Zechariah Poyser questionable for Miami vs. Duke

The Thursday availability report brought news for both sidelines. Duke is down its quarterback, and Miami now has a defensive back to watch.

Conor O'Neill

@ConorONeill_DI

Thursday update: Terry Walker III out; Miami has a DB to monitor. Poyser has played the third-most snaps of Miami's defense.

Conor O'Neill

@ConorONeill_DI

Initial availability report for Duke-Miami: (there's not much here for Duke other than what's already been reported) t.co/UjJQtDbRsl

First, some cleanup, because the internet has already mixed this up. Terry Walker III is not a Hurricane. He is Duke's quarterback, and he was listed as questionable on the first availability report of the week. The Thursday update moved him to out. So the Blue Devils come into Hard Rock Stadium without their QB, and Miami's question is on the other side of the ball: Poyser.

Poyser is a safety, and according to the tweet above, only 2 Miami defenders have played more snaps than him. He has had an eventful year. He was ejected for targeting against Florida State on October 17 after he launched into Ashton Daniels' head while the FSU quarterback was sliding at the end of a 15-yard scramble. That ejection came when the secondary was already short, with cornerbacks Bryce Fitzgerald, O.J. Frederique and Ja'Boree Antoine all banged up.

Jordan Lopez

@JordanTLopez

Zechariah Poyser is listed as questionable in the latest injury report for Miami heading into Saturday against Duke

That depth problem is the reason questionable is a big deal here. Frederique and Antoine are both on this week's Miami injury list too. Losing a high-snap safety on top of 2 corners means a lot of young guys playing coverage at noon on Saturday. There was no injury detail with the listing, and Miami hasn't said what is bothering him.

The offense isn't healthy either. Star receiver Malachi Toney is out, and Mario Cristobal is spending the week explaining which wideouts have to step up after a flat showing in the loss at Notre Dame. Miami is 8-1 and 6-0 in the ACC. Duke is 7-2 and 6-1 in the league, so this is not some random November cupcake.

The stakes are pretty simple. Miami is favored by 13.5, and with a win the Canes can clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game if Louisville loses to North Carolina and either Clemson or SMU also loses. Kickoff is Saturday at noon ET in Miami Gardens. Watch warmups for Poyser. With Walker out, Duke may not test the secondary as much as usual, but a thin Miami defensive backfield is exactly what you don't want in a game that has to be won with a playoff spot on the line.