Game Day Notes: Miami Hurricanes vs. FSU … how to watch, start time, game notes & more

Miami vs. Florida State, Oct. 26, 2024, 7 p.m. EDT
Location: Miami Gardens, Fla.
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium (65,326)
Television: ESPN
Talent: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Taylor McGregor
Radio: 560 WQAM
Talent: Joe Zagacki, Don Bailey, Jr., Josh Darrow
Series History: Miami leads, 35-33
Miami / Miami Gardens: Florida State leads, 21-18
Tallahassee: Miami leads, 16-12
Neutral Site: Miami leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Miami lost, 20-27 (November 11, 2023)

GAME NOTES

QUICK HITS

• The Miami Hurricanes continue their third season under the direction of head coach Mario Cristobal on Sat., Oct. 26 vs. rival Florida State. Kickoff from Hard Rock Stadium is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.

• Miami is off to a 7-0 start for the first time under Cristobal’s direction. Last time out, Miami continued its winning ways with 52-45 road win over Louisville at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.

• QB Cam Ward has become the first Hurricanes quarterback in history to ever record seven straight performances of 300 passing yards or more; last time out, Ward threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns.

• WR Xavier Restrepo is 21 yards away from surpassing the legendary Michael Irvin for No. 3 in Miami’s all-time receiving yards list.

• Miami is looking to start a season 8-0 for the first time since 2017, when it started the season 10-0.

STORYLINES

• Miami is looking to continue a strong start to Atlantic Coast Conference play when it hosts rival Florida State on Sat., Oct. 26. The Hurricanes are looking to start 4-0 in ACC play for the first time since 2017, when it started 10-0 overall and 7-0 and finished with a 7-1 ACC record.

• Bolstered by the addition of several impressive newcomers and anchored by a talented group of returning veterans, Miami was ranked No. 19 in both preseason polls – and checked in at No. 5 in the LBM Coaches Poll and No. 6 in the Associated Press poll on Oct. 20.

• Among Miami’s top newcomers is QB Cam Ward, who was named ACC Preseason Player of the Year in a poll of media at the conference’s annual media day in Charlotte, N.C. Selected to nearly every major award watch list, Ward became the first quarterback in Miami Hurricanes history throw for 300 yards in seven consecutive starts last time out at Louisville on Oct. 19.

 THE MATCHUP

• #5/#6 Miami continues the 2024 season – its third under head coach Mario Cristobal – on Sat, Oct. 26 with a Homecoming matchup against rival Florida State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Hard Rock Stadium.

• The Hurricanes lead the all-time series by a 35-33 margin, but have lost the last three games, including a 20-27 loss in Tallahassee in 2023. UM’s last victory over Florida State came in 2020, a 52-10 win at Hard Rock Stadium.

• Miami is looking to start the season 8-0 for the first time under Cristobal and the first time since 2017 (10-0).

A LOOK BACK: ANOTHER THRILLER, ANOTHER WIN

• For the third straight game, the Miami Hurricanes endured some late-game dramatics but were able to emerge victorious, this time with a 52-45 win over Louisville at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Ky.

• QB Cam Ward delivered another eye-popping outing, finishing with 319 yards and four touchdowns on 21-for-32 passing. Ward is the first Hurricane to have thrown for at least 300 yards in seven straight games in history.

• WR Xavier Restrepo had 101 yards on seven catches in the win, including a long catch of 63 yards. WR Sam Brown had 125 yards on three catches, including a 49-yard touchdown, while RB Damien Martinez led the way with 89 yards and one score. For the first time in history, Miami hit 50 points for the fourth time in a single year.

• The Hurricanes totaled 219 rushing yards in the win – the most by Miami against an ACC team this year.

• Defensively, Miami was led by DT Simeon Barrow, Jr., who had six total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and a sack. LB Raul Aguirre, Jr., recovered the fumble forced by Barrow in the end zone for a touchdown.

• Miami’s win snapped a losing streak of three straight games following bye weeks; prior to the win at Louisville, Miami had lost three post-bye games in a row and seven of their previous eight dating to 2018.

MIAMI RANKED NO. 5 BY COACHES, NO. 6 IN AP

• Following a 52-45 win over Louisville last time out, Miami moved up to No. 5 in the LBM Coaches Poll and held on to their No. 6 spot in the Associated Press top 25 on Oct. 20. Miami had jumped to No. 6 in both Oct. 7 polls.

• Following a 56-9 win over Florida A&M on Sept. 7, the Hurricanes cracked the top-10 of the Associated Press poll on Sept. 8 at No. 10. It was the first time Miami has been ranked in the AP top 10 since Dec. 6, 2020 (No. 9).

• Bolstered by the addition of several impressive newcomers and anchored by a talented group of returning veterans, the Hurricanes were ranked in the top 25 of both preseason polls – checking in at No. 19 in both polls.

• Mario Cristobal’s highest-ranked team as head coach came in the final 2019 polls, when Oregon was No. 5/5.

• The Hurricanes were not ranked in the 2023 preseason polls, but were ranked in the 2022 preseason polls in Cristobal’s first year as head coach, checking in at No. 16 in that year’s coaches poll and No. 17 in the AP top 25.

• Miami spent four weeks in the top 25 of 2022 (preseason, Sept. 6, Sept. 11, Sept. 18 polls) and also cracked the top 25 rankings of both polls for four weeks in 2023 (Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1). It has been in the rankings of both polls for the first four weeks of 2024.

RESTREPO ON VERGE OF PASSING IRVIN IN YARDS

• With a six-catch, 99-yard performance vs. USF on Sept. 21, WR Xavier Restrepo became the 10th Hurricane in program history to eclipse 2,000 career receiving yards. Over his career, Restrepo has now totaled 2,403 yards.

• With 101 yards at Louisville last time out, Restrepo moved into first place in career 100-yard receiving games with 10. Restrepo, who had seven catches at Louisville, also moved into third place in all-time receptions with 170.

• Just this season, Restrepo has soared past Mike Harley (No. 8), Leonard Hankerson (No. 7), Stacy Coley (No. 6) and Lamar Thomas (No. 5) into the top-five in all-time receiving yards at Miami. Restrepo needs 21 yards to pass No. 3 Michael Irvin (2,423), 108 yards to pass No. 2 Reggie Wayne (2,510) and 145 to pass Miami’s all-time leading receiver, Santana Moss (2,547).

• Earlier this season against Florida A&M (104 yards), the eighth 100-yard game of Restrepo’s career moved him past Andre Johnson (1,831) and Allen Hurns (1,891) into 10th place in program history in career receiving yards.

• With his ninth career 100-yard performance in Miami’s win at Cal, Restrepo move past Andre Johnson for the most games with 100 receiving yards by a Cane since 2000. Restrepo, who tied Johnson with a 100-yard game earlier in the season, had already moved past Santana Moss and Phillip Dorsett (7 each) this season.

HEISMAN CANDIDATE SIGNAL CALLER: CAM WARD

• Miami added one of the top quarterbacks in the country in the January transfer window, signing QB Cam Ward after two dominant years at Washington State. Ward, who began his career at FCS program Incarnate Word in 2020, started all 25 games of his Washington State career across 2022 and 2023. He finished his time at Wazzu with 6,963 passing yards and 48 passing touchdowns compared to 16 interceptions, and also added 13 rushing touchdowns in his two years with the Cougars. He is now among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

• At the FBS level, Ward has 18 career performances of 300-or-more passing yards (including seven straight to start this season, the first UM quarterback to ever have seven consecutive 300-yard games). 18 is the fourth-most among active players entering Week 9. He trails only Dillon Gabriel (25), Will Rogers (23) & Seth Henigan (21).

• In a win over USF on Sept. 21, Ward became the 13th player to surpass 15,000 career passing yards in college – he now has 16,414 yards. He became the first ACC player since Miami joined (2004) with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns in each of their first five games and the first Miami quarterback to ever do so.

• Ward’s 1,035 yards through the air in his first three games were the second-most in program history over a three game start to the season, trailing only Craig Erickson’s 1,126 in 1990. He passed Gino Torretta’s 1991 start (989) with 346 in a 62-0 win over Ball State. Ward exited the first four games early with UM sporting substantial leads.

• In his first start as a Hurricane, Ward threw for 385 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 26-for-35 passing in a road win over Florida. The 385 yards were the most by a Hurricane quarterback in the first start of his Miami career in the modern era of Hurricanes Football (since 1979). He added 33 rushing yards on three carries.

• He was the first Miami quarterback to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in a season opener since Ken Dorsey did so at Penn State in 2001. Ward was named ACC Quarterback of the Week and Maxwell Award National Player of the Week for his performance against the Gators. He was also named Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the Week, a member of the Davey O’Brien Award “Great Eight” and a Manning Award Star of the Week.

• He passed for 2,260 yards and an FCS-leading 24 touchdowns against four interceptions with two rushing touchdowns in six games during the shortened 2020–21 FCS season, which was played in spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He won the Jerry Rice Award as the most outstanding freshman in Division I FCS.

• Ward was named the ACC Preseason Player of the Year in a poll of conference media at the league’s annual “ACC Kickoff” event in Charlotte. Before transferring to Washington State, Ward was named Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year in his final year at UIW (2021), totaling 4,648 passing yards and 47 touchdowns.

• A native of West Columbia, Texas – with a population of 3,700 – Ward was a “zero star” recruit out of high school. Though he starred in high school, he threw for only 1,070 yards as a junior and had 12 passing attempts per game as a senior due to the program’s focus on running the football.

• Among active players entering the 2024 season, Cam Ward’s career total yardage of 14,140 at the FBS / FCS level far surpassed No. 2 Will Rogers (11,999), No. 3 Seth Henigan (11,483), No. 4 Grayson McCall (11,118) and No. 5 Shedeur Sanders (10,293). Since 2020, Ward and former Auburn / Oregon QB Bo Nix (14,110) were the only players to have surpassed 14,000 yards of total offense (pass and rush). He added 413 yards Week 1 vs. UF.

UM STARTS 7-0 FOR 3RD TIME SINCE JOINING ACC

• With a 52-45 victory over Louisville last time out, the Hurricanes improved to 7-0 to start the season for the first time since 2017, when they started 10-0. Prior to 2017, the Hurricanes last started a season 7-0 in 2013 (7-0).

• Miami has only started 7-0 three times since joining the ACC – 2013 (7-0), 2017 (10-0) and, now, 2024 (7-0).

MIAMI OFFENSE RANKS #1 IN EXPLOSIVE PLAYS

• Miami is ranked No. 1 in FBS in plays of 20-or-more yards (61) and No. 1 in plays of 10-or-more yards (146). Of the 61 plays of 20-or-more yards, 47 are passing – most in FBS. Of the 146 plays of 10-or-more yards, 106 are passing. The Canes had only 48 passing plays of 20-or-more yards and 129 of 10-or-more pass yards in 2023.

CANES’ SECOND-HALF POINT DIFFERENTIAL KEY

• Miami is ranked No. 3 in FBS in scoring differential in second halves; UM’s +17.14 differential trails only No. 1 Ohio State (+18.17) & No. 2 Indiana (+18.0). UM’s best stanza is the fourth quarter (+9.43) – third-best 4Q in FBS.

GUIDRY’S DEFENSE RANKS FIFTH IN MAYHEM RATE

• Entering Week 9, the Hurricanes rank No. 5 in the nation in “defensive mayhem” – plays on defense featuring a a tackle for loss, an interception or a gained fumble. Miami has a 15.20% mayhem rate on defense; the Hurricanes have a 8.81% sack rate, a 12.59% tackle-for-loss rate and a 4.20% interception rate.

• UM ranks No. 10 in FBS in team sacks (3.29), No. 14 in tackles for loss (7.6) & No. 9 in passes intercepted (10).

WARD HAS BEGUN UM CAREER WITH 300+ STREAK

• Cam Ward became the sixth FBS quarterback since 1996 to open a career at a school with seven straight 300- yard performances, joining Gardner Minshew (11 – WSU), Bailey Zappe (8 – WKU), Michael Penix, Jr. (8 – UW), Chase Holbrook (7 – NM State) & Will Grier (7 – WVU). Syracuse’s Kyle McCord is on a six-game 300-yard streak.

UM RANKS AMONG BEST IN FBS IN “MIDDLE EIGHT”

• In the “middle eight” rankings – which tracks the scoring in the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half, widely considered the most critical juncture of the game – Miami was No. 16 in FBS in the first two years under Mario Cristobal.

• The Hurricanes have remained steady this year; Miami is ranked No. 18 in FBS in middle eight this year (+3.9). From 2014-2019, teams that won the “middle eight” minutes of the game at the FBS level won 74% of the time.

50-BURGER: CANES MAKE IT FOUR GAMES OF 50+

• Miami scored 50 points for the third straight game on Sept. 21, topping USF 50-15. The last time Miami had a season featuring three offensive outputs of at least 50 points was 2001 – when it won the national title. Miami had never scored 50 points in three consecutive games prior to this season. UM is No. 2 in FBS in scoring offense.

• The Hurricanes eclipsed the 50 point mark for the fourth game at Louisville – the first time Miami has ever posted four game performances in a single season in Miami history. The previous high for 50-point UM games was three.

BARON AMONG NATION’S LEADERS IN CAREER TFL

• One of Miami’s most important offseason additions came on the defensive line, when DE Tyler Baron arrived to Coral Gables after an impressive career at Tennessee. Baron enrolled at Louisville for the spring but elected to transfer to the Hurricanes, where he has shined through the first six games of the 2024 season.

• Baron, who has started all seven games, is 10th in career TFLs among active players with 35.0. Baron has 18.0 career sacks – which is tied for the 21st-highest active career total among all FBS players. The Knoxville, Tenn., native started once again and put together only the 10th three-sack game over the last 20 years by a UM player vs. Florida A&M. He was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance vs. the Rattlers.

MIAMI LEADS FBS IN TOTAL OFFENSE, TOP 25 IN D

• Miami is one of just six teams to rank in the top 25 of both total offense (#1) and total defense (#21) entering Week 9 of college football. The Hurricanes rank first in the ACC in both categories – total offense and total defense.

CONTROLLING THE CLOCK: CANES IN TOP 5 IN FBS

• While Miami’s offense has been among the most prolific in the country through the first half of the season, the Hurricanes have also methodically controlled the clock this year. Miami is one of just five teams whose average time of possession is more than 34 minutes per game – 34:09, the fourth-highest mark in all of FBS.

BORREGALES TIED FOR 3RD-MOST FG AT MIAMI

• One of the top kickers in the country for the entirety of his career with the Miami Hurricanes, K Andy Borregales is enjoying a senior year that could leave him atop the Miami record books among the best kickers in history.

• In a win over VT, Borregales kicked a career-long 56-yard field goal just before halftime – it was tied for the fourthlongest field in Miami Hurricanes history. He moved into a tie for third place with his 64th field goal at Louisville.

• Borregales had 10 points at Louisville (one field goal, seven extra points), moving him to 350 career points. Borregales currently trails only Carlos Huerta (397) and Michael Badgley (403) in career points – he ranks third at UM.

• Borregales, whose older brother Jose is the lone Lou Groza Award winner in Miami history (2020), went 22 for 26 on field goals in 2023, tied for the most made kicks in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He converted 44 of his 45 extra point attempts and recorded 46 touchbacks on 73 kickoffs. He was also an All-ACC first-team honoree.

• His 64 career field goals are tied for third-most in Miami history, trailing only Michael Badgley (77) and Carlos Huerta (73); he is tied with Jon Peattie (64). Among active FBS kickers, Borregales is one of just six in the country who have more than 60 career field goals, joining Jonah Dalmas (Boise State – 87), Alex Raynor (Kentucky – 66), John Hoyland (Wyoming – 63), Tyler Hoop (Arizona – 63) and Graham Nicholson (Alabama – 62).

“HURRICANE BAIN” IS BACK AFTER MISSING TIME

• One of the top performers in the nation last season was DL Rueben Bai, Jr., who enjoyed a dominant rookie campaign that resulted in ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. The 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive lineman tallied 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks over 13 games, earning Freshman All-American honors. He was also selected to the All-ACC Third Team. Bain missed four weeks but is back after a soft tissue injury.

• Bain’s uncle, Tolbert Bain, lettered for the Hurricanes from 1984-1987. His older brother, Reggie, is an offensive line graduate assistant. The rising sophomore, who was named to the preseason watch lists for the Bednarik and Lombardi Awards, has a nickname “Hurricane Bain” – a writeup from the Miami Herald on the moniker is below:

• The “Hurricane” started swirling almost 30 years ago, years and years before Rueben Bain was even a thought in his father’s mind and long before the elite edge rusher was one of the crown jewels of the Miami Hurricanes. It all started, fittingly, at “Traz” Powell Stadium in Miami, where Rueben Bain Sr. — just like his son — played his home games and wreaked havoc as a two-way lineman for Carol City. Willie Wilcox, the stadium’s iconic public address announcer, gave him the nickname because of his physicality and tenacity, inspired by the story of wrongfully imprisoned boxer Rubin Carter. It turned out to be something like a premonition from Wilcox. After a solid career with the Chiefs, Bain Sr. graduated, played at Division II Morris Brown College in Atlanta, moved back to Florida, where he started a family. He had a few sons and gave one his own name, and, with it, his own nickname, once Bain Jr. started playing for Miami Central and Wilcox realized who he was. He became the latest in a long line of Bains to star athletically in Miami-Dade County, starting with grandfather Herman Bain, who was a three-sport star at Northwestern. It turns out, Wilcox had something like a premonition…he also embodied the nickname in a way not even his father could, with four state championships in four years, 58 1/2 sacks across his final two seasons at Central and finally a nod as the MaxPreps Florida Player of the Year on Tuesday.” -David Wilson, Miami Herald, December 2022