Miami Hurricanes say they have ‘had enough’ with mediocrity. Time to prove it vs. UF
Jalen Rivers has been through four seasons of mediocrity, four years of the Miami Hurricanes not living up to expectations.
As the offensive tackle enters what is most likely final year of college football as a fifth-year junior and NFL Draft prospect, he wants to finally see this Hurricanes team reach its potential.
“The guys that been here for a minute just like myself — I’ve been through a lot here,” Rivers said this week. “I’ve been through the ups and downs, and we’ve had enough. ... We just want to win, and we’re going to do everything possible to achieve that.”
The first measuring stick toward proving they can get to their goals comes Saturday, when the No. 19 Hurricanes go on the road to open the 2024 season against the Florida Gators in Gainesville. Kickoff from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m., with the game televised on ABC.
The game will officially usher in Miami’s third season under coach Mario Cristobal, who has gone just 12-13 in his first two seasons leading his alma mater despite having rosters that far outplay the record that has shown on the field.
This year, Cristobal boasts arguably the most talented roster on paper that he has had in his three seasons, digging into the transfer portal and stacking high-end recruiting classes to get it done.
There’s a star quarterback in Cam Ward.
There’s a top-end running back in Damien Martinez followed by a slew of playmakers in Mark Fletcher Jr., Ajay Allen, Chris Johnson and Jordan Lyle among others.
There are three potential 1,000-yard receivers in Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George and Sam Brown, along with tight ends in Elijah Arroyo and Elija Lofton looking to bring production back to the position after a lost 2023.
There’s an offensive line that returns three starters and brought in a center with experience.
There’s a defensive line led by Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor along with a host of transfers in Simeon Barrow, CJ Clark, Marley Cook, Elijah Alston and Tyler Baron.
There’s a linebacker corps anchored by Francisco Mauigoa.
And there’s a secondary led by vocal safety transfer Mishael Powell and returning cornerback Daryl Porter Jr.
On paper, the team appears set to make a deep run this season. Competing for their first Atlantic Coast Conference championship and earning a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff isn’t out of the question.
That said, the Hurricanes have to show up on the field.
That starts Saturday.
Renewing the rivalry
While Saturday will be the 57th meeting all time, it will be just the eighth time this century the teams have played each other and just the fifth time being played at one one of the team’s home venues.
In fact, Saturday is the first time the Hurricanes are playing the Gators in Gainesville since 2008.
For the Hurricanes players who weren’t born in Florida, this weekend will be an initiation of sorts to the rivalry.
And to prepare for it, Hurricanes players have been watching videos of old games of the series to get the juices flowing for Saturday.
One game in particular that stood out to right guard and Pleasant Grove, Alabama, native Anez Cooper was the 1971 matchup when what became known as the “Gator Flop” took place, when UF’s entire defense fell to the ground in the dying seconds of a lopsided game to give Florida quarterback John Reaves one final possession to break Jim Plunkett’s NCAA career passing yards record.
“I’m in there watching, and I don’t really know nothing about Miami history back then,” Cooper said. “I’m still learning, but when I seen that, it just got me ready to play. I’m excited to play Saturday, and I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
Now, the Hurricanes aren’t expected the Gators to do any flopping this time around as UF tries to shake off two rough seasons to begin coach Billy Napier’s tenure — not unlike what Miami is trying to do in Cristobal’s third season.
“We’re up for a challenge,” Ward said. “We’ve got to rise to the occasion.”
‘Eliminate anxiety’
Saturday is the culmination of everything the Hurricanes have worked toward over the past eight months. From finalizing their recruiting class to spring practice, summer workouts and now fall camp, it all led to this, the start of the season.
At this point, all the Hurricanes can do is trust that they did the work and that this time, the work will lead to results.
“If you work hard enough, if you dig deep enough into preparation and you make sure that you are doing that and impacting the people around you as you prepare and you’re airtight in terms of your rules and your processes, that has to be good enough,” Cristobal said. “The rest is game day. Making it happen. And the biggest thing is, when you get into a game like this, you’ve done all the work. You’ve had all these practices, you’ve installed the plays. You feel great about whatnot, but you want to make sure that while all that’s being done, that there’s trust and confidence in the players and each other, eliminate anxiety. Right anxiety is maybe the biggest performance killer there is out there, and we prepare the right way.”
Will it pay off? Will the Hurricanes handle the expectations and the burdens that come with it?
“I’ll tell you at about seven o’clock on Saturday how they handled it, right?” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “I mean, I’m not a psychic by any stretch, but they understand the task at hand. The gravity of the game, everybody gets that, but it’s also a game. It’s a game played one snap at a time, and so if you sit there and you thing about the whole deal, your mind can play tricks on you. So the key is to take it one snap at a time. If you have a snap that is the greatest executed snap ever, you move on to the next one with a clear mind. If you can do that and you can stack them over and over again, that’s how you take crowds out and that’s you you execute.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2024 at 12:25 PM.
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