Bowl opportunities await the Hurricanes, though few seem sure who their coach will be
While University of Miami fans (and everyone else immersed in the college football world) wonder what will transpire this week in terms of athletic director hires and head-coaching scenarios, one thing for certain is a bowl game awaits the Hurricanes — no matter who ends up coaching them in it.
Among the ones reserved for the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl and New Era Pinstripe Bowl are two possibilities that the AP’s Tim Reynolds reported, citing a source, had “serious interest in Miami.’’
The Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, is at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 31 and pits an ACC team against a Pac-12 team. 247Sports bowl projections have the Hurricanes (7-5, 5-3) facing UCLA (8-4, 6-3) in the Sun. UM played in the Sun in 2010 and 2015, losing 33-17 to Notre Dame in ‘10, after Al Golden had already been named the coach to succeed Randy Shannon. Miami assistant Jeff Stoutland was the interim coach for that game.
The Canes also lost 20-14 to Washington State in 2015, while UM tight ends coach Larry Scott served as head coach after Golden had been fired.
Also projecting the Sun Bowl for another Miami-Washington State (7-5, 6-3) matchup are Jerry Palm of CBSSports and ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.
The Pinstripe, at 2:15 p.m. Dec. 29 at New York’s Yankee Stadium, features an ACC and Big Ten matchup, and SI.com’s Richard Johnson has Miami meeting Minnesota (8-4, 6-3).
The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel projected Miami would play the Pac-12’s Arizona State (8-4, 6-3) in the Dec. 28 San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl, which kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Indeed, a Holiday Bowl representative was busy handing out a colorful flyer Saturday at the UM-Duke game.
Kyle Bonagura of ESPN has the Hurricanes facing Tennessee (7-5, 4-4 SEC) in Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, at 11:30 a.m Dec. 30.
The Canes, who will learn their bowl destination Dec. 5, have lost 10 of their past 11 bowl games. Their last bowl win was 2016 against West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Before that, their last bowl victory was against Nevada in the 2006 MPC Computers Bowl.
Players’ schedules
The immediate future for the Miami Hurricanes, after defeating Duke 47-10 on Saturday in the regular-season finale, will begin with the Canes finishing their semester studies before final exams Dec. 10-16, according to UM’s academic calendar. But football-related activities, such as weight-lifting and conditioning, will be incorporated into their schedules.
Coach Manny Diaz said the Hurricanes will have a “quick practice” Saturday “while we have an official visit weekend going on,’’ Diaz said. But for now, recruiting is the priority and the Canes won’t begin practicing for a bowl until after the early signing period, which is from Dec. 15-17.
“Once it goes to the dead period the third week in December, then we can kind of dive in,’’ Diaz said of the practice schedule, depending on the date of the bowl game.
Injury situation
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (shoulder), defensive lineman Jonathan Ford (ankle), punter Lou Hedley (lower body), running back Don Chaney Jr. (knee) and quarterback Jake Garcia (ankle) all sat on the sideline Saturday dressed in black sweatsuits and white jerseys.
Stevenson didn’t play in the second half of the Hurricanes’ win against the Virginia Tech Hokies last Saturday because of his injury. Ford missed his second straight game. Hedley missed his first game. The other have been out long term, though Garcia was seen for the first time without his ankle boot.
“Tyrique, the shoulder that knocked him out of the game last week wasn’t well enough to be able to get in the game,’’ Diaz said. “Jon Ford the same thing — might have been two more days away. Jake is out of the boot, [but] the bowl game I’m not sure. We’ll have to see when that bowl game is and if it will be safe for him to get back into drops and those types of things.
“We want Jake to travel and go through the meetings in preparation and prepare himself like he’s the starter so he can understand the experience of going on the road, knowing where these hotels are. I know it sounds crazy, but there’s a familiarity when you’re on the road in the ACC and get to see all these places — where the play clock is and stuff like that will help him down the road.”
Diaz said Hedley should soon be fine and ready to go for the bowl.
This story was originally published November 29, 2021 at 6:59 AM.
