Several milestones in sight for Miami Hurricanes in regular-season finale against Syracuse
The main story line for the Miami Hurricanes’ regular-season finale at Syracuse on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN) is obvious: Win, and UM is guaranteed a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game on Dec. 7 against the SMU Mustangs. The winner of that game is guaranteed a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff and all but assured a first-round bye given to the top four conference champions.
But beyond that are a slew of individual and team milestones that could be achieved by the time the game ends.
Among them...
▪ 11 wins: A win would give the Hurricanes 11 victories on the season. It would be the most for UM since 2003, when they went 11-2 in their final season as part of the Big East before joining the ACC.
▪ Team offense records: The Hurricanes need 36 total points and just 119 yards of total offense to set the school record for most points scored and most yards of offense accrued in a single season.
Both of those records are currently held by the 2002 team, which had 6,074 yards of offense and 527 points scored in 13 games played.
Miami enters Saturday with 5,956 yards and 492 points — the per-game averages of 541.5 yards and 44.7 points lead the country. The Hurricanes have recorded at least 500 yards in nine of 11 games this season and has scored at least 50 points five times.
▪ 1,000 receiving yards: Wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, who already holds the school records for career receptions and receiving yards, can set a few records Saturday. The easiest of them: He needs just 21 more receiving yards to become the first player in Hurricanes history to have multiple 1,000-yard seasons.
In a bit more of a long shot scenario, 194 receiving yards to set the school record for most receiving yards in a season (currently held by Charleston Rambo, 1,172 yards in 2021) and four touchdown catches to set the school record for touchdown catches in a season (currently held by Leonard Hankerson, 13 in 2010).
Restrepo enters Saturday with 979 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on 60 catches.
Restrepo last season had 1,092 receiving yards on a school-record 85 catches to become just the sixth player in school history with a 1,000-yard season, joining Charleston Rambo (1,172 yards in 2021), Allen Hurns (1,162 yards in 2013), Leonard Hankerson (1,156 yards in 2010), Eddie Brown (1,114 yards in 1984) and Andre Johnson (1,092 yards in 2002).
▪ 4,000 passing yards: Cam Ward has already set the school records for most passing yards in a season (3,774) and most passing touchdowns in a season (34).
He needs just 226 more passing yards to become the first Hurricanes quarterback with a 4,000-yard season.
▪ Andres Borregales’ kicking feats: Borregales quietly tied one of his own school records last weekend. By hitting both of his field-goal attempts against Wake Forest, Borregales has connected on 14 consecutive field goals dating back to his final make against the Florida Gators on Aug. 31.
Borregales also had a stretch of 14 consecutive makes last season, breaking the previous school record of 13 by Dane Prewitt from the 1994 season.
So if Borregales makes his next field-goal attempt, he will break his own record.
But Borregales could make more history before the season is over and perhaps as early as Saturday.
▪ He has 71 field goals made in his Hurricanes career. He needs two more to tie Carlos Huerta for second most in Hurricanes a career (73) and is six away from tying Michael Badgley’s school record of 77 made field goals.
▪ He has made all 52 of his extra-point attempts. The school record for consecutive PATs made is 57 by Matt Goudis in 2013. That puts Borregales five consecutive makes from tying the school record and six from breaking it. Borregales’ 173 career PATs made overall are also five shy of tying and six shy of breaking the school record for most in a career (178 by Huerta from 1988-91).
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