After Miami’s resurgent, renaissance run extended all the way to the College Football Playoff title game last season, the Hurricanes have an eye on finishing with a different result this season. They will begin their quest tonight at Stanford.
The Hurricanes, who enter the season ranked No. 7 in the preseason AP Top 25 rankings, had to travel across the country to meet the Cardinal in a non-traditional opener on a weeknight. But Miami, in search of its sixth national title, has plenty to prove to the fans, regardless. So, coach Mario Cristobal is expecting a midseason effort against a league foe.
Cristobal is also glad the season is here so that he no longer has to address offseason expectations for the Hurricanes. As he noted in his Monday press conference, the last preseason ranking means nothing to his Hurricanes. Whether they deserve that position or not, all the coach is focused on is Stanford.
MIAMI’S TIME TO EARN ITS HEADLINES
Cristobal emphasized that Miami must earn its place among the nation’s top programs rather than rely on its preseason standing, or even last year’s result.
“Every team is authentic in its own way, and every team has to go out and earn its position on the college football landscape,” Cristobal said. “This team will be judged at the end of the year.”
For now, though, it’s time to finally see the new-look Hurricanes and how they fit into Cristobal’s system. That starts with Darian Mensah, a transfer quarterback from Duke, who takes over as starter after Carson Beck departed for the NFL. Beck is now a backup quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, leaving center stage to a 6-foot-3 junior who led the Blue Devils to an ACC title last year.
STANFORD’S SEASON IS ALREADY UNDERWAY
The Cardinal got a leg up on tonight’s game last Saturday, when Stanford opened the season with a 37-27 victory over Hawaii. The Cardinal amassed 483 total yards in that victory, overcoming a late Hawaii rally in the fourth quarter.
Cristobal praised Stanford’s performance and the way the team handled adversity in such an early-season game.
“What you saw was a team playing with a lot of energy, physicality, resilience, and certainly closing out the game in impressive fashion,” Cristobal said.
Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman also pointed to Stanford’s experience, particularly along its offensive line.
“It’s a veteran group, especially up front,” he said. “They’re a disciplined team, and they’re very well coached.”
That experience alone could provide an early test for a Miami team that is favored by more than three touchdowns.
HURRICANES LOOK TO ESTABLISH PHYSICALITY
Offensively, Miami will look to establish its physical identity against Stanford and wear down what appears to be an inferior opponent. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson is aware of that, and will have a game plan ready that addresses that.”
“We have to be a physical offense to be successful in this game,” Dawson said.
Having skill all over the field will help. After all, when Mensah drops back to pass, he will – for the first time – be able to throw to wide receiver Malachi Toney, widely regarded as one of the top players at his position, even though he is just a sophomore. Toney had 109 catches for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
MIAMI PREPARED TO ROTATE DEFENSIVE PERSONNEL
With such a long flight – and this being the first game after a hot summer in South Florida – expect Miami to utilize its roster depth on defense against the Cardinal.
Hetherman said the Hurricanes have consistently used a large number of players on defense, in the Cristobal era, and intend to continue doing so all season. Stanford will be the first test of that plan.
“For us, we’re going to play a lot of players. We always have,” Hetherman said. “There were games where we played 24, 25, 26 guys in a game. We believe in playing a lot of players.”
WHO’S UP NEXT
Following a flight home to South Florida over the holiday weekend, Miami will get to work on its home opener. On Sept. 10, the Hurricanes will play host to Florida A&M at Hard Rock Stadium, their first game in that facility since losing the national title game to Indiana.
