Hurricanes move up to No. 6 after flexing ‘resiliency and toughness’ at Cal

The Miami Hurricanes remain undefeated after an impressive comeback win over the California Golden Bears on Saturday night, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter. Switching gears and uniting as a team changed the tone of the game for Miami, ensuring a continuation of their winning streak with a 39-38 victory.

An impressive 6-0 record, and a No. 6 ranking in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, will carry the Hurricanes into their next challenge away from home, the 3-2 Louisville Cardinals. In their second game outside Florida this season, the Hurricanes will look to fix mistakes made in the first half against the Golden Bears, ensuring they get the lead early and keep it against the Cardinals.

A testament to dedication and resilience, Saturday’s game pushed the Canes into second place in the ACC, a half-game behind the Clemson Tigers. And coach Mario Cristobal spoke on the will of the team and how they would not accept a loss on the West Coast.

“It’s the best example of resiliency and toughness, just a no-quit mentality that I’ve been fortunate to be a part of,” he said. “All you saw were guys saying, ‘We’re going to do this because we can’ and they did.”

Miami quarterback Cam Ward rallied the No. 6 Hurricanes past the California Golden Bears, 39-38, on Saturday night, helping his club erase a 25-point deficit in the second half to remain undefeated. (Photo courtesy of Associated Press)

WARD IGNITES CANES’ LATE COMEBACK

Miami star quarterback Cam Ward, who threw for 437 yards vs. Cal, continues to impress fans and teammates with his ability to pull out wins. He credits this skill to the connection he holds with his receivers and other teammates.

“When you have a connection like I have with the receivers, it’s going to work out,” he said. “Everything is about timing and ball placement so we can keep getting better at that.”

But Ward acknowledged that this was the Canes’ second time relying on a comeback to win a game, having done so against Virginia Tech last month.

“We’ve got a lot to clean up. I didn’t play my best ball, nobody played their best ball,” he said after the win. “We can’t keep putting ourselves in these situations to have to come back. That’s two games straight we’ve had to do that.”

Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who was upset that this hit flagged with a targeting call, played well against his hometown team on Saturday night, throwing for 285 yards and two touchdowns in the Golden Bears’ 39-38 loss to No. 6 Miami. (Photo courtesy of Associated Press)

MENDOZA FALLS SHORT VS. HOMETOWN TEAM

While the Hurricanes celebrated their win in Berkeley, Fernando Mendoza, star quarterback for the Golden Bears, faced the loss a little differently than the rest of his teammates. A Miami native, Mendoza spent his childhood looking forward to being a Hurricane one day.

Before the game, he made clear this one was personal. After the loss, in Cal’s postgame press conference, he took time with  linebacker Cade Uluave to dissect what went wrong after the third quarter and what the rest of the season could look like for them.

“We are 3-2 right now, which is a lot better than people though we were going to be in the beginning of the season,” he said. “However, this is a great fork in the road, every team ahead of us is beatable and we believe that Miami was the best team we’ve faced all year. It sucks, it’s in the past, and it really, really hurts, but it’s all about a response.”

Mendoza and Cal will take on the Pitt Panthers this weekend, while Miami rests. Canes fans are left wondering whether the team can patch its weak spots and secure a lead earlier. With this being the biggest concern for the team, it seems as though the season can only go up from here.

Aaliyah Whitney is a junior majoring in Broadcast Journalism on a pre-law track. After her studies, she will pursue a career as the official broadcaster for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.