Game Day Notes: Miami Hurricanes vs. North Carolina

MIAMI HURRICANES (2-2, 0-0 ACC)
HEAD COACH: Mario Cristobal (Miami, 1993) | CAREER: 64-62 (11th season) | AT MIAMI: 2-2 (first)

VS.

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (4-1, 1-0 ACC)
HEAD COACH: Mack Brown (Florida State, 1974) | CAREER: 269-140-1 (34th season) | AT UNC: 94-64-1 (14th)

Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022
4 PM ET | ESPN2
Miami Gardens, Fla.
Hard Rock Stadium (65,326)

THE GAME

• Following an open date, the Miami Hurricanes continue their first season under the direction of head coach Mario Cristobal on Sat., Oct. 8 vs. North Carolina at Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff for the Hurricanes’ conference opener, slated for broadcast on ESPN2, is set for 4 p.m. ET.

• The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Dave Pasch (pxp), Dusty Dvoracek (color) and Tom Luginbill (sideline) on the call. Joe Zagacki (pxp) and Don Bailey, Jr. (color) are in the 560 WQAM radio booth for their 21st season together while Josh Darrow manages the sideline duties. Alfredo Alvarez (pxp) and Joe Martinez (color) will carry the game live on WMYM 990AM from Hard Rock Stadium, as will WVUM 90.5 FM.

THE SERIES

• The Hurricanes trail the all-time series with the Tar Heels, 14-11. North Carolina has won three in a row over Miami, including a 45-42 win in 2021.

• Miami leads the all-time series in games played in Miami, 8-7. The Hurricanes’ last win over the Tar Heels was a 47-10 victory at home in 2018.

THE HURRICANES

• After their bye week, the Hurricanes return home for Atlantic Coast Conference opener on Oct. 8, when they play host to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

• Miami fell in its nonconference finale Sept. 24, dropping a home contest with Middle Tennessee at Hard Rock Stadium. UM had an open date on Oct. 1.

• The Miami Hurricanes officially kicked off the Mario Cristobal era Sept. 3, when the Hurricanes topped Bethune-Cookman, 70-13, in their 2022 opener.

• Cristobal, a double alum of the University, was named the 26th head coach in program history by school president Dr. Julio Frenk on Dec. 6, 2021.

• Cristobal returned home after spending the previous four seasons as head coach at Oregon. During his time in Eugene, the Ducks were the only team to play in a Power-5 conference championship game each of his final three years. He led the Ducks to a Rose Bowl win and two Pac-12 titles.

• Cristobal is one of only two active head coaches to have produced a top-10 pick in each of the last three drafts, joining only Alabama’s Nick Saban.

• The first-year Miami head coach drew widespread acclaim for the staff he assembled, which includes reigning Broyles Award winner Josh Gattis as offensive coordinator, longtime coordinator and SEC veteran Kevin Steele as defensive coordinator and Charlie Strong as co-DC/linebackers coach

• Through the first five weeks of the season, the Hurricanes have seen two players earn ACC weekly honors. OL Jalen Rivers was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week following Miami’s win over Bethune-Cookman, while K Andy Borregales was named ACC Specialist of the Week on Sept. 12.

• QB Tyler Van Dyke entered his first full year as a starter with high expectations after earning ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors as a second-year freshman in 2021. Named to nearly every major offensive award preseason watch list, Van Dyke became the first quarterback since Joe Burrow (2019) to record a streak of six straight 300-yard passing games with three-or-more TDs in each of those games.

• TE Will Mallory (Mackey Award), James Williams (Bednarik Award), P Lou Hedley (Ray Guy Award), K Andy Borregales (Lou Groza Award), OL Zion Nelson (Outland) and DL Leonard Taylor (Bronko Nagurski Trophy) were also among those recognized with preseason watch list selections.

• In addition to a talented group of returners, the Hurricanes feature a 2022 recruiting class that finished ranked among the top 15 nationally by every scouting service and a group of newcomers through the transfer portal that includes DL Mitchell Agude (UCLA), DL Jacob Lichtenstein (USC), DL Akheem Mesidor (West Virginia), DL Darrell Jackson (Maryland), DL Antonio Moultrie (UAB), LB Caleb Johnson (UCLA), DB Daryl Porter, Jr. (West Virginia), OL Logan Sagapolu (Oregon), OL Jonathan Denis (Oregon) WR Frank Ladson, Jr. (Clemson) and RB Henry Parrish (Ole Miss).

HURRICANES OPENS ACC PLAY WITH UNC

• Following a bye week, Miami continues its first season under the direction of Mario Cristobal on Saturday, Oct. 8 against North Carolina at Hard Rock Stadium.

• Miami is opening ACC play at home for the second straight year but just the third time in the last nine seasons – it also opened the ACC slate at home in 2018.

• The Hurricanes have played North Carolina every year since joining the ACC prior to 2004 – a stretch of 19 straight seasons.

• Cristobal racked up a 35-13 record and a 22-1 home mark during his four years at Oregon.

1987 NATIONAL CHAMPION REUNION

• The University of Miami will hold an on-field ceremony for the 35-year reunion of the 1987 national champion Miami Hurricanes football team at halftime of the game against North Carolina.

• Under the direction of legendary head coach Jimmy Johnson, the Hurricanes finished 12-0 and capped their season with a 20-14 win over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl to seal their second title in history.

• Over 100 members of the 1987 team – former student-athletes, coaches and staff – are expected to be in attendance for the weekend’s ceremonies.

RADAKOVICH NAMED ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

• Not only were the Hurricanes bolstered by the return of Mario Cristobal, but Miami named longtime Clemson AD Dan Radakovich to the same post in December 2021.

• Radakovich, whose career spans more than 30 years, earned his MBA from the University of Miami in 1982 and worked in the school’s business office from 1983 – 1985.

• Prior to Clemson, Radakovich served as Georgia Tech’s AD from 2006 to 2012, and before that, he was a Senior Associate AD at LSU. Radakovich earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1980.

MIAMI OPENS ACC PLAY WITH TAR HEELS AT HARD ROCK STADIUM

• Miami continues its first season under the direction of head coach Mario Cristobal on Oct. 8 with its first conference game of 2022 – a home showdown with the North Carolina Tar Heels (4 p.m., ESPN2).

• Last time out on Sept. 24, Miami dropped its nonconference finale, 45-31, to Middle Tennessee State.

• Miami has a 10-8 record all-time in ACC openers since joining the conference prior to the 2004 season.

• Cristobal was named the 26th head coach in the history of the program on December 6, 2021 after spending the previous four years at the helm of the Oregon Ducks. Cristobal is a two-time UM alum.

• When he departed Eugene, Cristobal was the only Power-5 head coach to lead his team to three straight conference championship games from 2019-2021. He won two Pac-12 titles, delivered a Rose Bowl to the Ducks and is one of just two active coaches to produce a top-10 pick three straight years.

• Miami is matching up with UNC for the 26th time in history and for the 19th straight year; UNC is riding a three-game win streak in the series. UM’s last win came in 2018, a 47-10 rout at home.

• UM’s game versus the Tar Heels is slated for broadcast on 560 WQAM, Radio Actualidad & WVUM.

A LOOK BACK: MIAMI DROPS NONCONFERENCE FINALE ON SEPT. 24

• The Hurricanes fell in their final nonconference game of 2022, dropping a matchup with the visiting Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, 45-31, at Hard Rock Stadium. UM had a bye week following the game.

• RB Henry Parrish, Jr. led the Canes on the ground with 57 rushing yards on 14 carries (4.1 average).

• WR Frank Ladson had a team-high six grabs for 65 yards – his most at UM – including a 16-yard catch.

• WR Key’Shawn Smith had four catches (81 yards), as did TE Will Mallory (50 yards) for the Canes.

• QB Jake Garcia had 169 yards. QB Tyler Van Dyke started and threw for 138 with one touchdown.

• Miami’s defense was led by LB Corey Flagg, Jr., who had a team-high eight tackles, and S Kam Kinchens, who had his second interception of the season. DE Jahfari Harvey had a pair of TFLs.

RUSH DEFENSE OFF TO STRONG START UNDER STEELE’S DIRECTION

• The Hurricanes are ranked No. 11 in FBS in rushing defense (87.5) and rank second in the league in the same category. Only 22 FBS teams average under 100 rush yards allowed per game, including Miami.

• After conceding nine carries for 53 yards (5.9 average) in the first quarter at Kyle Field in Week 3, Miami allowed 23 rushes to go for just 71 yards (3.1) the rest of the game. In the fourth quarter, Texas A&M ran the ball six times and amassed only nine yards (1.5) in a dominant showing by the Canes.

• The Canes have allowed only 55 first downs on defense this season – No. 3 in FBS and No. 1 in ACC.

• The Hurricanes defense ranks No. 3 in the ACC and No. 40 in FBS in third down conversion percentage.

CRISTOBAL ASSEMBLED SUPERSTAR STAFF HEADING INTO FIRST YEAR

• Among the many storylines of the offseason was Mario Cristobal’s staff assembly in Coral Gables, where the Hurricanes added some familiar faces from South Florida to a staff with national ties.

• Cristobal pulled the reigning Broyles Award winner (top assistant coach) Josh Gattis from Michigan, where the OC helped lead the Wolverines to their first College Football Playoff appearance in 2021.

• Boasting over 40 years of experience including stints as defensive coordinator at Clemson, Auburn and LSU, Kevin Steele joined Cristobal’s staff as DC. Longtime head coach Charlie Strong is Co-DC.

• Frank Ponce and Alex Mirabal, two Miami natives, moved back home to join Cristobal’s staff as well.

• The impressive nature of Cristobal’s staff build-out was not restricted to just full-time assistants; NFL Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor is a quality control analyst, longtime NFL personnel director and UM alum Alonzo Highsmith was named General Manager of Football Operations.

• Between Taylor and senior football advisor Ed Reed, Miami has two Pro Football Hall of Fame members who combined for 15 Pro Bowl nods, 12 All-Pro picks and eight First Team All-Pro plaudits.

A RAY GUY AWARD CANDIDATE, HEDLEY OFF TO DAZZLING START

• A 2020 Ray Guy Award finalist and a 2022 Preseason First Team All-ACC pick, Lou Hedley is off to a dazzling start. The sixth-year standout has UM at second in the ACC in both yards per punt (46.0) and net yards per punt (45.3), posting zero touchbacks. The 45.3 mark puts Miami second in the country.

• Hedley would rank No. 2 in ACC in punting and No. 9 in FBS but does not qualify with only six punts.

• A sixth-year redshirt senior, Hedley was a 2020 Ray Guy Award finalist and a 2021 semifinalist. In the former year, he was also an Associated Press Second Team All-American. He was named a semifinalist for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy honoring the sport’s top scholar athlete in late September.

• The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder from Mandurah, Australia, Hedley is a two-time Second Team All-ACC designee. He has averaged 45.2 yards per punt over his three seasons, tallying at least one 60-yarder each year and a high mark of 67. Last year, he sent 40.4 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard-line.

PARRISH JOINED ELITE GROUP WITH THIRD STRAIGHT GAME OF 85+

• Henry Parrish, Jr., amassed 85-plus rushing yards in each of his first three games as a Hurricane. This was just the sixth time since the turn of the century (2000-present) a Miami Hurricane has hit 85 yards in each of the first three games of a season, as Parrish joined DeeJay Dallas (2019), Mark Walton (2016), Duke Johnson (2014), Lamar Miller (2011) and Frank Gore (2003) to accomplish the feat.

• He ranks No. 4 in the ACC in rushing yards per game (89.75) and No. 6 in the ACC in rush attempts (67.

• Parrish, Jr., who returned home to Miami after spending the first two years of his career at Ole Miss, rushed for 108 yards and three touchdowns on just 14 carries in the opener. The 108 yards marked the second-highest total of his career, while the three scores set a new mark – his previous high was two.

• Parrish, Jr. bested himself against Southern Miss, rushing for 109 yards with one touchdown in a 30-7 win on Sept. 10. Outside of Parrish, no other Miami player this century (2000-pres.) has opened his career as a Hurricane by rushing for 100-plus yards in the team’s opening two games of a season

• Parrish, Jr., rushed 16 times for 85 yards last time out at Texas A&M, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

• In his two years with the Rebels, the Miami native totaled more than 1,000 all-purpose yards. He was a four-star prospect who rushed for more than 4,600 yards in an illustrious high school career.

• Miami’s game vs. Bethune-Cookman made it three consecutive years where Miami has had a game with two players scoring at least two rushing TDs. That hadn’t happened since 2013 before 2020.

VAN DYKE MAKING FIRST ACC START OF 2022, 14TH START OF CAREER

• Named to nearly every offensive award major preseason watch list, QB Tyler Van Dyke is poised for another big season after putting together an ACC Rookie of the Year campaign at Miami in 2021.

• Van Dyke became the third Miami Hurricane to win both ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, joining Hurricanes QB Brad Kaaya (2014) and RB Duke Johnson (2012).

• Van Dyke took over starting duties three games into the season and ended the year by throwing for 2,931 yards, 25 passing touchdowns and just six interceptions. He completed 62.3 percent of passes.

• In the season opener vs. Bethune-Cookman, Van Dyke extended his streak of throwing multiple TDs to seven consecutive games. For the fifth time during that stretch, Van Dyke threw zero interceptions.

• Van Dyke’s streak of seven straight games with multiple touchdown passes ended vs. Southern Miss.

MIAMI IMPRESSING ON THIRD DOWN FOUR GAMES INTO SEASON

• Miami ranks No. 4 in the ACC and No. 27 in the nation with a 48.3 percent third-down conversion.

• The success is not limited to the offensive side of the ball; Miami is No. 3 in the ACC in third down conversion percentage defense (.333), ranking No. 40 overall in the stat category in FBS. The 55 first downs the Hurricanes have allowed on defense are the third-fewest in FBS and fewest in the ACC.

WILLIAMS CONTINUED ASCENT WITH STRONG GAME VS TEXAS A&M

• A former five-star recruit who made his presence felt in 2021, second-year safety James Williams was named to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award honoring the nation’s top defensive player.

• The second-year standout ranks second on Miami with 19 total tackles and has started all four games.

• Williams continued his ascent into one of the nation’s premier defensive backs against Texas A&M in College Station. He totaled a team-high seven tackles, including six solos, and defended two passes.

• Williams became the fourth Hurricane—fifth occurrence—in the last 10 seasons, including the second on the road, to notch seven takedowns and two breakups in the same game, joining Kamren Kinchens (11/6/21 vs. Georgia Tech), Te’Cory Couch (9/20/21 vs. Virginia and 12/20/20 vs. Oklahoma State) and Shaquille Quarterman (10/26/19 at Pittsburgh); no Miami player had managed to do so from 2013-18.

• Williams appeared in all 10 games for which he was healthy in 2022, making seven starts and finishing with 31 tackles and a team-best two interceptions. Williams was one of only 15 ACC players on the list.

• The south Florida native recorded an interception and finished and had three tackles in the opener.

• Williams enjoyed a breakout year as an All-ACC Honorable Mention selection, headlining a secondary that included fellow first-year players Kam Kinchens and Avantae Williams in the safety rotation.

• The Hurricanes will be coached be secondary coach Jahmile Addae, whose Georgia Bulldogs unit ranked No. 13 in the nation in pass defense in 2021 and checked in as the No. 1 scoring defense.

• Addae’s 2020 unit at West Virginia ranked No. 1 nationally in fewest passing yards allowed per game.

• Williams and Leonard Taylor III both signed with Miami in 2021 as five-star recruits, marking the first five-star pair to join the Hurricane in the same year since Duke Johnson and Tracy Howard in 2012.

MIAMI ALREADY IMPROVED IN RED ZONE DEFENSE FOUR WEEKS IN

• After conceding a red-zone score all but twice in 2021 (37-of-39), Miami has already surpassed that number in 2022. Miami has allowed 10 red-zone trips, giving up points on seven of them.

• The Hurricanes allowed just one touchdown in the red zone versus Bethune-Cookman (Sept. 3), Southern Miss (Sept. 10) & Texas A&M (Sept. 17) combined through the first three games of 2022.

MALLORY SHOWED OUT VS. A&M, COULD HAVE #TIGHTENDU RECORDS

• After the announcement of Mario Cristobal’s appointment as head coach at The U, a number of student-athletes elected to return for their final year of eligibility rather than train for the NFL Draft.

• One of Miami’s most important returnees is TE Will Mallory, who was among Miami’s top offensive performers a season ago. Mallory set career marks in catches (30), yards (347), starts (12) and longest reception (57) last year, while also matching his career mark for touchdowns in a season (four).

• The Mackey Award candidate had his best game yet versus Texas A&M: six catches for 56 yards.

• The veteran tight end, named to the Mackey Award honoring the nation’s top performer at the position, is Miami’s co-leader in receptions (12) and ranks fourth on the team in receiving yards (127).

• Mallory started the season opener and had two catches totaling 21 yards in the 70-13 win on Sept. 3.

• Mallory needs 36 receptions, 620 yards and three touchdowns to set the Miami records for a tight end.

• The Jacksonville native’s accomplishments are even more impressive given the history of tight ends at Miami, an alumni group that includes Jeremy Shockey, Greg Olsen, Bubba Franks, David Njoku and Jimmy Graham. Mallory was named a candidate to watch for the Mackey Award as the top tight end.

RESTREPO ENJOYED FAST START BEFORE SUFFERING FOOT INJURY

• WR Xavier Restrepo turned in the finest game of his Miami career in the opener, catching all five balls thrown his way to finish with 100 yards and a touchdown. It was the first 100-yard game of his career. – Before suffering an injury before Miami’s game against Texas A&M, Xavier Restrepo was off to a fast start to begin 2022. The third-year sophomore wide receiver was averaging 86.0 yards per game, which was good for the fourth-best mark in the ACC. Only eight players in the league had 60-plus yards per contest. At the time of his injury, Restrepo was also tied for fourth in ACC with 11 catches.

• Restrepo, who started and was a team captain vs. B-CU, caught a career-long 52-yard pass.

• Restrepo totaled 24 catches for 373 yards and two touchdowns as a second-year freshman in 2021. Among Miami’s team leaders on offense, Restrepo had emerged as a primary offensive target for UM.

BROTHERLY LOVE: BORREGALES CARRYING ON FAMILY LEGACY AT UM

• A year after his older brother Jose became the first Lou Groza Award winner in program history, Andres “Andy” Borregales earned starting placekicker responsibilities as a true freshman in 2021.

• Andy went on to earn All-ACC Honorable Mention honors in a 2021 season where he connected on 17-of-21 field goal attempts and a perfect 45-of-45 extra point attempts. He was 5-6 of kicks longer than 40.

• Borregales has been impressive to begin 2022. He is 7-9 on field goal attempts and a perfect 17-17 on extra point attempts for a team-leading 38 points through the team’s first four games of the season.

• The Miami native has a long field goal of 48 yards this year and is 5-7 on field goals between 30-49 yards.

• The younger Borregales nailed a 55-yard kick in 2021 that was the longest ever by a UM freshman.

• Jose was Miami’s first consensus All-America since 2004 in his lone season at The U, finishing 20-for-22 on field goal attempts and a perfect 37-for-37 on extra point attempts. He passed on #30 to Andy.

IT STARTS IN THE TRENCHES – WHERE MIAMI HAS LOADS OF EXPERIENCE

• One of Mario Cristobal’s focal points has been in building Miami’s depth and ability in the trenches, and the Hurricanes return and add a number of key players at the line of scrimmage for 2022.

• Miami has three players who each have more than 30 starts on the offensive line: Zion Nelson (32 career starts), Jakai Clark (35) and DJ Scaife (44). In addition, the Hurricanes return several other played who have started, including Justice Oluwaseun, Jalen Rivers, Ousman Traore and John Campbell.

• On the defensive line, some of Miami’s most experienced players arrive via the transfer portal, including AllBig 12 defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor (West Virginia), defensive end Mitchell Agude (UCLA), secondyear defensive tackle Darrell Jackson (Maryland), south Florida native and longtime USC defensive lineman Jacob Lichtenstein and defensive lineman Antonio Moultrie (UAB).