
Canes Gear Up for First Road Test
CORAL GABLES, Fla. â In their first two games, theyâve enjoyed the luxury of playing at home.
Theyâve been cheered by family, friends, classmates and fans at Hard Rock Stadium. Theyâve been in familiar surroundings. Thereâs been no need to pack or adjust to a time difference.
All of that changes this week.
For the first time this season, the 13th-ranked Hurricanes will be tested on the road and that test will come in one of the most raucous environments in all of college football: Kyle Field on the campus of Texas A&M University.
The home of the Aggies seats more than 102,000 fans and is one of the five largest college football venues in the nation. And Texas A&M fans â widely referred to as the 12th Man â are known for filling every available seat in that stadium, week in and week out.
It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, Aggies fans are loud. Theyâre disruptive. And this week, theyâll be an element the Hurricanes will have to contend with, along with their opponent on the actual field.
âIf youâve never seen it before, never practiced in noise before and if you let it get in your head, it will affect you tremendously,â Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal said. âIf you practice in it, if you really stress the importance of how you signal, how you communicate without having to verbally correctâŠ
âWe understand they create an unbelievable atmosphere, which is exciting for our guys, quite honestly. Itâs excitingâŠWhen youâre growing up and you play college football, you want to play in games like this. You recognize their tradition. You respect it, them, and their program and you canât wait for the opportunity to go find out where we are as a program.â
That mentality â and the chance to play in front of a nationally televised audience as well as 100,000-plus fans â is one the Hurricanes (2-0) say theyâre embracing.
During practices leading up to Saturday nightâs game, which is set for a 9 p.m. kickoff on ESPN, the Hurricanes have turned the volume up on outdoor speakers to try and simulate the crowd noise theyâll face at Kyle Field.
Is it the same? More than likely not, but the Hurricanes say itâs still been plenty helpful.
âTrust me, thereâs times I canât talk to the other players on the field because the speakers are so loud,â Miami offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said. âBut weâve got to handle that. Weâve got to handle that. Weâve got to do a great job with our verbal and visual communication, whether thatâs signals, communication on the field, everything. Everyoneâs got to take an enhanced effort at preparation this week.â
Added cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, âWeâre going to go into a hostile crowd, one of the loudest stadiums in college football. Weâre going into a big game. Just donât let the game be bigger than what it is. Weâre practicing, just like them. Weâre working, just like them. We prepare for moments like this.â
As formidable an environment as Kyle Field may be, the Hurricanes â and the rest of college football â saw last week that itâs not necessarily impenetrable.
Appalachian State, a foe the Hurricanes bested last September, stunned Texas A&M and left Kyle Field with a hard-fought 17-14 win that nearly knocked the Aggies out of the AP Top 25.
The Mountaineers outrushed the Aggies 181-89, outgained them in total yards 315-186 and held the ball for more than 41 minutes, limiting 24th-ranked Texas A&M (1-1) to just three possessions in the second half.
That, the Hurricanes know, made a difference, particularly against an explosive A&M team loaded with speedy playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Replicating that kind of offensive efficiency could be a key for the Hurricanes if they too are to leave Kyle Field with a win.
âItâs tough to score when you donât have the ball. I could see that,â said Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who has completed 73 percent of his passes through Miamiâs first two games and has thrown for 454 yards and three touchdowns. âEvery throw is important. Every throw needs to be on the money and if itâs not, you have to just forget about it and throw the next ball. We have a good plan.â

Miami Gardens, FL - SEPTEMBER 3: The University of Miami Hurricanes against the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats at Hard Rock Stadium on September 3rd, 2022 in Miami Gardens, FL.
(Photo by Rhona Wise/University of Miami Athletics)
It wonât just be Miamiâs offense that will have to be at its best Saturday.
The defense will have to contain an offense that totaled 497 yards in Texas A&Mâs 31-point season-opening win over Sam Houston State. And it will have to do find a way to contain running back Devon Achane, who last season had a team-high 11 touchdowns and led the SEC with his average of 7.0 yards per carry.
Though Achane was limited to just 66 yards in last weekâs loss to Appalachian State, he still scored on a 26-yard rushing touchdown and showed off his big-play ability on a 95-yard kickoff return that resulted in another Aggies touchdown.
Miami may also have to deal with some uncertainty at quarterback.
Redshirt sophomore Haynes King has made just four starts at A&M after a season-ending injury last year.
He struggled against Appalachian State, which could open the door for Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher â an opponent the Hurricanes know well from his time at rival Florida State â to make a change and give Max Johnson, a seasoned transfer from LSU, the start.
The Hurricanes know they have to be prepared for either possibility.
âCoach Fisher is Coach Fisher. You can go back and watch Florida State tape and you can watch last yearâs tape and youâre going to see the basics [are] the same,â said Miami defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. âThe body of work, who they played, itâs still his offense. Obviously, the challenge is great. Theyâre very talented. Very, very talented. Itâs at home, in College Station. Thatâs a different place to playâŠYou have to factor in and prepare for crowd noise, all those kinds of things.â
Added defensive end Jahfari Harvey, âYou always have to be ready for anything they throw at you. Stop the run, get after them on third-down. Thatâs the plan every week.â
It will be, in every sense of the word, a test Saturday.
But the Hurricanes will head to College Station knowing itâs an opportunity, too â an opportunity to improve, to remain undefeated and as they have in the first two games of the season, an opportunity to learn more about themselves before ACC play begins soon enough.
âAny time you go on the road, youâve always heard that term âbusiness trip.â What does that really mean? The best way to put it, I guess, is that you work on toughness and discipline and resiliency and execution throughout the course of the winter, [the] fourth-quarter program, springtime, the summer, fall camp and everything else,â Cristobal said. âYouâve got to make those things real. Thatâs what you have to pack in your bags before you take a trip to a place an excellent football team like Texas A&MâŠ
âI think every day is a learning experience with our guys. Every single day for us is new. I think weâll learn as much this week as we have the past week and the week before that.â