No. 5 Miami Set to Host Bethune-Cookman
CORAL GABLES, Fl. – In so many ways, it was as memorable a season opener as the Hurricanes could have wanted.
They earned a hard-fought, top-10 win over a longtime rival. They played before a raucous crowd that celebrated every big play. Their veteran defensive leaders stepped up when needed most, while some of the newest faces on the roster delivered highlight-reel worthy moments. And when it was all over, Miami beat Notre Dame, a team which played for the national championship last year.
It was the kind of victory that helped the Hurricanes rise in the polls and generate countless positive headlines.
But not long after celebrating Sunday night, the Hurricanes began turning the page.
They know full well if they want to have the kind of season they want to have – the kind of season they believe they can have – there can’t be much time dwelling on what happened in any given game, no matter how well that game went.
A new opponent awaits now as the fifth-ranked Hurricanes (1-0) continue their four-game September homestand: Bethune-Cookman (0-1) and the focus quickly shifted.
“Hats off to the players and staff for a great game plan, executing it and playing with tremendous effort and physicality, which is the story of a game like that. And then finding a way to close out a game. So, extremely proud,” Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal said the day after Miami’s victory over Notre Dame. “And at the same time, [we’re] extremely excited to get to work on the things we’ve got to fixed to get better. Because, again, the whole goal is to keep getting better and better every single game as the year goes on. All graded offense, defense, special teams, and on to the next opponent.”
Added quarterback Carson Beck, “I think this team is very internally driven. All offseason, we worked so hard for the whole entire season, not just Notre Dame the first game. We’re very internally driven. We’re very hungry. There’s a lot of people with a lot of things to prove on this team, and humility is always a week away. I think that’s what I’m really trying to stress to a lot of these guys, [that] each and every week matters. Each and every week presents its own challenges with a new opponent.”
For Beck, last week’s win against Notre Dame was a sort of milestone, and a performance to build on as the season continues.
The quarterback – a transfer from Georgia – was injured in last year’s SEC Championship Game and hadn’t played competitive football since last December. He didn’t participate in spring drills after arriving at Miami, and though he was cleared to throw during the summer and participated in preseason camp, Sunday marked his first action back since getting hurt.
He finished the day completing 20 of 31 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns and was visibly emotional during some of his postgame interviews.
“I mean, it’s everything,” Beck said after Sunday’s win, of being back on the field after getting hurt. “But to be honest, for me, my focus was just on coming in here and competing my butt off and playing as hard as I can and preparing in every single way that I could, and then ultimately, just trying to execute.”
Beck wasn’t the only Miami newcomer to have an impact against the Irish.
Receiver CJ Daniels made a spectacular, one-handed catch that not only wowed everyone at Hard Rock Stadium, but also gave the Hurricanes a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. Running back CharMar “Marty” Brown scored on a 5-yard touchdown run that pushed that lead to 21-7 in the third. And kicker Carter Davis connected on a clutch 47-yard field goal with 1:04 left that, ultimately, proved the difference in the game.
Miami’s defense, meanwhile, contained All-American running back Jeremiyah Love and held him to 33 rushing yards, while making quarterback CJ Carr uncomfortable throughout the night.
On the game’s final drive, two Miami veterans – defensive linemen Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr. – combined to bring Carr down twice, ending the game and preserving Miami’s win.
All of those things were positives, but the Hurricanes feel they can be a better team moving forward and Saturday’s matchup against Bethune-Cookman, they hope, will be another chance for them to grow.
“I feel like we stepped up to the occasion, for sure, but we left a lot on the table, one hundred percent,” said defensive lineman David Blay Jr. “I don’t have any plays that I can really pinpoint, but there were a lot of plays out there that we could have done better. … We left a lot on the table.”
Added Mesidor, “Week one is over. Rip that page out of the book and now we start fresh for week two and you just try to correct everything from week one going into week two. Nobody’s perfect, right? Everybody makes mistakes. So, you just try to minimize mistakes and play the best football you can in week two.”
In Bethune-Cookman, the Hurricanes will face a team coming off a loss to another South Florida program, FIU. The Wildcats dropped their season opener against the Golden Panthers, 42-9, with their scoring limited to just a trio of field goals from kicker Juan Dominguez.
But their roster features 16 players who hail from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and for them, playing in South Florida will be a source of pride.
That, Cristobal noted, could make them especially motivated to play well.
“They do have a lot of good players, because we scout everybody. A lot of players from Florida on that team that we know and recognize,” Cristbal said. “And whenever teams have a lot of returning starters up front, automatically dangerous. They can block you; they can do some things to hurt you. I know their head coach [Raymond Woodie, Jr.]. He’s a hell of a football coach and a really good motivator. And this is a big game for both them, and for us.
“[The] last game has no value if you don’t take care of this next game and that goes on for every game as the season goes on. So, it’s our job to get right through in whatever way is necessary. … And the best part about that, honestly, I believe is that our players respect that. Our players respect that it takes what it takes.”
