’Canes win, lose
After FSU thriller, momentum to slow with loss of RB Walton.
TALLAHASSEE — There is no doubt this one is a win the Miami Hurricanes won’t forget any time soon, not after they needed a dramatic final drive and some last-second heroics to beat hated rival Florida State.
And so, once the 24-20 victory over the Seminoles had been secured, they celebrated, some climbing the walls at Doak Campbell Stadium to snap pictures with the fans that had traveled from South Florida to Tallahassee. Others hugged teammates, while still others simply sat in the end zone closest to their locker room and just let the moment wash over them.
After seven frustrating losses to Florida State, the streak had ended and Miami could check off one of the goals on its season check list.
But even before the team buses pulled away from Doak Campbell, even before their post-game press conferences had ended, Miami quarterback Malik Rosier was talking about Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech. And veteran defensive ends Chad Thomas and Demetrius Jackson had cautioned their teammates, particularly the younger ones, that while the win was worth savoring, it cannot define the Hurricanes season.
There are, the 11th-ranked Hurricanes noted, much bigger goals to reach.
“We definitely would love to end up in Charlotte to play for the [ACC] championship,” Miami coach Mark Richt said after Saturday’s win. “Miami has never represented in that game. We obviously have a long way to go, but being 2-0 [in conference play] is a good start. We’ve got the meat of our Coastal Division coming up. Obviously, Georgia Tech is resting up pretty good while we have exerted every ounce of energy you could hope for. The good news is we’ll be home and I know our fan base is going to support us and give us the juice we need. There is a long way to go as far as that race.”
While the Hurricanes have won nine consecutive games dating back to last season and have won four straight to open the season for the second year in a row, there are still multiple key Coastal Division games looming.
Saturday, the Hurricanes (4-0, 2-0 ACC) will host a Georgia Tech (3-1, 2-0) team that is unbeaten in conference play. The Yellow Jackets, always a tricky tripleoption offense, are well rested after a bye last week.
And waiting after Georgia Tech are defending Coastal Division champion Virginia Tech, a one-loss Virginia team that is off to its best start since 2007 and a road test at Pittsburgh to close conference play. There’s a November showdown with Notre Dame, too and while it won’t count as a conference game, the Hurricanes will be looking for another win over a longtime rival, especially if they’ve worked their way into the playoff picture by that point.
“Now, we have to stay focused. Every time we’ve lost to [Florida State], we’ve gone on a losing streak,” Thomas said. “We can’t let that happen anymore. This was not our destination. It was a [step] in the road and a hill we had to get over after so many years. We finally got over that hill. Now we have to keep it going.”
Ascent continues
The Hurricanes, who started the season ranked 18th in both major college football polls, continue to see their stock rise.
After Saturday’s win over the Seminoles, Miami moved up two spots to No. 11 in the AP Top 25. The Hurricanes rose two spots to No. 10 in the Amway Coaches Poll.
The rankings are the highest for the Hurricanes since Week 6 of the 2016 season when they were No. 10 in both polls.
In the AP Top 25, the Hurricanes are one of four ranked ACC teams along with Clemson (No. 2), Virginia Tech (No. 15), and North Carolina State (No. 20).
Game time set
On Sunday, the ACC announced Miami’s game Saturday against Georgia Tech is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium.
It will be broadcast on ABC.
The game was originally set to be played Thursday night, but it was pushed back two days because of the game against Florida State originally scheduled for Sept. 16 was moved to Oct. 7, Miami’s original bye week.
The ACC does not allow team to play Thursday night games on short rest.