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

NO. 10/11 MIAMI (9-1, 5-1 ACC) VS. WAKE FOREST (4-6, 2-4 ACC)

GAMEDAY INFO

Date: Sat., Nov. 23, 2024
Time: 12 p.m. EDT
Location: Miami Gardens, Fla.
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium (65,326)
Television: ESPN
Talent: Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, Quint Kessenich
Radio: 560 WQAM
Talent: Joe Zagacki, Don Bailey, Jr., Josh Darrow
Series History: Miami leads, 8-3
Miami / Miami Gardens: Miami leads, 5-3
Winston-Salem: Miami leads, 3-0
Neutral Site: N/A
Last Meeting: Miami won, 24-21 (Oct. 26, 2013)

GAMEDAY NOTES

QUICK HITS

• The Miami Hurricanes continue their third season under the direction of head coach Mario Cristobal on Sat., Nov. 23 vs. Wake Forest. Kickoff from Hard Rock Stadium is set for 12 p.m. on ESPN.

• Miami is off to a 9-1 start for the first time under Cristobal. The Hurricanes had an open date last week (Nov. 16), but fell to Georgia Tech in their most recent game, 28-23, for their first loss on Nov. 9.

• With two games remaining in the regular season, QB Cam Ward owns UM’s single-season touchdown pass record (32); he had three TDs vs. Georgia Tech.

• Miami will be wearing “DB #40” decals on the back of their helmets to honor College Football Hall of Famer Don Bosseler, who passed away on Nov. 6.

• Saturday’s game against the Demon Deacons also represents Senior Day; 25 Hurricane student-athletes will be honored during pregame ceremonies.

NOTABLE

• Miami is looking to continue its impressive 2024 campaign when it hosts Wake Forest on Saturday, Nov. 23 on Senior Day. 27 Hurricanes will be honored during pregame festivities, including QB Cam Ward, WR Xavier Restrepo, OL Jalen Rivers and LB Francisco Mauigoa.

• 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. 10 in the LBM Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the Associated Press poll on Nov. 17.

• Among Miami’s top newcomers is 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 Hurricanes history throw for 300 yards in seven straight starts. He is considered a Heisman Trophy frontrunner.

THE MATCHUP

• #10/#11 Miami continues the 2024 season – its third under head coach Mario Cristobal – on Sat, Nov. 23 with its final home contest of the season vs. Wake Forest. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. from Hard Rock Stadium on ESPN.

• The Hurricanes lead the all-time series with the Demon Deacons, 8-3, including a 5-3 lead in games played in Miami or Miami Gardens. The two ACC opponents have not met since the 2013 season – a 24-21 victory for UM.

• Miami is looking to post 10 wins in a season for the first time since 2017, when the Hurricanes finished 10-3.

A LOOK BACK: HURRICANES FALTER IN LOSS AT GT

• The Hurricanes staged a fourth-quarter comeback effort, but could not find the necessary late points to complete it, falling to Georgia Tech, 28-23, on Nov. 9 for their first loss of 2024. UM dropped to 9-1 and 5-1 in ACC play.

• With two regular season games remaining, QB Cam Ward has already managed to surpass Miami’s single-season touchdown pass record set by Steve Walsh in 1988 (29); he threw for three touchdowns on 25-for-39 passing with 348 yards and no interceptions in the loss to the Jackets. He has an FBS-leading 32 touchdowns this year.

• WR Xavier Restrepo was among Ward’s favorite targets in Atlanta; with four catches on the day, Restrepo moved into sole possession of the all-time receptions lead for the Hurricanes (186). He added to Miami’s career receiving yardage record with 78 more against Georgia Tech, moving his historic total to 2,651.

• WR Jacolby George finished with seven catches for 88 yards, while WR Isaiah Horton had five catches for 31 yards and one touchdown. RB Damien Martinez had a team-high 81 rushing yards on 14 carries in the loss.

• LB Francisco Mauigoa led Miami with 11 tackles and had one tackles for loss. LB Jaylin Alderman had his best performance as a Hurricane with nine tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, while DL Rueben Bain had eight tackles.

MIAMI IS #9 IN CFP, #10 BY COACHES, #11 IN AP

• Following an open date last time out, Miami moved up two spots to No. 10 (from No. 12) in the LBM Coaches Poll and up one spot to No. 11 (from No. 10) in the Associated Press top 25 rankings released on Nov. 17.

• The Hurricanes checked in at No. 4 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings on Nov. 5, projected as the No. 3 seed as winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. UM dropped to No. 9 in Nov. 12 CFP rankings (No. 3 seed).

• Mario Cristobal’s highest-ranked team as head coach came on Nov. 3, when UM was ranked No. 4 in both polls.

• Following a 56-9 win over Florida A&M on Sept. 7, Miami cracked the AP top 10 for the first time since Dec. 6, 2020 (No. 9). Following Miami’s win over FSU on Oct. 26, UM cracked the AP top 5 for the first time since 2017.

• 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.

• 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 entirety of the 2024 season up to this point.

RECORD-HOLDING ‘X’ HAS BILETNIKOFF IN SIGHT

• With an eight-catch, 146-yard performance vs. Duke on Nov. 2, WR Xavier Restrepo passed Reggie Wayne (2,510) and Santana Moss (2,547) for the most receiving yards in Miami history. He now has 2,651 career yards.

• With four catches against Georgia Tech on Nov. 9, Restrepo also moved past Mike Harley (182) for the most catches in program history. He now has 186 career receptions – including a team-high 55 receptions this year.

• With four catches in Miami’s win over Florida State on Oct. 26, Restrepo moved into second place in career catches, passing Reggie Wayne (173). He moved into a tie with Harley with eight catches in a win over Duke.

• With a six-catch, 99-yard performance vs. USF on Sept. 21, Restrepo became the 10th Hurricane in program history to eclipse 2,000 career receiving yards. Restrepo has more 100-yard games than any UM receiver ever (11).

• In 2024, Restrepo has soared past Mike Harley (No. 8), Leonard Hankerson (No. 7), Stacy Coley (No. 6), Lamar Thomas (No. 5), No. 4 Michael Irvin (2,423), No. 3 Reggie Wayne (2,510) and No. 2 Santana Moss (2,547).

• Earlier in October during Homecoming weekend, Restrepo was tapped into the Iron Arrow Honor Society – the highest achievable honor for a member of the University of Miami community. He is a Biletnikoff Award candidate.

EXCEPT FOR ONE: HEISMAN CANDIDATE 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 2024 Heisman Trophy.

• At the FBS level, Ward has 20 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). 20 is fourth-most among active FBS players, trailing only Dillon Gabriel (25), Will Rogers (23) and Seth Henigan (22).

• Ward (32) now has more touchdown passes than any quarterback in Miami in a single season, surpassing Steve Walsh’s previous UM standard of 29, set in 1988. A fifth-year senior, Ward (17,022) moved past Landry Fields (16,646) for fifth on the NCAA’s all-time, all-division passing yards list in Miami’s win over Duke.

• Ward was named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, honoring the nation’s top offensive player, as well as semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award, honoring the nation’s top quarterback.

• 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.

UM LOOKING FOR FIRST 10-WIN SEASON SINCE ‘17

• With a 52-31 victory over Duke on Nov. 2, the Hurricanes improved to 9-0 to start the season for only the second time since joining the ACC prior to 2004 and first time since 2017, when Miami started the year 10-0.

OFFENSE RANKS #1 IN EXPLOSIVES, 500+ GAMES

• Miami is ranked No. 1 in FBS in plays of 20-or-more yards (79) and No. 1 in plays of 10-or-more yards (199). Of the 79 plays of 20-or-more yards, 64 are passing – most in FBS. Of the 199 plays of 10-or-more yards, 143 are passing – also most in FBS. UM had only 48 passing plays of 20-or-more and 129 of 10-or-more yards in 2023.

• Miami is No. 1 in FBS in games of 500-or-more yards (8), ahead of North Texas (6), Clemson (5) & Ole Miss (5).

MIAMI HAS TOP 2ND-HALF DIFFERENTIAL IN FBS

• Miami is ranked No. 1 in FBS in scoring differential in second halves; UM’s +15.70 scoring difference is ahead of Indiana (+14.70), Ohio State (14.20), Notre Dame (+11.80) and Penn State (11.70) entering Week 13 of 2024.

D STANDING OUT IN MAYHEM PLAYS

• Entering Week 11, the Hurricanes rank No. 17 in the nation in “defensive mayhem” – plays on defense featuring a a tackle for loss, an interception or a gained fumble. Miami has a 13.38% mayhem rate on defense; the Hurricanes have racked up a 7.63% sack rate, a 10.93% tackle-for-loss rate and a 3.98% interception rate in their 9-1 start.

ARROYO ENJOYING CAREER YEAR, TEs SHINING

• A season after the entire group finished with 154 receiving yards and one touchdown in 2023, Miami’s tight ends have emerged as go-to options for QB Cam Ward in 2024. In the season opener vs. Florida, Elijah Arroyo had a career-high 89 yards on four catches, Cam McCormick opened the game’s scoring with his first touchdown as a Hurricane, and freshman Elija Lofton had two catches for 38 yards vs. the host Gators in a lopsided win.

• Through 10 games, Miami’s tight ends have totaled 679 yards on 39 catches with nine touchdown catches. In a win over FSU, Arroyo threw the first touchdown pass of his career on a trick play to Ward. Arroyo ranks fifth on Miami with 20 catches for 403 yards with five touchdowns, which is tied for second-most touchdowns on Miami.

OFFENSE HAS FEWEST “3-&-OUTs”, TOPS IN PPP

• Against FBS competition, Miami’s offense has gone three-and-out on just 4.76% of drives this season, which ranks as the best mark in the country. Only one other team in the nation have a three-and-out percentage of less than 10% on offense – No. 1 Miami (4.76%) and No. 2 LSU (7.84%). The Hurricanes average 3.20 points per possession – the best in FBS – and average 1.58 plays per point, the second-most efficient FBS mark (Indiana, 1.50).

MIAMI LEADS FBS IN TOTAL OFFENSE, NO. 21 IN D

• Miami ranks in the top 25 of both total offense (#1) and total defense (#21) entering Week 13 of college football. In addition to the national ranking, the Canes rank first in ACC in both categories – total offense & total defense.

O-LINE NAMED JOE MOORE AWARD HONOR ROLL

• The Hurricanes’ offensive line was one of 22 groups named to the midseason honor roll for the Joe Moore Award honoring the nation’s top unit. Despite missing two players who started the opener for a stretch of five games, the Hurricanes made the cut for the second straight year. Mario Cristobal’s OL won the award at Alabama in 2015.

CONTROLLING THE CLOCK: CANES TOP 10 IN FBS

• While Miami’s offense has been among the most prolific in the country through the first 10 games of the season, the Hurricanes have also methodically controlled the clock this year. Miami is one of just eight teams whose average time of possession is more than 33 minutes per game – 33:09, the eighth-highest mark in all of FBS.

UM RANKS AMONG TOP IN ACC 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, considered a critical juncture – UM was No. 16 under Mario Cristobal in 2022-2023.

• Miami has remained strong this year; UM is No. 32 in FBS and No. 3 in ACC in middle eight this year (+2.3). 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 FIVE 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. 1 in FBS in scoring offense.

• The Hurricanes eclipsed the 50 point mark for the fourth time at Louisville – the first year Miami has ever posted four game performances in a single season in Miami history. They made it five games with a 52-31 win over Duke.

MIAMI AMONG MOST EFFICIENT SCORING TEAMS

• Even as the nation’s most prolific offense, the Hurricanes have managed an impressive level of efficiency. Against FBS Competition:

• The Hurricanes score points on 59.05% of their offensive possessions – the best-mark in the nation. Miami scores touchdowns on 47.62% of possessions – the second-best mark in all of FBS (Army leads at 48.05% in TD rate).

• Miami’s 4.76% three-and-out percentage on offense is by far the best such mark in the nation.

• The Hurricanes’ 17.14% punt percentage on all offensive drives is the lowest such mark in the nation

• The Hurricanes’ 3.20 points-per-possession average is the best mark in the country. WARD BEGAN MIAMI 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) and Syracuse’s Kyle McCord (7), also this year.

BORREGALES A GROZA CANDIDATE ONCE AGAIN

• 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.

• He moved into sole possession of third place in all-time made field goals at Miami with three field goals vs. Florida State on Oct. 26, and booted another one in a win over Duke on Nov. 2; he is alone in third in FBS among active kickers in career field goals with 69.

• Borregales had five points vs. Georgia Tech (one field goal, three extra points), moving him to 376 career points. Borregales currently trails only Carlos Huerta (397) & Michael Badgley (403) in career points, ranking third at UM.

• In a win over Virginia Tech earlier this season, Borregales kicked a career-long 56-yard field goal just before halftime – it was tied for the fourth-longest field in Miami Hurricanes history.

• 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 69 career field goals are third-most in Miami history, trailing only Michael Badgley (77) and Carlos Huerta (73).

• Among active FBS kickers, Borregales is one of just four in the country who have more than 65 career field goals, joining Jonah Dalmas (Boise State – 90), Alex Raynor (Kentucky – 70) and John Hoyland (Wyoming – 68).