Game Day Notes: Miami Hurricanes vs. Southern Miss

Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022
12 PM ET | ACC Network
Miami Gardens, Fla.
Hard Rock Stadium (65,326)

16/#17 MIAMI HURRICANES (1-0, 0-0 ACC)

HEAD COACH: Mario Cristobal (Miami, 1993) | CAREER: 63-60 (11th season) | AT MIAMI: 1-0 (first)

VS.

SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES (0-1, 0-0 SBC)

HEAD COACH: Will Hall (North Alabama, 2003) | CAREER: 59-30 (eighth season) | AT SOUTHERN MISS: 3-10 (second)

THE GAME

• The #16/#17 Miami Hurricanes continue their first season under the direction of head coach Mario Cristobal on Sat., Sept. 10 vs. Southern Miss at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Kickoff for the Hurricanes’ second game, slated for broadcast on ACC Network, is set for 12 p.m. ET.

• The game will be broadcast on ACC Network with Chris Cotter (pxp), Mark Herzlich (color) and Lericia Harris (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

• Saturday’s game against the Golden Eagles at Hard Rock Stadium marks the first-ever head-to-head matchup between the two football programs.

THE HURRICANES

• The Miami Hurricanes officially opened the Mario Cristobal era Sept. 3, when the Hurricanes topped Bethune-Cookman, 70-13, at Hard Rock Stadium.

• Miami amassed all but 15 possible offensive yards against Bethune-Cookman. It scored a touchdown on nine of its 11 drives, while another one ended at the opposing six-yard-line and the final drive ended at the nine-yard-line when the game clock expired. Miami’s defense also scored a touchdown.

• 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 linebackers coach

• Miami was ranked #16 in the Associated Press preseason top 25 and #17 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll released earlier in August.

• QB Tyler Van Dyke enters 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.

• Van Dyke was tabbed to the watch lists for the Davey O’Brien Award, the Manning Award, the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp POY Award

• 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).

CANES HOST SOUTHERN MISS ON SEPT. 10

• #16/#17 Miami continues its highly anticipated first season under the direction of Mario Cristobal on Saturday, Sept. 10 against Southern Miss. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. on ACC Network.

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

• Miami maintained its unbeaten streak in home openers that dates to 2006, having emerged victorious in its last 16, with a 70- 13 win over Bethune-Cookman in its 2022 opener at Hard Rock Stadium on Sept. 3.

• Miami has never lost a home opener at Hard Rock Stadium, racking up an impressive 15-0 record in openers at the facility since moving there in 2008.

VAN DYKE ONE TO WATCH ENTERING ’22

• One of the nation’s top returning quarterbacks resides in Coral Gables, as QB Tyler Van Dyke prepares for his first full season as a starter in 2022.

• The reigning ACC Rookie of the Year, Van Dyke was voted ACC Rookie of the Week five of the final six weeks of the 2021 regular season, when he stepped in admirably after a season-ending injury to starting QB D’Eriq King.

• Van Dyke threw for more than 300 yards and at least three touchdowns in his final six games of 2021, becoming the first collegiate quarterback to compile such a streak since Joe Burrow did so in his Heisman Trophy campaign of 2019.

RADAKOVICH NAMED ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

• Not only were the Hurricanes bolstered by the return of Mario Cristobal, but Miami named longtime Clemson Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich to the same point this past December.

• 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.

#16/#17 MIAMI MATCHES UP WITH SOUTHERN MISS FOR FIRST TIME

• #16/#17 Miami continues its first season under the direction of head coach Mario Cristobal on Sat., Sept. 10 vs. Southern Miss. Kickoff for the matchup is slated for a 12 p.m. broadcast on ACC Network.

• 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.

• The Hurricanes are matching up with the Golden Eagles for the first time in program history.

• UM’s game versus Southern Miss is slated for broadcast on 560 WQAM, Radio Actualidad & WVUM.

A LOOK BACK: MIAMI DOMINATES WILDCATS, 70-13, IN SEASON OPENER

• The Hurricanes improved to 6-0 all-time against Bethune-Cookman in its season opener on Sept. 3.

• Miami amassed all but 15 possible offensive yards against the Wildcats in its 70-13 win at Hard Rock Stadium. It scored a touchdown on nine of its 11 drives, while another one ended at the opposing sixyard- line. The Hurricanes’ final drive ended at the nine-yard-line when the game clock expired.

• The Hurricanes logged three interceptions in the win against Bethune-Cookman, with one each by Gilbert Frierson, Kamren Kinchens and James Williams. It marked the second time in the last four years Miami had three interceptions in a game, joining the 9/26/20 matchup with Florida State.

• WR Xavier Restrepo turned in the finest game of his career in Miami’s season opener, catching all five balls thrown his way to finish with 100 yards and a touchdown. It was Restrepo’s first 100-yard game.

• QB Jake Garcia went 8-for-8 in Miami’s win over B-CU. He became the first Hurricane quarterback this century (2000-pres.) to complete seven-plus passes in a game without an incompletion.

• Saturday marked the third time this century (2000-pres.) Miami logged 300-plus yards both rushing and passing in the same game. It is the second season in a row the Hurricanes have achieved that feat, as they last did so on 9/25/21 versus Central Connecticut State (322 rushing & 417 passing). Previously, Miami hit those numbers on 9/21/13 against Savannah State (324 rushing & 313 passing).

PARRISH, JR. DELIVERS IMPRESSIVE DEBUT, SCORES THREE TDs IN WIN

• In the win over Bethune-Cookman, for the first time this century (2000-pres.), the Hurricanes logged seven rushing touchdowns. Four different Hurricanes combined to run the ball into the end zone, including three alone from Henry Parrish, Jr., who started the game and was making his UM debut.

• 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. The 108 yards marked the secondhighest total of his career, while the three touchdowns set a new mark – his previous high was two.

• 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.

• Saturday made it three consecutive years where Miami has had a game with two players scoring at least two rushing TDs in the same game. Before that, Miami hadn’t had such a game since 2013.

VAN DYKE HAS THROWN MULTIPLE TOUCHDOWNS IN SEVEN STRAIGHT

• 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 win over Bethune-Cookman, Van Dyke extended his streak of throwing multiple TDs to seven consecutive games. Additionally, for the fifth time during that stretch, he threw zero interceptions.

RESTREPO HITS TRIPLE DIGITS IN SEASON OPENER VERSUS WILDCATS

• 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.

• Restrepo , who started and was a team captain, caught a career-long 52-yard pass in the victory.

• Restrepo totaled 24 catches for 373 yards and two touchdowns as a second-year freshman in 2021.

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 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.

• 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.

MALLORY RETURNS, COULD SET CAREER RECORDS AT #TIGHTENDU

• 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).

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

• Mallory needs 46 receptions, 726 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.

HOME SWEET HOME OPENERS: MIAMI BACK AT HARD ROCK STADIUM

• The Miami Hurricanes opened their 15th season at world-class Hard Rock Stadium on Sept. 3 vs. Bethune-Cookman; UM holds a 15-0 all-time mark in home openers at the stadium, having outscored opponents 689-119 for an average margin of victory of 38.0 points in those 15 home openers.

• The Hurricanes have not lost a home opener since 2006, when they fell to Florida State 13-10 at the Orange Bowl on Sept. 4, 2006. Miami has won 15 straight home openers since – each one since 2007.

• Since joining the ACC prior to the 2004 season, Miami has played a conference opponent in only three of its 19 home openers: Florida State twice (in 2004 and 2006) and Georgia Tech once (2009).

• In the modern era of Miami Hurricanes football (since 1979), UM has opened the season at home 18 times and is 16-2 in those games. The Hurricanes are 32-12 in regular season openers dating to 1979.

WILLIAMS RECORDED PICK IN OPENER VERSUS BETHUNE-COOKMAN

• 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.

• 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 BOASTS TALENTED RUNNING GAME, RUSHED FOR 305 IN GAME 1

• RB Henry Parrish, Jr., and RB Jaylan Knighton were listed as co-starters for Miami’s season opener.

• Though Knighton missed the game with a soft tissue injury, the Hurricanes managed to total 305 yards on the ground and scored seven rushing touchdowns in a dominant 70-13 win on Sept. 3.

• After a season-ending leg injury to Miami’s starting running back in 2021, Knighton assumed the starting responsibility and delivered a strong first season as a primary running back.

• In just 17 games, Knighton has totaled 770 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, 415 receiving yards and four receiving scores. He has totaled 1,303 all-purpose yards in his 17 games (76.6/game).

• He was nicknamed ‘Rooster’ by former Pop Warner football coach named Dave Williams for his reddish hair in a mohawk style as a kid, Knighton was a consensus four-star prospect in high school.

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 (31) and DJ Scaife (31). In addition, the Hurricanes return several other played who have started, including Justice Oluwaseun, Jalen Rivers and John Campbell.

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