Miami, FIU ready for backyard brawl
Not literally, because schools have seen what that looks like.
Tyree St. Louis was describing the mindset for Miami’s game against crosstown neighbor Florida International when he decided a better choice of words was needed.
“This is going to be a big game for us, we’re excited,” the Hurricanes’ offensive tackle said about this afternoon’s game at Hard Rock Stadium.
“People will love this matchup, back- yard brawl pretty much. We’re going to come, we’re going to show what Miami is all about.”
When reminded about the Backyard Brawl, St. Louis backtracked faster than he does on pass protection.
“I just said backyard brawl,” he said. “We’re not going to have that again.”
Both schools have distanced themselves from that ugly day midway through the
2006 season in which pushing and shoving on an extra-point attempt led to an allout bench-clearing melee in which players were punched, kicked, whacked with helmets and body-slammed.
Thirteen players were ejected before 31 players, including 18 from FIU, were given one-game suspensions the next day.
The teams met again the next year without incident and have not played since. But both coaches under- stand what is at stake in a game like this, despite the difference in the level of foot- ball played at each program.
“Your backyard games against teams you competitively go against, it’s signifi- cantly different,” said FIU coach Butch Davis, whose career has taken him from an assistant with the Hurricanes and Dallas Cowboys before becoming head coach at UM (1995-00), the Cleve- land Browns (2001-04), North Carolina (2007-10) and now in his second season leading the Panthers.
Mark Richt of No. 21 Miami has been part of many rivalry games during his time as a player at UM, assistant at FSU, head coach at Georgia and now back at his alma mater. And he understands the emotions that sometimes bubble when players are looking across at familiar faces.
“There’s a lot of pride in the city, a lot of pride at the parks where these kids played football,” Richt said. “Everybody knows everybody.
“It’ll be an emotional game for sure but that’s where everybody’s got to be disciplined and do a good job. There will be guys getting their blood pumping, which should happen in the game of football. But everybody knows if you do something stupid you don’t get to play.”
The programs renewed their series with a two-year home-and-home contract. FIU’s home game will be next season and could be at Marlins Park.
Both teams are 2-1 and both coaches have their programs on the rise. Last year, Richt lead Miami to its first double-digit win season (10- 3) in 14 years and Davis took a team that had averaged just more than three wins during the last seven seasons to 8-4.
FIU is coming off a 63-24 victory over UMass, tying the school record for points, which was set last season against UMass.
“They’re definitely an up and coming team,” St. Louis said. “We’re not going to underestimate them. A lot of people don’t give them credit but they’re going to come and fight with everything they have.”
The Hurricanes - who will be without receiver Ahmmon Richards (knee) of Welling- ton and safety Jaquan John- son (hamstring) - face their third consecutive non-Power Five opponent after a disappointing season opening loss to LSU. Miami, despite putting up a combined 126 points against Savannah State and Toledo, still has much to prove.
FIU scored 42 first-half points last week to put away the Minutemen while the Hurricanes offense came alive in the second half, scor- ing touchdowns on four consecutive possessions to disappoint the amped-up crowd at Toledo.
Miami has an overwhelming edge in talent. Quarterback Malik Rosier has shown improvement since his rough start to the season against LSU with four passing and four rushing touchdowns the last two games. The defense leads the nation with 11.7 tackles for loss per game and is fourth nationally allowing 236.0 yards per game.
Florida International got a big effort from running back Shawndarrius Phillips, who had 124 rushing yards against UMass.
“I talked to a lot of guys on the team, they’re like, ‘we know this guy on that team’ and ‘we know this guy,’” UM guard Hayden Mahoney said. “And they’re like, ‘it’s a big game. They’re going to come out hard and play hard the entire game.’ “
Manny Diaz’s coaching career has taken him around the South and through Texas before coming back to his home town. The Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator knows all about the pride and competitiveness of kids who have grown up in Miami, being one himself.
Each team’s roster includes about 45 players from Palm Beach, Broward and Dade counties and about 20 players each from inner city Miami schools.
“I think that’ll be t he big thing,” Diaz said about the friendships and rivalries developed long ago. “I think that’ll be the part that probably we can’t even hear, things being said on the field between guys.
“There will be a lot of pride because of guys that might have been teammates in eighth grade or sixth grade or who knows, going on on the field.”