Is this finally the week the Hurricanes get their left tackle back? What Mario Cristobal said

The Miami Hurricanes appear set, finally, to get their starting left tackle back.

Head coach Mario Cristobal, speaking Monday morning on WQAM’s “The Joe Rose Show,” said Jalen Rivers was “full go” at practice during the team’s bye week and “will be playing Saturday” when the No. 6 Hurricanes (6-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) travel to play the Louisville Cardinals (4-2, 2-1 ACC). Kickoff from L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium is scheduled for noon, with the game televised on ABC.

“He’s an elite leader,” Cristobal said later Monday afternoon. “He’s the most versatile lineman that we have. He plays left [tackle]. He plays right [tackle]. He plays center. He’s an excellent center, as well. So when you think about it, the last couple of weeks, we’ve been down also a center. Thank God we haven’t had an issue where that’s had to come into play. He has seen so much ball. A lot of what a lot of our guys in helping us attain more progress in our program is we’re playing guys that have seen and experienced a lot of football — good and bad, situational football, schematic football, pressure stunts, blitzes and whatnot. Jalen’s eyes have seen [a lot]. He’s a young man, but he’s got old eyes.”

Rivers hasn’t played since Miami’s season opener against Florida while dealing with an undisclosed injury. Junior Markel Bell has started each of the past five games at left tackle in place of Rivers to round out an offensive line that includes Matt McCoy at left guard, Zach Carpenter at center, Anez Cooper at right guard and Francis Mauigoa in right tackle. Cristobal said Bell will still get playing time moving forward even with Rivers set to return.

And Rivers shouldn’t be the the only key player the Hurricanes get back.

Cristobal said defensive end Elijah Alston, who did not play in the win against the Golden Bears, is expected to return this week against Louisville. That would put Miami’s defensive line at full strength after Rueben Bain, the reigning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, returned in the game against Cal.

Night game with FSU

The ACC announced Monday that the Hurricanes’ home game against Florida State on Oct. 26 will kick off at 7 p.m. and be televised on ESPN.

This is the fifth scheduled night game for the Hurricanes in their first eight games of the season. Florida A&M, USF, Virginia Tech and Cal were all night games.

He said it

“There’s buzz in some of the unfamiliar places, but the places that we’ve always gone to, they’re consistent. We were consistent from the day we arrived with our messaging and with our goals, and I think we’ve been we’ve been accepted. We’ve been welcomed because we’ve done that and because we’ve done well by the guys that we’ve brought into our program. We hold ourselves to our word, and we hold players to their word as well. So certainly early progress and success has led to some opportunities that may be happening and we expect more opportunities to come down the line. We love being on the road, whether it be local, whether it be across the country, and we expect to sign another great recruiting class.” — Cristobal on if the team’s success has led to more buzz on the recruiting trail.