Ground Game Delivers Big Plays at Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With time winding down in the fourth quarter and Miami trying to secure another big conference win on the road, Damien Martinez put the Hurricanes on his back.

He took more than a few Cardinals with him in the process, too.

A little more than four minutes were left in Miami’s ACC Saturday afternoon showdown against Louisville when Martinez – a 6-foot-2, 232-pound back known for his powerful running style – barreled downfield for a 30-yard touchdown.

Martinez got into the end zone while carrying Louisville defenders, the sixth-ranked Hurricanes went up 14 and not much later, Miami left L&N Stadium with a 52-45 win over Louisville and its record still unblemished.

Martinez finished the day with 12 carries for a game-high 89 yards, fellow running back Mark Fletcher Jr. added 13 carries for 73 yards and Ajay Allen, who got some key reps in the fourth quarter, had five carries for 31 yards.

Each averaged at least 5.6 yards per carry and all in all, the Hurricanes – who at times this season have struggled to get their ground game going – rushed for a total of 219 yards.

And in this back-and-forth game that came down to the final minutes, every one of those yards mattered in a big, big way.

“You know, going into the week, we have our game plan, and we just want to execute every time we can,” Martinez said. “Going against [our] defense, it’s not nothing. … We feel like we go against the best every day, so when we come out here, nothing surprises us or anything like that. So, we just continued to play.”

Said Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, “We can get chunk plays, but what’s starting to come around is our running game. That’s probably the biggest difference. Credit to [running backs coach Matt] Merritt. He felt Ajay had a great week of practice and he really did. … Those couple first downs runs at the end were key. And then Damien got going and started carrying everybody into the end zone. Mark had a good game. Mark had a good day. … Those guys have to play. They’re good players. … I think we rushed for 219 [yards], a lot of progress in the right direction and we look forward to improving on that.”

That focus on continuing to improve, and to push each other against Miami’s defense in practice, has made a difference for the running backs, Fletcher said.

Even after games in which the Hurricanes weren’t as productive on the ground as they wanted to be, the running backs stayed positive, confident that if they kept pushing, they’d find a way to break through, especially given the powerful offensive line in front of them.

“We all want Miami to win. I love this group because nobody is selfish. There’s not a selfish bone in us and whoever’s in, we’re going to support him to the fullest because we all want to win. That’s how it goes,” Fletcher said. “We started off the season not always doing the best we wanted, and God forbid, there could still be games like that. But we’ll always go back to work and keep working hard at it and the results will show. … We just stayed dedicated, and going to the drawing board, just running the ball. Things happen, things get crazy, but we know we’ll come through it.”

Added Martinez, “I mean, the running back room has kind of said all season long we feed off each other’s energy. … When one person makes a play, we all want to make a play.”

After Saturday’s effort, Miami’s backs stressed they want to continue to build on the success they had against Louisville, especially with conference games against rival Florida State, Duke, and Georgia Tech looming before their next off week.

“We felt something special brewing even in the winter, honestly. We know this team was going to be different,” Fletcher said. “It’s a week-by-week thing. We’re trying to be 1-0 every single week and after this, we’ll look at the film tomorrow and get back to work.”

Rivers Returns

The Hurricanes got a boost Saturday when one of their most experienced offensive linemen returned to the lineup after missing several games with an injury.

Jalen Rivers, a fifth-year senior, hadn’t played since the season opener against Florida, but was a regular presence on Miami’s sideline, providing guidance to Miami’s offense linemen during his time off the field.

Being back on the field, though, was meaningful.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for six weeks. But I’m glad to be back, be back with the team,” Rivers said. “Obviously, I was a coach during this time I was off. I was glad to be back on the field with them. It felt great.”

Another big Borregales kick

The last time Miami played at Louisville, former Hurricanes kicker Jose Borregales – who went on to win the program’s first Lou Groza Award – tied a Hurricanes record when he connected on a 57-yard field goal in a 2020 win over the Cardinals.

On Saturday, his younger brother made a big kick of his own in the same stadium.

Senior Andy Borregales booted a 55-yarder on Miami’s first possession, staking the Hurricanes to a quick 3-0 lead.

That field goal tied Borregales with Jon Peattie (64) for third on Miami’s all-time field goal list.

It was also the second-longest kick of his career.