Hurricanes hoping to block out outside noise
Team eyes win for seniors against Virginia Tech
Miami Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz doesn’t want Saturday’s game against Virginia Tech, Miami’s final home game of the season, to be overshadowed by the outside noise surrounding him and the program.
For many seniors, some of whom have been staples of the football program such as fifth-year striker Amari Carter or sixth-year defensive end Zach McCloud, Saturday’s matchup against the Hokies will be their final time running through the smoke in the tunnel and onto the field at Hard Rock Stadium as a Hurricane.
So they’re still looking to do the regular traditions of Senior Night, while keeping the focus on Virginia Tech (5-5, 3-3 ACC).
“Coach Diaz, throughout the week, he’s asking seniors to talk about what being here means to us and words of advice we can tell younger guys,” Carter said. “And just what the University of Miami means to us.”
“The big thing is just taking it all in. Appreciating where your feet are...play where your feet are. And taking the time to appreciate where you are.”
But so much of the Hurricanes’ week leading into Saturday has forced them to have to address matters not fully under their control — even as Miami looks to become bowl-eligible for the ninth consecutive season.
When UM and former athletic director Blake James parted ways on Monday, questions about Diaz’s job security naturally were brought up. Rumors about who’d potentially replace Diaz — if he didn’t return for the 2022 season — circulated more frequently.
What hasn’t helped matters is the Hurricanes have gone only 19-15 over the last three seasons under Diaz, including a disappointing 5-5 and 3-3 in the ACC entering Saturday’s game after losing to in-state rival Florida State for the first time since 2016.
“I mean, yeah, you see it around,” quarterback Tyler Van Dyke said when asked about the speculation. “You try not to pay attention to it.”
“At the end of the day we want to play for the guys in the building and coach Diaz. We’re all going to fight for him, fight for the team, like we have all year. And we want to get this win for our seniors.”
McCloud suggested that Diaz has addressed the ongoing uncertainty surrounding him with the team without giving away too many details.
“He’s gotten up in front of the team and kind of just… You have to address these things,” he said. “Imagine being a big business owner. If something major happens that would affect the business, you have to get up and address the employees. You gotta settle the water. Everybody’s going to have their own thoughts, and it’s his job to kind of keep everybody on the same page and that’s what he did.”
McCloud called Diaz an “unshakeable guy”, which he feels has helped the team keep its focus on a Virginia Tech team that’s also looking to become bowl-eligible with a win after parting ways with former coach Justin Fuente earlier in the week.
“When it comes to any type of adversity, perceived pressure or whatever you want to call it, he’s going to stand still in the storm,” McCloud added. “And he’s the same way through all of this and the team kind of carries that with us, even in the way we play.”
Because of the adversity Miami’s faced this season — from losing multiple starters to injury throughout the season to being defeated by one possession in three games — Diaz is confident the Hurricanes have the composure and resiliency to not get sidetracked by the noise around them.
“Since we’ve started the way we started, I think all of this in this program have had to focus on one-week missions,” Diaz said. “Because of that mentality, I think our team has been pretty resilient through the course of the year.
“They’ve stayed together, fought for each other and fought for this program every week this season. That to me is the goal. That was no different than back when we were 2-4. It’s no different this week.”