CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Mark Fletcher Jr. grew up a Hurricanes fan.

As a kid, he watched more than his fair share of Miami-Florida State games. He laughed this week, recalling how his father, Mark Sr., tried to sneak his way into those games.

Come Saturday night, Fletcher will take the field at Hard Rock Stadium to face the Seminoles himself, for the last time in what’s been an already memorable Miami career.

The senior running back expects it will be another matchup to remember, and he can’t wait to help write another chapter in the storied rivalry’s historic legacy.

“The alumni and just the history of this game, hearing about it, especially being a Hurricanes fan all your life, growing up watching these games, hearing my dad tell stories about it, how he snuck into these games when he was in college and stuff, I just feel like it’s the history,” Fletcher said. “It’s local teams that always had that back and forth. The fact that I even get to play in it now is just a blessing. It’s a great feeling for me.”

It’s a sentiment his head coach understands well.

Like Fletcher, Mario Cristobal grew up in Miami. He, too, watched plenty of Miami-Florida State games. And eventually, he also played in the game himself, as an offensive lineman for the Hurricanes.

For him, the annual meeting between Miami and Florida State is one that showcases everything that’s special about college football, no matter what record either team may bring to the field any given year.

“To me, it’s the greatest rivalry in sports,” Cristobal said. “I’m always going to be biased, but I remember watching it growing up, being a part of it; the intensity, the passion of the fan bases, the state of Florida, and really, outside the state of Florida as well. They’ve got really good players. We’ve got really good players, and it’s just always been a level of intensity that I believe is unmatched.”

As the third-ranked Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0 ACC) prepare to host the Seminoles for this year’s game, the two might seem like programs heading in opposite directions.

Miami is unbeaten and stands atop the ACC standings. Florida State is coming off a lopsided 44-20 loss to Louisville and already has a pair of conference losses.

But the Seminoles (3-3, 1-2) have shown their playmaking ability at times this season, and the Hurricanes know full well that 17 of the series’ last 25 games have been decided by eight points or less, including Miami’s 28-22 win over Florida State in Tallahassee last year.

Rankings and records mean little when rivalries and pride are on the line.

“They definitely have a lot of explosive guys, a lot of very talented guys,” Hurricanes linebacker Chase Smith said of the Seminoles. “They’re very focused and very determined and we’re just going to go about our process, trying to be 1-0. We’ve got to prepare very well.”

Among those talented players on Florida State’s roster is quarterback Ashton Daniels, who ranks third nationally with 10 rushing touchdowns.

The signal caller has completed 59 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,320 yards and eight touchdowns, while rushing for another 323 yards.

Miami’s defenders expect he – and running back Ousmane Kromah, who has totaled 565 rushing yards and five touchdowns – will pose a challenge Saturday.

“That’s probably one of the best backs in the country, so just us having a bye week, we’ve got to be coming in ready to tackle and be physical. Everybody’s to the ball,” said defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald. “They have a great quarterback, big size, likes to run. They make throws. … This is a complete offense. We’re going to have to come in firing. They’re a great first-quarter team, so we’re just going to have to come in and match their energy.”

So far this season, Miami’s defense has more than held its own against mobile quarterbacks.

The Hurricanes are allowing an average of just 249.6 yards per game, which ranks fifth nationally among FBS programs, and 42.6 rushing yards per game, which leads the nation.

Miami has also proven itself to be one of the nation’s top offenses with quarterback Darian Mensah, wide receiver Malachi Toney and Fletcher leading the way.

That trio has helped the Hurricanes average 554.8 yards per game, second nationally only behind Texas State and Mensah leads the nation with his 84.2 completion percentage.

Through Miami’s first five games, Mensah has thrown for 1,438 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Toney has caught 39 passes for 604 yards and six touchdowns and Fletcher has 307 rushing yards with five touchdowns.

Maintaining that productivity on Saturday against the Seminoles will be key.

“We cannot come out there and have a lull,” Mensah said. “We can’t wait until it’s the second quarter this weekend until we start playing. So, our intensity has been kicked up this week at practice, and I think that’s how you bring that to game days.”

Said Fletcher, “That’s what we train for, train for a dog fight. They’re going to come in, they’re going to be ready. They’re a great, great team. So, we’ve just got to stay on point, continue to work and do our job.”

For the Hurricanes, Saturday’s game is another opportunity to take the field at home, another opportunity to line up against a rival they know well. And most importantly, it’s another opportunity to continue moving one step closer to becoming the team they believe they can be.

None of that is anything they take for granted.

“This is probably the biggest game to be able to kind of hone in all the details and focus on exactly what we have to do to win,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of … hype around it, history around it and you’re playing for a lot of voices. And that’s the thing – we’ve just got to go out there and represent and it’s just about staying focused and tuning out all the extra noise.”