MIAMI HURRICANES 2008 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE RELEASED

Feb. 8, 2008

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CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Atlantic Coast Conference released the 2008 football schedule for its 12 member schools today. The 2008 Miami Hurricanes will face one of the toughest schedules in the nation in their second season under head coach Randy Shannon, with eight of their 12 games against teams that played in bowl games in 2007. The Hurricanes will play six home games in their new home at Dolphin Stadium and six on the road. (Game times have yet to be announced.)

The Hurricanes, annually one of college football’s top television ratings draws, have two games already scheduled for national telecast, both on Thursday nights. The Hurricanes will host ACC defending champion Virginia Tech at Dolphin Stadium on Nov. 13, followed by a Nov. 20 game vs. Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

Miami will open the 2008 season at home and finish the year with two games on the road. The Hurricanes will play their four non-conference foes in the first six games of the season.

The eight bowl teams from 2007 on Miami’s 2008 schedule are: Florida (Capital One Bowl), Texas A&M (Alamo Bowl), Central Florida (Liberty Bowl), Wake Forest (Meineke Car Care Bowl), Florida State (Music City Bowl), Virginia Tech (Orange Bowl), Virginia (Gator Bowl) and Georgia Tech (Humanitarian Bowl).

The Charleston Southern Buccaneers will usher in Miami’s new era in Dolphin Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 28 for the season opener. This will be the first game ever between the two schools. Charleston Southern is a Division I-AA school and finished 5-6 last season and is 21-12 over the last three seasons. The Buccaneers started their football program in 1991 and moved up to Division I-AA in 1993. Charleston Southern has already played games at South Florida and Hawaii and will play at Florida in 2009.

The Hurricanes will go on the road in Week Two on Saturday, Sept. 6, when they play the Florida Gators at the Swamp in Gainesville. Miami has not lost to the Gators since 1985, owning six consecutive victories in the series. Overall, Miami leads the series 28-25. Florida is led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow. This is the first of a home-and-home series in which Florida will come to Dolphin Stadium in 2013. In 2007, Florida was 9-4 and played in the Capital One Bowl. This is the first meeting between the two schools since the 2004 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Miami will not play on Saturday, Sept. 13. The Hurricanes will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 20 when they travel to College Station, Texas to face Texas A&M and new head coach Mike Sherman. The two schools have met only twice, with the Aggies winning in 1944 and Miami winning 34-17 last season at home. This is the second of a home-and-home series. The Aggies finished the 2007 season 7-6 under Dennis Franchione in 2007 and played in the Alamo Bowl.

Butch Davis returns to Miami on Saturday, Sept. 27 when North Carolina plays at Dolphin Stadium. Davis coached the Hurricanes from 1995-2000 and is in his second season at UNC. The two schools will play for the fifth straight year, and the Tar Heels own a 6-5 lead in the series. The home team has won all four games in ACC action so far. North Carolina finished 4-8 in 2007.

On Saturday, Oct. 4, the Hurricanes and Seminoles will meet for the 53rd time in another edition of one of the nation’s top football rivalries, this time in Miami. Last season, Miami defeated FSU 37-29 in Tallahassee and now holds a 30-22 lead in the series. The only time the two schools have met at Dolphin Stadium, UM won 16-14 in the 2004 Orange Bowl Classic. The Seminoles were 7-6 in 2007 and played in the Music City Bowl.

Miami remains at home for the third consecutive week on Saturday, Oct. 11 game when Central Florida comes to town. This will be the first game between the two schools. Coached by George O’Leary, the Knights finished the 2007 season 10-4 and played in the Liberty Bowl, losing to Mississippi State. Central Florida didn’t play football until 1979 and joined Division I-A in 1996. The Knights have played in bowl games two of the last three years.

The Hurricanes will travel to Durham, N.C. to face Duke and new head coach David Cutcliffe on Saturday, Oct. 18. Miami has a 4-1 lead in the series and has won three straight games since joining the ACC and four in a row altogether. The Blue Devils finished 1-11 in 2007 after going 0-12 the year before.

Wake Forest comes to Miami on Saturday, Oct. 25. The Demon Deacons were 9-4 and played in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in 2007. However, the only times the two teams have played in ACC action, Miami won both games by a combined score of 99-24, and UM holds a 5-3 lead in the series.

Miami travels to Charlottesville, Va. on Saturday, Nov. 1 to face one of the surprise teams of 2007 in Virginia. Last year, the Cavaliers defeated the Hurricanes 48-0 in the final game at the Orange Bowl. Virginia finished last season 9-4 and played in the Gator Bowl. This will only be the sixth game between the two schools, and Miami holds a 3-2 lead in the series. This will be the fifth straight year the two schools have met.

The Hurricanes will have their second open date on Nov. 8, then will face arch-rival Virginia Tech on Thursday, Nov. 13 at Dolphin Stadium in a game to be nationally televised on ESPN. Despite losing the last two games to VT, Miami still holds a commanding 16-9 lead in the series. Frank Beamer’s Hokies were 11-3 last year and were the ACC champions. They lost the Orange Bowl to Kansas, where new Miami defensive coordinator Bill Young held that position for the Jayhawks. Virginia Tech finished ninth in both major polls last season, the highest of any 2008 opponent.

One week later, on Thursday, Nov. 20, the Hurricanes will travel to Georgia Tech, which has a new head coach in Paul Johnson, who came over from the Naval Academy. Georgia Tech has a 9-4 lead in the series, the biggest of any ACC school over Miami, and has won three straight. Georgia Tech was 7-6 in 2007, losing to Fresno State in the Humanitarian Bowl.

Miami will finish the regular season at North Carolina State on Saturday, Nov. 29 marking their first game in Raleigh since 2004. Last year the Wolfpack won 19-16 in overtime at the Orange Bowl, but Miami has a 7-4-1 lead in the series that began in 1939. The two teams last met in Raleigh in 2004, when Miami won 45-31. Last season, North Carolina State finished 5-7 in its first season under Tom O’Brien.

Miami finished the 2007 season with a record of 5-7. The ACC Conference Championship Game will be played on December 6 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in a nationally televised game on ABC.

Season tickets can be purchased by calling 305-284-CANE in Miami-Dade County or 1-800-GO-CANES elsewhere. Renewals for season ticket holders will be mailed in the next few weeks.

2008 Miami Hurricanes Football Schedule