Two of five Miami players who missed last game with injuries are in uniform for Temple

Two of the five Miami Hurricanes players who missed last week’s game against Bethune-Cookman after sustaining injuries against then-No. 23 Texas A&M or the week leading into B-CU, were fully dressed for the Temple game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

The two: freshman running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and defensive end Nyjalik Kelly.

All-American safety Kamren Kinchens, who was hospitalized two weeks ago with an apparent head/neck injury after an intense tackle, traveled to the game but was not in uniform. Also not dressed in uniform, but at the game on the sideline, were defensive end Akheem Mesidor and defensive tackle Branson Deen.

Kelly, Mesidor, Deen and Kinchens were previous starters heading into the game. Kelly didn’t start Saturday, as Jahfari Harvey and freshman Rueben Bain were the defensive end starters. Jared Harrison-Hunte started again Saturday for Deen. And Don Chaney Jr. was the starting running back.

Miami has not specified any of the players’ injuries, although Kinchens’ injury, with 1:58 left in the game against Texas A&M, at first left him motionless for several minutes after he flexed the fingers of one hand.

Mesidor was still in a boot on his left foot.

At halftime, Fletcher had one carry for minus-2 yards.

Former UM players on Temple now

It has become increasingly common in the transfer portal era of college football. A player transfers to another school, then faces that school during his career at the new school — maybe even the next season.

That’s how it was set to be for former Miami defensive lineman Allan Haye, who announced last November that he would be entering the transfer portal before transferring to Temple. Entering Saturday, Haye, a redshirt sophomore, had started all three games for the Owls (2-1).

The Owls’ kicker, Camden Price, is another former Cane who joined Temple as a graduate transfer in the summer of 2022 and earned the starting job in the middle of the season — holding the highest field-goal percentage (92.7) last season in the American Athletic Conference, per the Owls.

Before Price took over the kicking duties for UM in the latter half of 2019, the Hurricanes’ field goal percentage of 46.2 ranked 122nd of 130 FBS teams, with only four Power 5 teams faring worse. Price finished 2019, hitting 6-of-7 field-goal attempts and all 18 of his extra-point attempts.

The next season, Jose Borregales had transferred from FIU, earned the kicking job and won the Lou Groza Award that goes to the nation’s top placekicker. Borregales’ younger brother Andres took over in 2021. Entering the Temple game, Borregales had converted 5-of-6 field-goal attempts and 14-of-15 extra points. The missed PAT last week was because of a bad snap.

This season, both Price and Borregales were named to the Lou Groza Award preseason watch list.

“I’m looking forward to just treating it like any other game and not letting any factors get in the way of, ‘This is a payback game,’ or whatever,’ Price told Temple reporters. “...I do have ties at Miami and I was there for four years. So it will be good to see a lot of those guys. But I have unfinished business and things to prove to myself...’’

Price kicked an extra point after Temple scored a touchdown with two seconds left in the first half.

As for the 6-2, 305-pound Haye, he only played three games in two seasons as a Hurricanes, with one tackle. He was a three-star defensive tackle coming out of Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna.

This season, Haye had seven tackles and a tackle for loss, and added to that with a tackle in the first half Saturday. Earlier this week, he was asked about UM.

“There are a couple new guys on the offensive line,’’ Haye said. “They’re coached well. We just gotta prepare to play dudes who are very disciplined and know how to work together.”

Haye, regarding keeping balanced in his approach knowing he’s facing his former teammates: “The easiest way for me to do that is to make sure I’m prepared, as in watching a lot of film and making sure I don’t go out there doing too much thinking. I can just have fun and play fast and not make it a game bigger than it is.”

Haye said he still speaks to current and former Hurricanes, including UM left offensive tackle Jalen Rivers.

“It was Jalen Rivers’ birthday the other day,’’ Haye said. “I told him, ‘Happy Birthday.’ He said, ‘See you next week.’’’

Van Dyke is Eagles fan

UM quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has never played at Lincoln Financial Field, nicknamed the Linc by Philadelphians, but he’s been there many times.

“I grew up an Eagles fan and we had season tickets, so I watched a lot of games growing up at the Linc,’’ Van Dyke, whose favorite player as a youngster was Donovan McNabb, said on Wednesday. “I’m very excited to play there. It’s going to be a cool experience.’’

Van Dyke is from Glastonbury, Connecticut, about a 3 1/2-hour drive from the stadium. He has a lot of family in the area and expects many of them to attend the game. He said Eagles fans can be “crazy and passionate,’’ and “that’s what I think about when I think about the linc.”

“I’m just excited to get in the stadium and play there for the first time.”

Miami/Temple history, future

The Hurricanes and Owls have played each other 14 times, with the Canes winning the past 13 games. Temple won 34-0 in Philadelphia the first time the teams met in 1930. The teams played 12 consecutive seasons from 1992 to 2003, when both were in the Big East. They met again in Philadelphia in 2005, when UM had already joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Younger and more recent UM fans — and likely everyone else — also know that former Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz took the job in late December 2018 to become Temple’s head coach for the 2019 season, was introduced in Philadelphia, and almost immediately afterward pulled an about-face to take the Miami head coaching job on December 30, 2018 after Mark Richt resigned.

Diaz (now the highly successful No. 7 Penn State defensive coordinator) even had a giant red and white billboard on I-295 in Philadelphia that read WELCOME TO PHILLY, TEMPLE’S NEW HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, with a giant photo of Diaz grinning and a Manny Diaz signature next to it.

And what UM fan could forget Al Golden, who transformed a perennially losing Temple program into an eventual winning one during his tenure from 2006 through 2010? UM hired Golden to lead the Canes in 2011. He stayed the head coach until he was fired after top-10 Clemson beat the Canes 58-0 on Oct. 4, 2015.

The next time Miami and Temple meet in football will be at Hard Rock Stadium on Sept. 15, 2029, a game that was rescheduled in 2020 when the ACC streamlined its schedule because of the COVID outbreak. That year, UM was supposed to meet Temple at Hard Rock in the Sept. 5 opener.

This and That

UM captains for Saturday: quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, left tackle Jalen Rivers, linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, safety James Williams and cornerback Jaden Davis.