Miami Hurricanes vow to play for each other, coaches, in home finale

As the Hurricanes go into their regular-season home finale Saturday against Atlantic Coast Conference foe Georgia Tech, the motivation for playing with passion, as UM interim coach Larry Scott regularly promotes, might not be as simple as it has been the past 10 games.

That Coastal Division goal, espoused since the summer by the Miami players and coaches, died hard last Saturday at North Carolina, where the now-No. 17 Tar Heels trounced the Canes 59-21.

But UM players say they haven’t quit, haven’t lost all impetus to play well and represent their school and their close bond with one another. After all, it is Senior Day on Saturday, when the eldest Canes are accompanied onto the field by family members for a pregame ceremony that will be recalled as a bit sweeter should they end their final game at Sun life Stadium with a victory.

After facing the Yellow Jackets, who, despite being favored by two points, are having an uncharacteristically poor season at 3-7 overall and 1-6 in the ACC, the Hurricanes (6-4, 3-3) play Pittsburgh (7-3, 5-1) next Friday to close out the regular season.

UM sophomore quarterback Brad Kaaya said “sending all the seniors off the right way’’ is one of the Hurricanes’ goals Saturday. But it’s not the only one.

“Playing for Coach Scott — all the coaches have really put their heart into making sure that we still develop, even after Coach [Al] Golden left,’’ Kaaya said. “It means a lot to the players. …We all committed to each other at the start of the season. That’s huge for us. That’s huge. You just can’t give up because things don’t go your way.

“This year, a lot of guys have bought in.’’

Scott, clearly a man who values the holistic approach to coaching, had drilled into his young players the “pride’’ factor, the “commitment’’ factor, the brotherhood factor – and the bowl factor.

“You must have a pride about your work, who you are and who you want to become,’’ Scott said, when asked about motivating his team. “When things happen in life, you can’t just shut down. You have to find a way to scratch, claw and get out of it. It’s more than just about football. It’s about the person you’re developing into.

“…As a team, you owe it to the guy on your left and your right to always make sure you’re giving it your best. …You’re a bowl team and you’ve worked your tail off. Now it’s about, ‘How do we become an eight-win team? We can’t get to eight without getting to seven. I think a very well-positioned 8-4 Miami team would probably find itself in a good situation.’’

First the Canes must get past the spread option attack – most famously known for its triple option – of Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are seventh nationally in rushing offense, averaging 256.6 ground yards a game, and because of their scheme, don’t pass nearly as much.

“They’re going to pass, you just don’t know when,’’ said Miami cornerback Tracy Howard. “And they don’t come often, so you can’t sleep. That’s the biggest thing, staying focused and locked in.’’

The Canes’ run defense is ranked 105^th, allowing 202.7 rushing yards a game. After five consecutive victories against Georgia Tech, Miami fell 28-17 in allowing 318 yards rushing and holding the ball 19:12 to the Yellow Jackets’ 40:48.

But if it becomes challenging for the Hurricanes to keep their focus Saturday, just imagine the plight of the Yellow Jackets, who concluded an 11-3 season in 2014 by defeating Mississippi State in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

Georgia Tech has already been eliminated from playing in the postseason.

“Clearly our season has not gone the way we would have liked, and it’s kind of been a situation where we continued to make some critical errors at inopportune times,’’ Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. “There’s no question Miami still has very good players and is a talented team. Hopefully we can finally put it together on both offense and defense for four quarters.’’

The Hurricanes hope they can do the same.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 7:35 PM with the headline "Miami Hurricanes vow to play for each other, coaches, in home finale."