’Canes hope conditioning is no issue

CORAL GABLES — Since Hurricane Irma impacted Miami’s schedule last month, a big concern for the 13th-ranked Hurricanes has been conditioning.

In their Sept. 23 game against Toledo — their first after a 21-day layoff — the Hurricanes sometimes struggled on that front, prompting coaches to say they were looking forward to some cooler temperatures for last weekend’s game at Duke as Miami continued trying to get back into its normal routine.

And as and his staff expected, the Hurricanes were efficient and effective in their 31-6 win over the Blue Devils. But now that Miami is preparing for a midafternoon showdown against Florida State in Tallahassee, do the Hurricanes feel they’re in better game shape?

One thing’s for certain — they haven’t been able to practice much in conditions similar to the ones they could face in Tallahassee on Saturday.

With stormy weather in South Florida through the early part of the week, the Hurricanes practiced both Tuesday and Wednesday at the Dolphins facility in Davie. That allowed them to get their work in both days, but those practices were in dry and air-conditioned comfort — not the muggy, rainy conditions that could be a factor on Saturday.

“We will find out Saturday,” Hurricanes defensive coordinator responded Wednesday when asked about his team’s conditioning. “We know we’ll be put in some difficult situations on Saturday, but I think our guys have shown a little bit of a backbone to be able to handle what’s been in front of them.”

No. 13 Miami at FSU, Saturday, 3:30, ESPN

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