Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
’Canes glad to return home
Their last game at Hard Rock was nearly 10 months ago
CORAL GABLES — The Miami Hurricanes may be a little homesick.
The last time they played at Hard Rock Stadium was nearly 10 months ago, last November in the regular season finale against Pittsburgh.
UM (0-2, 0-1 ACC) makes its longawaited return home when it takes on Bethune-Cookman (1-0) in a 4 p.m. kickoff on Saturday that will air on ACC Network. It could be the remedy for what ails UM, and it’s the first of a five-game homestand.
The Hurricanes’ 0-2 start for the first time since 1978 may have some fans feeling ill as well. Miami is 7-11 since starting 10-0 in 2017 — and 4-11 against Power Five conference opponents — but the team is anticipating fans will show up and provide a much-needed welcome.
“We got the best fans in the world,” said sophomore tight end Brevin Jordan as UM looks to bounce back from close
losses against Florida in Orlando and at North Carolina. “I’m ready to finally go home and play at home, finally be at Hard Rock. The two atmospheres we were in, those are two tough atmospheres, so to finally go home and have the fans on our side, it’s going to be great.”
Players want to give the home faithful something to cheer about as the Hurricanes play their annual lone game of the season against a team from the Football Championship Subdivision.
“We have to win for our community,” said sophomore running back Cam’Ron Harris, an Opa Locka native and Carol City high grad. “So I want all our fans to come out here and support us. It don’t matter if we’re 0-2 or 2-0.”
A pick-me-up from a potentially lopsided outcome against Bethune-Cookman could provide the momentum going forward, when the Hurricanes host Central Michigan the following week. After a bye week, they then have three straight ACC home games against Virginia Tech, Virginia and Georgia Tech.
“I think that’s just what this team needs at this time,” said UM coach Manny Diaz, still looking for his first head coaching victory after three seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator under Mark Richt. “We need to get back into familiar surroundings, get in our stadium, get around our fans and get ourselves going.”
Dropping the ACC opener with UNC also means the Tar Heels now hold a headto-head tiebreaker in the ACC Coastal. So the Hurricanes need to get right before getting back to conference games. The easiest path to a Coastal title and ACC Championship Game berth would be to win the remaining conference games and have the Tar Heels lose two.
“I think this team’s goals are all still ahead of it,” Diaz said. “I think the season, the way that our schedule breaks down, we have that exact opportunity to do that.”
But the same way Miami can’t concern itself with the remaining schedule or where UNC’s losses might come, the team looks to keep its focus on itself and not what people on the outside are saying about the 0-2 start.
“The change is going to come from the inside out,” Diaz said, “and we can’t stick our head out the window and wonder what everybody thinks about us. Because what we think about us is really the most important thing.”
The Hurricanes’ defense, stout against the run against UNC, looks to minimize breakdowns in the secondary and get back to turning the ball over after the Turnover Chain did not make an appearance in Chapel Hill. The secondary allowed big passing plays during the first quarter, when they fell behind 17-3, and then again on the final drive when a fourth-and-17 conversion led to the winning Tar Heels touchdown.
The Miami running game looks to continue to roll after both Harris and DeeJay Dallas ran well behind an adjusted offensive line that started freshman Jakai Clark at right guard, shifted sophomore DJ Scaife to right tackle and moved redshirt freshman John Campbell out of the starting group.
Quarterback Jarren Williams, effective delivering the slant and underneath throws off run-pass option in his 30-of-39 outing at Carolina, wants to start to connect on the deep ball and be more efficient in the red zone.
If drives in the red zone stall, it would also be nice for the team to get kicker Bubba Baxa’s confidence back up after he has missed two field from short range in the last two games, plus had an extra point blocked and missed a potential game-tying field goal with five seconds left at North Carolina.
If the game flow allows, Diaz would also like to see more players get into the game on Saturday.
“We expect to play more people this game,” Diaz said. “Part [of it] is our roster is just developing and guys are getting closer to being dependable to be able to get into the game, but obviously, you go into a game still managing whatever it takes to win the football game.”