Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Playoff implications on line as rivalry enters new phase
CORAL GABLES — The question, innocuous as it was, stopped Kc McDermott cold.
Sure, Miami and Notre Dame had played each other last season, but before that, the two programs had spotty history over the course of the last two decades. The Irish hadn’t played a game against the Hurricanes in Miami since 1989 — well before he and his Miami teammates were even born.
So was it really fair to consider Saturday’s matchup between No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 7 Miami a rivalry game? A game with national championship implications, yes. But a rivalry game?
“It’s absolutely a rivalry. It’s Miami-Notre Dame, dude, they made a “30 for 30” about this,” McDermott said, almost in disbelief. “This is a rivalry — no question about it — and we are going to be ready for it. It’s the same question as if someone said we are going to play Florida this week. It’s still a rivalry, there are no changes.”
Receiver Braxton Berrios didn’t mince words either when presented with the same query. And like McDermott, he referenced ESPN’s documentary, “Catholics vs. Convicts” which chronicled the 1988 matchup between the two then-powers. That game, which Notre Dame won 31-30, captured America’s attention, and there’s little doubt this most recent installment in the series has the potential to do the same.
The stage is certainly set for it, the day set to begin with ESPN broadcasting its venerable “College GameDay” preview show from Miami’s campus for the first time Saturday morning. Later, the game itself is set for an 8 p.m. kickoff on ABC from what is expected to be a sold-out Hard Rock Stadium.
The buzz both on Miami’s campus and in South Florida as a whole has been hard to miss, the Hurricanes say, and they are relishing the opportunity to show how much the program has changed in its two seasons under coach Mark Richt.
“There’s a buzz, there’s an excitement around Miami football again that we haven’t seen in a while,” said Berrios, the Hurricanes leading receiver with 36 catches for 474 yards and seven touchdowns. “It means a ton. Miami might not be exactly where we want it to be yet, but we’re on that path. Especially as seniors who’ve been here and been through a lot of these things. It feels great to start this path, and start this tradition, and lay this foundation for all the generations to come.”
The Hurricanes enter the game having come off their most impressive victory of the season, a 28-10 win over Virginia Tech that helped them jump three spots in the College Football Playoff rankings. They’ve won 13 straight dating back to last season, their last loss coming last October in South Bend to these very Irish.
And while some of their wins have been nail-biters, their defense has emerged as one of the best in the nation, holding opponents to an average of 4.4 yards per play. Preseason questions about Malik Rosier have been answered, the quarterback passing for 2,273 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, has rebounded after a Sept. 9 loss to top-ranked Georgia and has won seven straight. The Irish enter the matchup as the No. 3 team in the CFP rankings, and they’ve dominated in those victories, beating those seven opponents by an average of 25 points. Running back Josh Adams, who has seven touchdown runs of at least 60 yards this season, has emerged as a Heisman Trophy candidate.
And there’s little question the team that walks off the field with a win will remain in the hunt for a national championship.
That’s heady stuff for two former powers working to regain their form.
“We like it when we’re competing in games like this, late in the year, that are that meaningful,” said Richt, a former Miami quarterback who once faced the Irish himself. “It’s what you hope for, it’s what you work towards. It just so happens this Saturday night is going to be very meaningful to both teams.”
Added linebacker Shaquille Quarterman: “We all know that we can’t lose to [Notre Dame]. Last year happened, and we didn’t come out with the results we wanted, but this year we can’t lose to them. It’s just the standard that was set before us.”