Miami football: 5 most underrated players in Miami Hurricanes history
By Nick Villano
1. Mami football underrated players: Matt Walters
How can we explain how good Matt Walters was with the Hurricanes? He was able to hold off Vince Wilfork from taking his starting spot in the early 2000s. He stopped one of the best defensive linemen in Miami history from getting his career going because he was that good.
He was great at getting penetration from the inside, recording five sacks his senior season in 2002. He hit the quarterback 19 times in both his junior and senior seasons. Walters was a scary force up the middle. He was also good against the run, getting himself seven tackles for loss in his senior campaign. He also broke up seven passes combined in his junior and senior seasons. As a two-year starter, there aren’t many Miami football players who had a bigger impact than Walters.
His most enduring memory is one of the greatest plays in Miami football history, although Ed Reed gets a lot of the credit for the play now. Walters was playing on the line as Boston College was driving, looking to put the first loss on the Hurricanes season and possibly putting their National Title hopes in jeopardy. The Canes were up 12-7 when a pass by Brian St. Pierre was tipped and intercepted by Walters. He ran it a few yards, but Ed Reed eventually took the ball from him and scored a touchdown to put the Hurricanes up for good.
In a 26-24 win against Virginia Tech towards the end of their championship season, Walters had six tackles and four hurries. Who knows what might happen with a score that close and a quarterback who wasn’t constantly under pressure. It’s safe to say that without Walters, Miami might never make it to the National Championship Game.
Is it fair to give that much credit to a defensive lineman? When he was this important, then yes. We talk about Wilfork, Reed, Jerome McDougal, Taylor, and D.J. Williams on possibly the most talented team of all time. However, without the little known Walters, that talent would have turned into zero championships.
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