The Miami Hurricanes have dominated this season, rolling up a 4-0 record, a No. 7 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25, and numerous headlines all across college football.
What they haven’t done is play an ACC game yet. But that’s about to change when Virginia Tech (2-2) comes to Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night, a game that could set the tone for the Hurricanes’ entire conference schedule.
“It’s been a good start,” said Miami quarterback Cam Ward last week. “But none of it matters until we get to the ACC.”
The Hurricanes have never won an ACC title, and this might be their best chance. If nothing else, they have certainly built up momentum for a championship run.
Starting the season off strong, the Hurricanes handled Florida (41-17) in the opener in Gainesville. Last week, the Hurricanes continued to dominate the state, wiping out South Florida (50-15) in Tampa. In between those two wins, the Hurricanes handled Florida A&M and Ball State at Hard Rock Stadium. In all, Miami has scored 209 points.
However, Ward and his teammates are not resting on their success. In fact, in his weekly press conference, the quarterback was quick to turn the page to the Hokies.
“They’re a good defense. Their [defensive] line is standout,” he said. “It will come down to us executing and putting the ball in play. They’re a very physical team, and with this being the first ACC game, both of us want to win. It’s going to be a good game.”
Miami’s ACC schedule this season is not easy, as it will compete against Louisville, Florida State, Duke, and Georgia Tech, among others, though the Hurricanes figure to be favored in all of those games. The Hurricanes, in fact, are favored by 19 points on Friday against the Hokies, who are 2-2 and lost to Rutgers last week at home.
CRISTOBAL QUICK TO APPLAUD THE INCOMING HOKIES
In his weekly press conference, Miami coach Mario Cristobal had some impressive words about this week’s opponent, regardless of its recent struggles.
Cristobal had high praise for Virginia Tech, both defensively and offensively, referring often to its “athletic ability and speed.” He also added that “they are a loaded football team.”
“We have an opportunity to open up conference play against one of our storied rivals,” he said. “I can’t say enough about them. I think we’ve seen enough tape to know these guys are as talented as anybody we have faced and then some.”
Cristobal has taken note of Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones as well, noting that he’s an “extremely explosive, dangerous, accurate player, and a great leader.” Drones has thrown for 765 yards and four touchdowns, though he’s been intercepted three times.
WARD APPEARS TO BE WORTH ALL OF THE ATTENTION
As Miami’s resurgent success continues to garner attention around the sport, most of it has been centered around Ward. In his first season with the Hurricanes, after transferring from Washington State, he has played a significant role in all four wins.
During the victory over South Florida, Ward threw for 404 yards, successfully completing three touchdown passes. Isaiah Horton, Xavier Restrepo and Sam Brown were the recipients of those scoring tosses.
Ward went on to exceed 15,000 career passing yards in that win over the Bulls. He only needed 89 passing yards to get there before kickoff in Tampa, and he far exceeded that, racking up more highlight-reel plays along the way.
“I was surprised that South Florida was the first team we’ve played that actually came out and was very physical,” Ward said. “That’s the brand of football that we pride ourselves on. That’s the brand of football that we want to be.”
That’s good news for the Hurricanes, then, because Ward later said that Virginia Tech has a great defense and is a “very physical team.”
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. tomorrow on ESPN.
