The New Miami Kicks Off Against an Old Rival
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – After an eight-month hiatus, Hurricanes football is back.
Head coach Manny Diaz and The New Miami will make their debut against an old rival, facing No. 8 Florida in the Camping World Kickoff. The game will draw the attention of the entire college football landscape, as the Hurricanes and Gators will be the only two teams in action when they take the field at 7 p.m. on Saturday night
“We’re obviously very honored to be opening up the 150th college football season a week ahead of everybody else,” Diaz said. “Not just the fact that it’s Miami, but the fact that it’s Miami and Florida – two of the big three schools in the state of Florida. When you think about the history of college football, the sport may not have been invented in this state, but it was certainly revolutionized in this state. You’re talking about 11 national championships in less than the last 40 years, that’s over a quarter, by my math. To have two of the marquee programs in this state open up the curtains on the 2019 season is a pretty cool thing that we’re excited to be a part of.”
The two in-state rivals will meet in a season opener for the first time in 32 years. Miami and Florida have split the six season openers between the two sides, going 3-3 in the six contests from 1981-87. The Canes crushed Florida, 31-4, in the 1987 opening game and a young Diaz was in the Miami Orange Bowl to witness the big win by his hometown Hurricanes.
Miami leads the all-time series, 29-26, and is 5-1 against Florida in the six meetings that followed the 1987 season opener. The Hurricanes earned a 21-16 win over No 12 Florida in 2013, the most recent battle between the two teams, but the 2019 Canes understand that they need to write their own entry in the historic rivalry between two of the top programs in college football history.
“I think everybody is focused,” linebacker Shaquille Quarterman said. “That’s the most important thing. Being in this city, with so much history and things like that, it’s hard to stay focused. You can go to a Winn Dixie and a fan will want to give you the illustrious history of Miami and why this game is so important. A lot of the outside noise, a lot of doubt and things like that [are out there]. So, I think focus is the best thing we have right now and I really feel that from the offense, defense and special teams. Along with focus, I think everybody is very ready to play. I think everybody is really hungry to play. There’s a lot of things being said in the media, just the amount of people that are counting us out. So, I think those two things, that’s what we have going for us right now.”
Florida is a formidable opponent for Miami, entering the game as a consensus top 10-ranked team that many experts around the country have picked to win Saturday’s contest.
“All eyes are going to be on us,” Florida safety Donovan Stiner said. “Both programs are good programs and I think we can prove we’re the best in the state.”
But the Hurricanes have a history of succeeding in season-opening games against some of the best teams in the country. In the last 35 years, Miami is 4-1 in season openers against AP top-10 opponents – including two wins over top ranked opponents. The one blemish in that stretch was a loss to No. 5 Florida in 1985.
“It’s a great way to start the season and playing against great competition with the great program they have over there, so it’s a great way to start the season off and go against that type of competition,” Miami tight end Will Mallory said.
Diaz and his coaching staff got right to work in January, changing the culture at Miami in advance of the 2019 season. Now they will see how far the Hurricanes have come, as Miami will face a Florida team that showed the characteristics of a program on the rise a year ago under the tutelage of Diaz’s former boss at Mississippi State, head coach Dan Mullen.
“One of our main objectives this offseason has been to find that competitive spirit, that drive, that backbone, that benefited Florida a year ago,” Diaz said. “We know that they will provide that test because obviously, I know Coach Mullen well. I know Nick Savage, their strength coach. I know how their teams will be conditioned, and I know the energy and the toughness that they will play with. Certainly when you’re looking at their personnel, you’re talking about as good of skill [players] as anybody we’re going to see all season.”
Florida’s offense is led by redshirt junior quarterback Feleipe Franks, who is coming off one of the best statistical seasons by a Gator quarterback in nearly a decade. Franks accounted for 31 touchdowns in 2018, throwing for 24 scores and rushing for seven more.
Franks is also surrounded by experienced weapons, as the Gators offense brings back senior running back Lamical Perine (826 yards, seven TD) and a deep WR group of Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland, Josh Hammond, Trevon Grimes and Freddie Swain that combined for 1,713 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2018.
While these are a bevy of skill players on the Gator sideline, the Florida offensive line is young and inexperienced. A year ago, the Gators were tied for 20thin FBS with 18 sacks allowed.
But Florida lost 141 combined starts on the offensive line entering 2019 and their new line will face a Miami defense that tallied 40 sacks and led the country in tackles for loss with a school-record 136.0 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
“We respect every opponent we play against,” defensive lineman Scott Patchan said. “We’re definitely going to respect going against those guys. They have scholarship guys, just like us, and they practice every day, just like us, so we definitely have to look at their film and see what they’re doing.”
Miami’s stout defense is led by Quarterman and fellow senior linebacker Michael Pinckney. The Canes ranked No. 4 in FBS in total defense in 2018, surrendering just 278.9 yards per game. Junior defensive end Jonathan Garvin racked up 17.0 tackles for loss as a sophomore in 2018, the fourth-most in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Thirteen different Hurricanes wore the “Turnover Chain” in 2018, none more than defensive back Trajan Bandy, who wore it five times (two fumble recoveries, three interceptions).
“I’m excited,” Bandy said of playing against Florida. “I’m just ready to go out there and win. That’s my goal, to go out there and win, play fast and make plays. That’s what I’m going to do.”
But the Hurricanes are not the only defense worth watching on Saturday night. Florida’s defensive front seven is also a strength, led by Preseason All-SEC selections Jabari Zuniga and David Reese II.
“The Gators have a very great defensive front,” junior offensive lineman Navaughn Donaldson said. “They have great guys that are very talented and they attack the ball. As an offensive line, we just have to come out with a strong game plan, follow our rules and make things happen.”
Florida will look to test Miami’s young offensive line that has two players making their first career starts in freshman Zion Nelson at left tackle and redshirt freshman John Campbell Jr. at right tackle.
“Zion, at left tackle, in a strange way, reminds me of the linebackers when they were here spring of their freshman year,” Diaz said. “He is a very highly motivated young man. He’s very mature beyond his years. He does not look like a young guy out there. What helps – similar to Pinckney and Shaq, for example – he has above-the-charts athleticism. Even if he makes a mistake, he has the quickness to make up for it at some time. I also remember Pinckney and Quarterman and McCloud, the first month of their freshman year…they’re a lot different today than they were then. But Zion has for sure earned our tackle spot.”
The Miami offensive line will look to protect redshirt freshman Jarren Williams as he makes his first career start at quarterback. The former U.S. Army All-American will get his first true taste of college football on Saturday and the Gators are hoping to take advantage of his inexperience.
“He hasn’t been in that fire,” Florida defensive lineman Adam Shuler said. “He hasn’t been in the heat. He hasn’t seen a bunch of pressure coming at him. If we do our job we can rattle him.”
Williams has his own arsenal of weapons to work with, including a gifted running back tandem at running back in DeeJay Dallas and Cam’Ron Harris and sophomore tight end standouts Brevin Jordan and Will Mallory. But it’s the newest weapon that has the most college football experience.
“I’m excited,” graduate transfer wide receiver K.J. Osborn said. “That’s why you came to a place like Miami. I knew ever since they announced this game that this was probably going to be the biggest game so far I’ve ever played in. So, like I said, I’m excited, I’m prepared. But, it should be fun though.”
Osborn and explosive junior wideout Jeff Thomas will face off against two outstanding cornerbacks in C.J. Henderson and Marco Wilson. The group that earns more success in that play-by-play battle is going to go a long way in helping their team win on Saturday night.
There is no secret that both teams are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Add in the long-time rivalry, two rabid fan bases and a sold-out stadium, and the atmosphere will be electric when the two teams hit the field at Camping World Stadium on Saturday night. But the Hurricanes will be ready to block out all the distractions and focus on football.
“We’ve been in a lot of big games,” Quarterman said. “Notre Dame was the biggest, most packed game to date, but when you’re focused on the game, you understand that the only thing you think about is the next play, the next play. Good or bad, the next play. It becomes easier to do it. I think a lot of people will have to adjust to it when we first get in there because this is unlike any game we’ve played in, in a little while, but I think it’s definitely possible.”
