D’Eriq King suffers apparent knee injury in Cheez-It Bowl (Video)

Miami quarterback D’Eriq King suffered an apparent knee injury in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Sports injuries are always bad, but injuries in meaningless games that can affect a player’s draft prospects are even worse.

In the Cheez-It Bowl on Tuesday evening, Miami Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King suffered an apparent knee injury in the second quarter as he tried to juke an Oklahoma State defender.

He had to be helped off the field and couldn’t walk under his own power.

D’Eriq King’s injury is a major bummer

King had a terrific season with the Canes, throwing for 22 touchdown passes against just five interceptions while rushing for 520 yards and four touchdowns. He led Miami to its highest win percentage since 2003, vaulting them to a No. 18 overall ranking with an 8-2 record.

King had recently announced he’d be coming back to Miami for another season, surprising many who thought he’d be heading for the pros in the 2021 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, that decision to return may have ultimately led to this heartbreaking moment in Tuesday’s bowl game.

For anyone questioning these players’ dedication to their team when they choose to sit out of these relatively meaningless bowl games and protect themselves for a future career in the pros, D’Eriq King’s injury is a sad look at what can happen when they don’t. King was set on coming back for another season with the Hurricanes anyway, so hopefully the injury isn’t severe enough to affect his NFL Draft stock in 2022, but this serves as a good reminder of why so many of these kids decide to forgo these bowl games.