Canes Ready for New Opportunity at Duke
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Every Saturday presents a new opportunity and the Miami Hurricanes are eager to make the most of their next one.
Coming off a 30-24 loss last time out vs. FIU at Marlins Park, the Canes will play their final game of the regular season against ACC Coastal foe Duke at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C., on Saturday.
“We’ve got a challenge going up to Duke,” head coach Manny Diaz said. “It is imperative for our guys to come together and find a way, to as much as possible, put last Saturday behind us.”
Saturday’s regular season finale is set for 3:30 p.m., but the Hurricanes have been hard at work preparing for their meeting against Duke since the returned to the Greentree Practice Fields on Sunday.
“Just coming back from last week, we’re just trying to restart and work,” wide receiver K.J. Osborn said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys on offense, but what coach talked about this week is work and energy. Come back in, restart and we work our butts off. That’s what we do here at Miami. That doesn’t change.”
Miami carries a dominant 13-3 all-time series lead against the Blue Devils, including a 7-1 lead in games of the series played in Durham, N.C. Since joining the ACC in 2004, Miami has played Duke 14 times and carries a 12-2 lead; UM has won back-to-back games in Durham (2015, 2017). While the Blue Devils have won just four games, the Hurricanes know better than to take them lightly.
“It doesn’t matter about a losing record,” running back Cam’Ron Harris said. “Duke will come to play against us and we will be ready.”
Wallace Wade Stadium is a familiar location for the Canes, having won seven of eight contests on Duke’s home field. The site was host to one of the most well-known endings in sports history in 2015, an eight-lateral play as time expired that gave UM a 30-27 win.
“We respect every opponent,” defensive lineman Pat Bethel said. “They have some stuff they do very well, so we have to make sure we respect that. But the main thing is just playing our football.”
Duke is under the direction of head coach David Cutcliffe, who is in his 13th year at the helm in Durham and his 19th season as a head coach overall. The Blue Devils offense is led by quarterback Quentin Harris (15 touchdown passes, five touchdown rushes) and tight end Noah Gray (49 catches, three touchdowns).
“I think they’re a good offense and we need to take them seriously,” defensive lineman Gregory Rousseau said. “Just go out there and play our best game.”
Since joining the ACC prior to 2004, Miami has traveled to the Tar Heel State on 22 occasions and has compiled a 14-8 record in games played in the state and a 13-7 mark in ACC games. The Hurricanes have played 20 games that count towards ACC standings in N.C. and two that haven’t; one was a 45-10 win over Appalachian State in 2017, the other a loss to Clemson for the 2017 ACC title. The Hurricanes have averaged 30.41 points per game in its 22 trips to the state since the 2004 season.
Duke’s defense is led by senior linebacker Koby Quansah (100 total tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss) and junior defensive end Victor Dimujeke (41 tackles, 8.5 sacks). The duo leads on and off the field and helps instill a toughness to the Blue Devils’ defense that Miami will need to be ready for.
“They’re a really good team,” tight end Will Mallory said. “They hustle. They’re a tough team. We’ve been watching them on film and it’s going to be a good game. We’ve just got to go out there and play our best. It’s going to be a physical one, for sure.”
After the let down against FIU a week ago, the Hurricanes have come together and regrouped. They have focused their attention on creating a better future for themselves and the program.
“We’ve got to learn from it and learn a lesson from it and move on, but at the same time we’re not going to dwell on it and keep thinking about FIU,” Rousseau said. “What does FIU have to do with next year or the whole offseason when we are working hard, or Duke or the bowl game? It has nothing to do with it. We’ve got to move on and live in the now.”
“I feel like there is true growth happening in this program,” safety Amari Carter said. “It’s just a testament to coach Diaz. This past week has been hard, but I wouldn’t trade coach Diaz for no head coach in this country. He’s leading this program the way it needs to be led. Everyone is behind him, all the coaches and all the players. We’re buying in to the program and what this program means and what it stands for. We’re just trying to grow from what we’re learning.”
Saturday will be the first opportunity to see if Miami’s words are followed by the actions necessary to prove they are growing and building.
“We’re not going to take them lightly,” Rousseau said. “We’re going to go up there, play hard to the best of our ability and we’re going to try to get a W.”
