How will today’s weather forecast affect Syracuse? UM’s Manny Diaz discusses it.
After this past University of Miami football game, coach Mark Richt said the crowd came alive during a torrential downpour early in the fourth quarter.
“Our fans were unbelievable,’’ Richt said. “When the skies opened up and the rain came down and the fans energized, it was over.”
Today at 3:30 p.m., the No. 8 Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) face the unranked Syracuse Orange (4-3, 2-1), and there’s a good chance rain will come down at some point.
Weather.com this morning has the temperature at kickoff at about 84 degrees, feeling like 93, with 74-percent humidity and the winds at a strong 17 miles an hour. The temperature will decrease to about 82 degrees by 7 p.m., and feel like 89, with the humidity rising to 79 percent.
The chance of rain, according to weather.com, is 25 percent at kickoff, rising to about 50 percent by 7 p.m.
We all know how accurate those weather forecasts can be. Either way, that ball and field might be very slippery.
I asked UM defensive coordinator Manny Diaz this week how the weather, specifically the heat and humidity, might affect a team from an extremely cold climate, though it should be noted that it has been unseasonably warm in Syracuse. The Orange plays indoors in the Carrier Dome.
“Well, that will be a question I’m sure in the back of their minds, is how will they handle being the fastest offense in the country over the course of the entire game with the heat and humidity down here,’’ Diaz replied. “I think that’s an unknown. I don’t think even their best guess they know how their kids will respond. I know you cannot simulate humidity. I know it’s always warm in the dome – maybe they pump the heat on.
“But this humidity is just different. I felt even Georgia Tech in the fourth quarter last week, even though it was raining, those last drives, offensively, defensively it seemed like we were the fresher team of the two. That may be an important thing. We’re expecting a 60-minute battle.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2017 at 9:01 AM with the headline "How will today’s weather forecast affect Syracuse? UM’s Manny Diaz discusses it.."