Canes Set to Close Out 2024 Season at Pop-Tarts Bowl
ORLANDO, Fla. – Their journey started in January, with off-season conditioning workouts that prepared them for spring practice, which set the stage for summer conditioning.
Then came preseason camp and a 12-game regular season that brought with it record-breaking individual performances, multiple thrilling comebacks and wins over four in-state foes, including two of their biggest rivals, Florida and Florida State.
Now, a little more than 200 miles from their home in Coral Gables, the 15th-ranked Hurricanes are looking to wrap up an already-memorable season the way they started it: with a win.
Miami, which has already secured its first 10-win season since 2017, is set to face 18th-ranked Iowa State on Saturday in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando.
And while much has been made about the game’s sugary, edible mascot and its toaster-topped trophy – both of which the Hurricanes would enjoy celebrating with late Saturday afternoon – for head coach Mario Cristobal and his players, the game is an opportunity to, together, close the book on a season that has meant so much to so many of them.
“The most important thing, I think, is to really emphasize how appreciative we are for the effort, the commitment of players that have been through a lot,” said Cristobal, a two-time national championship offensive lineman at Miami who returned to his alma mater in 2021 and is now bidding for his first bowl victory as Hurricanes’ coach. “You know, a couple coaching changes, certainly some ups and downs, injuries. Guys that stuck together and put together a really strong team that has accomplished so much and has set a standard and elevated our program to where now, you know what? Miami is a real thing again. There’s national prominence associated with Miami.
“Now, they get to take part in a game against a nationally prominent program like Iowa State. Those things, you can’t put a price tag on that. Those are monumental steps and accomplishments for those guys. So, I am forever grateful. Some of those guys will be missed sorely.”
For Miami offensive lineman Jalen Rivers, one of the seniors who endured all the challenges Cristobal referenced, Saturday’s game against the Cyclones (10-3, 7-2 Big 12) is one more chance to line up with the teammates who have become family.
That, he said, made it imperative he play Saturday – especially if he can help give the Hurricanes (10-2, 6-2 ACC) their first bowl win since 2016.
“I feel like we have a really good culture at Miami … and I think a lot of us realized we want to be here with our brothers because this is really the last time we’re going to experience all of us together in this building, in this hotel, in this game with each other,” Rivers said. “We want to finish with our brothers and the biggest thing is we want to finish strong. We know we didn’t end the year off like we wanted to [in the College Football Playoff], but this is a great opportunity and that’s what a lot of us are talking about, to finish strong and get this win. … We have another opportunity to go 1-0.”
To get that win, the Hurricanes know they’ll have to contend with an Iowa State team that has made its share of history, too.
The Cyclones enter Saturday’s game having put together the first 10-win season in their 133-year history and are looking for their third bowl win under head coach Matt Campbell.
Quarterback Rocco Becht has thrown a touchdown pass in 17 straight games for Iowa State and the signal caller is just the fifth quarterback in school history to pass for 6,000 career yards.
Receivers Jaylin Noel – who was named the Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Year – and Jayden Higgins have each put together 1,000-yard seasons, and the ISU defense has held opponents to an average of 21.5 points per game.
Meanwhile, Miami will counter with quarterback Cam Ward, who earlier this month was a Heisman Trophy finalist and was named the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award winner.
Ward, the ACC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American, enters Saturday’s game having posted the best single season by a quarterback in Miami history, setting new program records for both yards (4,123) and touchdowns (36).
He has been, all season, one of Miami’s unquestioned leaders, on and off the field.
“I think Cam’s DNA, his upbringing, everything that he is made of and stands for is the right kind of stuff, the stuff you wany your team made of,” Cristobal said. “He’s had a tremendous impact on our community, our team, our program [and] alumni. He understands the importance of finishing, and he understands the caliber of opponent that we are playing and the importance of playing at a really high level to give ourselves the best opportunity in this game.”
Photo by Lara Silva
And while Ward, Rivers and the rest of the Hurricanes want to finish the season strong, they know a win over Iowa State will do more than give Miami its first 11-win season since 2003.
It will help set the tone for the team that comes next and will continue the progress that’s been ongoing since its head coach returned to Coral Gables.
“We want to leave out on a good note so next year, you can start on a high note,” Rivers said. “It’s very important for us as seniors to do that. … It’s important for us to set the precedent of winning bowl games. I haven’t won a bowl game. … It’s important for us to start that and that should be the standard from now on.”
