''They Built This Culture''

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Carson Beck may be a high-level quarterback with pinpoint accuracy and a strong arm, but there was a point early in his career when the veteran signal caller aspired to deliver bone-crushing hits and lead a defense.

It seemed a natural fit given the fact his father, Chris, played linebacker for the U.S. Naval Academy in the early 1990s and that one of the quarterback’s favorite players to watch as a kid was legendary Hurricanes linebacker and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis.

Ultimately, though, Beck found his calling on the offensive side of the ball.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t a bit surprised when he looked over on the Miami sideline late during the Hurricanes’ Cotton Bowl matchup against Ohio State and saw Lewis himself standing there, intently watching Miami’s defense work against the Buckeyes.

“He introduced himself and he’s like, ‘Yo, go win us the ball game,’” and I was like, ‘Well, now I have to,’” Beck recalled with a laugh. “I was like, ‘We literally have to score. I can’t let this dude down.’”

Beck and the Hurricanes didn’t disappoint.

With 5:56 left and Miami clinging to a 17-14 lead over Ohio State, Beck and the offense put together a 10-play, 70-yard drive that ended when running back Marty Brown powered into the end zone on a 5-yard touchdown run that gave the Hurricanes some much-needed breathing room against the defending national champions.

Lewis’ message, like so many delivered by Miami’s alums this season, was heard.

“It’s been awesome to have those types of guys just around the building and on the sideline, bringing so much juice and energy,” said Beck, who has completed 73 percent of his passes and thrown for 3,581 yards and 29 touchdowns this season. “It’s what The U is about. They built this culture and we carry it on to try and continue their legacy.”

Beck’s sideline interaction with Lewis is hardly the only example of Miami’s past and present colliding during the Hurricanes’ run to Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship game against Indiana.

Some of the greatest players to ever wear orange and green have been a regular presence at their alma mater this season, both on campus and beyond.

And that presence has been a boon for the current Hurricanes who have now put Miami in position to play for a sixth national title.

Michael Irvin has given freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney pointers all season long. And when running back Mark Fletcher Jr. had an uncharacteristic fumble against the Buckeyes, it was Edgerrin James who came to his side to provide encouragement.

It’s a moment Fletcher hasn’t forgotten.

“I had that fumble early on in the game and Edgerrin James, he came up to me and he was like, ‘Man, you alright?’ said Fletcher, who has totaled 395 rushing yards in Miami’s playoff wins over Texas A&M, Ohio State and Mississippi. “He was like, ‘Things happen. Hey, it’s all good. Just calm down and then let’s get back into it.’ And then I was able to just calm down and get back into the game and just go play. … Having voices like that around the building, here at practice and at the games is very helpful for us.”

Helpful for the current Hurricanes and extremely personal for Miami’s former players.

Many of them have credited head coach Mario Cristobal – a former two-time national champion offensive lineman at Miami himself – with making them feel welcome on both the sidelines during game days and back on the Greentree Practice Fields, the sacred ground where so many of them developed into the legends they are today.

“When Coach called me and said, ‘Hey, we’re trying to get this program back and we’re going to need you guys there. We’re going to need you on the sideline. We’re going to need these guys to see what it is they’re upholding and what it took to get there,’ … I said, ‘Coach, I’m there,’” Irvin said. “He made the commitment and the sacrifice. He had other opportunities. We all have to follow that lead. That’s what it takes to get here. It’s the sacrifice. It’s the commitment and its way more digestible when you see people doing it and not just asking you to do it. It’s leading by example.”

Added former quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta, “It’s taken somebody to embrace the past and use the past as the success. Don’t be afraid of the success of prior teams. Don’t be afraid of Hall of Famers maybe looking over your shoulder or questioning something. I think maybe we lost some of that. We lost the attitude at the top of embracing that history.”

Today, as the current Hurricanes try to write their own history, there’s no doubt an appreciation for what was accomplished by those who came before them.

Cornerback Keionte Scott shared during Miami’s playoff run how he slept in the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility during preseason camp and often caught himself staring up the banners hanging in the rafters, banners bearing the names of the All-Americans who’ve suited up for the program during its storied past.

“When you see guys on the sideline, it’s just a simple reminder of how much The U meant to them and how hard they go for their school,” Scott said.

Even defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman has noted what it’s meant to the Hurricanes to have former players like Jonathan Vilma in the weight room and Irvin and Lewis on the sidelines.

“A lot of the places you go, you see the pictures on the wall, you see the alums, you see the articles, you see the old clips,” Hetherman said. “Here, they’re always there.”

Now, every expectation is that as the Hurricanes prepare to play in the biggest game of the year, their alums will only continue cheering them on and providing the guidance, support, and encouragement they’ve delivered all throughout Miami’s memorable postseason run.

For them, it’s an extension of their time as Hurricanes and a way to give back to the program that gave them so much.

“We talk about a brotherhood all the time. When we come here, we talk about it all the time,” Irvin said. “Showing up, especially now, is so important because everybody on the sideline, everybody in the stands, everything is full and the players know everybody believes in them. That makes a difference. …

“People ask why guys care so much but think of the genesis of this and where they came to get us from. I wouldn’t have the life I have if it wasn’t for this place, if it wasn’t for the people that were in this place, the Jimmy Johnsons and the way they cared, not just about football, but everything beyond the game. … We wouldn’t be here without it, and you’ve always got to repay that any and every way you can because that’s the lifeline. That’s the genesis.”