in 2022.