Canes Heading Home for Road Tilt vs. FIU
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – It might be a road game on the schedule, but the Miami Hurricanes are coming home.
The University of Miami will return for the first time to the site of the legendary Miami Orange Bowl, home of Hurricanes football for 70 years, as the Canes are set to take on crosstown foe FIU inside Marlins Park at 7 p.m. Saturday. For Miami head coach Manny Diaz, who grew up attending games at the Orange Bowl, Saturday’s game will be filled with memories and nostalgia.
“It’ll be a great occasion for our entire football team, certainly for our fan base. I know it will be for me personally,” Diaz said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I can only imagine myself, but everyone else, as they exit off whatever way you get there – the Dolphin Expressway, or [Interstate] 95, or maybe you just take all the back roads through the city. Whatever way ‘Waze’ sends you. They didn’t have Waze back then…probably a lot better now that they have it. But it’ll be fun to turn off the Dolphin and head towards that area, pull in and playing a football game. We expect a great atmosphere and we’re very excited to be a part of this game Saturday night.”
The Orange Bowl became synonymous with Miami Hurricanes football over the seven decades housing the Canes. Miami won over 318 of the 468 games it played in the heart of Little Havana, including an NCAA record 58 consecutive victories from 1985 to 1994, proving that the Canes held a home field advantage that few could match.
“I can almost count on one hand how many times I’ve lost in that stadium,” cornerbacks coach and former UM standout Mike Rumph said. “Throughout my career we’ve always won at home. I think that’s what makes it important is just understanding that when we go into that stadium the mindset is to win, to dominate really, to be way better than our opponent because of what the fans brought. That meant so much to us and I think our players understand that. That’s the Miami way. When we’re at home we win games and I think being in Marlins Park it’s going to be the same situation where we really want to win and dominate.”
The Orange Bowl was famous for is loud and proud environment and the Hurricanes expect a similar atmosphere when they take the field on Saturday night.
“In that environment and in that building, having been there for the baseball all-star game and the World Baseball Classic they had a couple years ago where it was full and juicy, it’s a pretty raucous environment,” Diaz said. “I don’t know who they’ll be cheering for, but whoever is cheering, it’s going to sound loud just because of the dynamics. Even with the roof being open, it’s kind of like Hard Rock with the overhangs. I think it’s going to be fun. I think it’s going to be a great environment to play in.”
Miami won three of its five national titles inside the historic Orange Bowl, including the first one in 1983. The Orange Bowl was also home to dozens of All-Americans, a pair of Heisman Trophy winners and countless UM legends. Most importantly, it was the place that everyone learned to love the Canes, carving a distinct niche in the hearts of every member of the orange and green faithful.
“It was so distinctly Miami,” Diaz said. “Everything about it was Miami. People from different walks of life converged on that one area. You were going to park in someone’s front yard and pray you didn’t get blocked in or pray you weren’t the person blocking people in, because there was an inherent danger that came with that as well.
“Again, this is where nostalgia comes in. … We forget a lot of things. There was nothing comfortable about the place, other than when you were in your seat – which was not comfortable, either. Getting to your seat was not comfortable. Getting a concession was not comfortable. Going to the bathroom was an experience. Going up and down the old ramps was an experience. Everything about it was uncomfortable – except watching the team play when you were in your seat.”
This Saturday, Miami will play inside the state-of-the-art Marlins Park. Gone will be the orange bench seats and swaying upper deck, replaced by blue chairbacks and sturdy new construction. But the site remains sacred to everyone associated with the Miami Hurricanes, including today’s current players.
“I definitely think it’s going to be a special moment, not just for us, but for all the players from the past,” cornerback Al Blades Jr. said. “That’s obviously where the OB was. It’s going to be a big moment, so we have to go in there and protect it like it’s our home because it is our home. It was always our home, so we have to go out there and play like it.”
The current crop of Hurricanes can only imagine what it was like to play at the Orange Bowl. Quarterback Jarren Williams called the site “sacred ground” and is honored to play on the same land that so legends have before him.
“I always watched football growing up with my family, so I’ve known about the Orange Bowl,” Williams said. “Some big-time players stepped on that field. It means a lot.”
“We’re all very excited,” linebacker Shaq Quarterman said. “I’ve never had the chance to play there and a lot of us haven’t. This is definitely something that we are looking forward to. It’s so rich with history. It’s famous to us. I came here because, before Hard Rock, that’s where I wanted to play. Getting the opportunity will definitely be special for the whole team.”
It will be a unique experience for most Miami players, as Marlins Park was designed as a baseball stadium. It hosted the Miami Beach Bowl from 2014-16, but the Canes have never experienced a football game inside the baseball field.
“It will be the first time I’ve played in a baseball stadium,” offensive lineman Jakai Clark said. “It should be interesting. I don’t really know how the field is going to be set up. I haven’t seen everything, so I think it will be a big surprise.”
“It’s different playing in a baseball stadium,” defensive end Trevon Hill said. “But it is what it is, it’s football at the end of the day. I’m just ready to ball and play football. At the end of the day, it’s still football. You’ve got to ball and put your pants on. It doesn’t matter where you are.”
Regardless of the field set-up, Miami knows it is important to get a victory Saturday. Not just because they are facing their crosstown rival, but because they feel a sense of pride and duty to protect the land where the Hurricane way was born.
“It’s going to be pretty cool,” defensive end Greg Rousseau said. “It’s a rivalry because FIU is right there. It’s where the Orange Bowl was, so this is our first time going back since it’s been gone. It’s real important to us, for sure.”
Miami carries a perfect 3-0 all-time series record against the Panthers into Saturday’s game, including a 31-17 win last year at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes have also won each of their last three games dating back to Oct. 26. Diaz and his coaching staff have been diligently preparing the 2019 Canes to play their best on the site where the Miami football established itself as a powerhouse.
“It’s important that we have a passion to play,” Diaz said. “It’s more important that we have a passion to prepare and to remember the little things that have gotten us on the little mini run that we’re on right now. It’s about rediscovering those things now in a game week, so we can be the best version of ourselves Saturday evening in Little Havana, which is pretty exciting to see the Canes go back to the heart of Miami.”
