Canes Set to Host NC State in Home Finale
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – His four-year journey at Miami has had it all.
There have been big wins and tough losses. He’s seen coordinators and assistant coaches come and go. He’s watched players transfer in and out of the program. And he’s endured his share of injuries and challenges.
But as Akheem Mesidor prepares to play his final home game at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday when 15th-ranked Miami hosts NC State in its regular-season home finale, the veteran defensive lineman can’t help but feel a sense of pride.
“Coming here, I always trusted that [head coach Mario] Cristobal would build the team that we have right now,” said Mesidor, who has a team-high five sacks for the Hurricanes this season, along with 34 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss. “Were there doubts our first two years? Yeah. But I love it here. I love the University of Miami, and I’ve always been proud to be a Hurricane.”
When Mesidor and his teammates take the field against the Wolfpack (5-4, 2-3 ACC) they’ll not only have the opportunity to give their senior leaders one last memorable home game, but the chance to continue moving the Hurricanes (7-2, 3-2) forward.
After last week’s 38-10 win over Syracuse, Miami moved up three spots in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, and the Hurricanes are now the ACC’s highest-ranked team ahead of Georgia Tech (No. 16), Virginia (No. 19), Louisville (No. 20) and Pittsburgh (No. 22).
That said, the Hurricanes know that ranking won’t matter if they don’t keep winning and the next challenge ahead of them is an NC State team that has a top 30 offense and has already notched one upset this month, beating then eighth-ranked Georgia Tech, 48-36, on Nov. 1.
The Wolfpack had an off week after that win and have had time to rest, recover and scheme for the Hurricanes, and Miami’s coaches and players know they’ll face a test on Saturday.
“Last Monday, when [the team] came in, their approach, their urgency, and what they carried out to the practice field, it was very evident that they understand that we are on the verge of playing some really, really good football and it’s all on us and about us and we have some great opportunities coming up and from there, everything else does take care of itself,” Cristobal said. “Now they understand they have a great team coming in here, maybe the hottest offensive team and maybe one of the most physical defenses that we have faced, and they know them and they remember … a lot of the guys that were here two years ago. We went up there and we couldn’t even score a touchdown against that defense. So, they’re very much where their feet are mentally, if that makes sense.”
While the season likely hasn’t gone as the Wolfpack had hoped, NC State put together a performance to remember when it matched up against the Yellow Jackets.
Despite being without their leading rusher Hollywood Smothers and their leading receiver Justin Joly, the Wolfpack totaled 583 yards of offense with quarterback CJ Bailey – a Miami native – completing 24 of 32 passes and throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
He also rushed for another score.
The NC State defense, meanwhile, did enough to keep the Yellow Jackets at bay. The Wolfpack took a 38-30 lead into the fourth quarter, added to it with a field goal and a touchdown and limited Georgia Tech to just one score – a 16-yard touchdown pass from Haynes King to Zion Taylor with 2:22 left that wasn’t nearly enough to avoid the upset.
“You look at them the past couple of weeks and their team as a whole seems to be rolling. They’re really hot,” said Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck. “They’ve knocked off some pretty good teams and their defense flies around the ball. They’ve got a lot of guys up front in that front seven that fly around. They swarm the ball. They’re going to mix up different coverages. … Obviously, we won’t know until we get to game time exactly what they’re going to try to do for us, but I think we have a good plan going into the week and just like it is every single week, it’ll be more about us than the opposing side of the ball.”
The Hurricanes, too, are coming off a confidence-building performance entering Saturday’s game.
Against Syracuse, Miami played impressive complementary football, the offense generating points with some trickery and explosive plays and the defense forcing multiple turnovers.
It resulted in a crucial conference win and means Miami’s goals are still within reach.
But for those goals to stay within reach, the Hurricanes have to keep winning and Saturday’s matchup against NC State is one more opportunity to do that – all while honoring their seniors.
“Our mindset is going out there, just be loose and have fun. There’s only three guaranteed opportunities [left]. I’ve been saying this since the very first game,” Beck said. “You don’t know when that last time that you get to run out on that field is. So, just taking in every moment in as it comes and going out there and just, again, having fun as a team and trying to execute to the best of our ability.”
Added Cristobal, “They deserve to go out and play their best football and find a way to be 1-0. That’s all that matters. In November, all that matters, all focus is on doing the things that give you the best chance to win and we’re certainly pouring every ounce that we possibly can into them.”
