Miami Hurricanes at Florida Gators: How to watch, start time, game notes & more
By CaneSport.com Staff,
4 hours ago
The Miami Hurricanes are set to kick off the 2024 season at 3:30 p.m. this afternoon at Florida , and behind a revamped roster with 41 new faces hopes are high UM can make a run at the ACC title game and playoffs. We will learn a lot about this new version of Mario Cristobal’s team this afternoon.
How to watch?
You can watch the game scheduled for kickoff at 3:30 p.m. in Gainesville on ABC TV with Joe Tessitore (play by play), Jesse Palmer (analyst) and Katie George (reporter).
The game also will be broadcast on 560AM (Joe Zagacki play by play & Don Bailey, Jr. color) as well as on americaradio 1260 AM and WVUM 90.5 FM.
MIAMI AT FLORIDA GAME INFO
NO. 19/19 MIAMI HURRICANES (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
HEAD COACH: Mario Cristobal; CAREER: 74-73 (13th season); AT MIAMI: 12-13 (third season)
AT
FLORIDA GATORS (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
HEAD COACH: Billy Napier; CAREER 51-26 (27-5 Sun Belt, 7th season ); AT FLORIDA: 11-14 (6-10 SEC) (third season)
Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 3:30 PM ET | ABC
Gainesville, Fla. / Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field (88,548)
MIAMI AT FLORIDA: CANESPORT CONTENT
OPINION: 5 keys for the Miami Hurricanes to emerge with a win in the season opener at Florida
Countdown to Kickoff Show: Miami Hurricanes at Florida
Miami Hurricanes QB Cam Ward after Wednesday’s practice: “We are going to rise to the occasion”
ANALYSIS: The top 5 Gators players that the Miami Hurricanes need to be wary of
Analysis: Miami Hurricanes vs Florida… who has the edge
Florida offense in-depth preview: What Miami is up against
CaneSport Rewind: CaneSport Live
Miami Hurricanes LB Francisco Mauigoa talks helmet communication role, Florida challenge
Key takeaways from the Miami Hurricanes Monday coaches press conference
Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson ready to unveil attack that features a lot of new faces
From the other sideline: What Florida head coach Billy Napier is saying about the Miami Hurricanes
OPINION: Under the radar players on the Miami Hurricanes offense
OPINION: Under the radar players on the Miami Hurricanes defense
CaneSport Roundtable: Predicting Miami’s win-loss record in 2024, game by game
Florida defense in-depth preview: What Miami is up against
Game week questions and answers with CaneSport publisher Gary Ferman
OPINION: Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida Gators is a must-win game for Billy Napier AND Mario Cristobal
5 bold predictions for the Miami Hurricanes
Over a dozen recruits the Hurricanes and Gators are battling over expected in Gainesville
Hurricanes top flip target to keep close eye on Miami, Florida in rivalry matchup
The Inside Scoop: Recruiting battles brewing ahead of Miami-Florida matchup
MIAMI AT FLORIDA GAME NOTES
THIS AND THAT
• The Miami Hurricanes open their 2024 campaign with a true nonconference road game for the first time since 2001 when they travel to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to take on the host Florida Gators on Aug. 31. Kickoff for the in-state rivalry matchup is set for 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC).
• Bolstered by the addition of several impressive newcomers and anchored by a talented group of returning veterans, the Hurricanes are ranked in the top 25 of both preseason polls – checking in at No. 19 in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and Associated Press rankings.
• Among Miami’s top newcomers is QB Cam 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. Ward was also named to the preseason watch list for nearly every major offensive award, including the Maxwell Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Davey O’Brien Award.
• Miami is making its first road trip to Gainesville since 2008 and is opening the season with a true road game for the first time since 2014 (at Louisville).
• Since joining the ACC prior to the 2004 season, Miami has never opened a season with a true nonconference road game; UM has opened with neutral site games in 2018 (vs. LSU in Arlington, Texas), 2019 (Florida in Orlando) and 2021 (Alabama in Atlanta).
• Cristobal’s lone matchup vs. Florida as a head coach came in 2009 when he was at the helm at FIU.
• Cristobal and Florida coach Billy Napier were on the same Alabama staff from 2013-2016, when Cristobal was in charge of the Tide’s offensive line and Napier led the program’s wide receivers.
THE MATCHUP
• #19/#19 Miami kicks off its 2024 season – its third under head coach Mario Cristobal – on Saturday, August 31 against the host Florida Gators. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.
• Miami carries a slight 29-27 advantage in the head-to-head series, but the two teams have met only once in the last decade – a 24-20 Florida win in a neutral-site showdown in Orlando, Fla., back in 2019.
• The Hurricanes carry a 12-9 lead in games played in Gainesville, but have not been to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since 2008 – a 26-3 Florida win. Miami’s last road win in the series came in 2002 (41-16) and its last overall win came in 2013 (21-16) at home. UF is scheduled to visit Hard Rock Stadium in 2025.
CANES OPEN PRESEASON RANKED IN TOP 25
• Bolstered by the addition of several impressive newcomers and anchored by a talented group of returning veterans, the Hurricanes are ranked in the top 25 of both preseason polls – checking in at No. 19 in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and Associated Press rankings.
• The Hurricanes were not ranked in the 2023 preseason polls, but were ranked in the 2022 preseason polls in Cristobal’s first year as head coach, checking in at No. 16 in that year’s coaches poll and No. 17 in the AP top 25.
• 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).
NEW HURRICANES SIGNAL CALLER: QB 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 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.
• Among active players entering the 2024 season, Cam Ward’s career total yardage of 14,140 at the FBS / FCS level far surpasses No. 2 Will Rogers (11,999), No. 3 Seth Henigan (11,483), No. 4 Grayson McCall (11,118) and No. 5 Shedeur Sanders (10,293). Since 2020, Ward and former Auburn / Oregon QB Bo Nix (14,110) are the only players to have surpassed 14,000 yards of total offense (pass and rush).
CANES PLACE FIVE ON PRESEASON ALL-ACC TEAM
• No team placed more players on the ACC’s preseason all-conference football team than the Hurricanes, who saw five individuals recognized with the distinction.
• Highlighting the list was QB Cam Ward, who was named Preseason Player of the Year. Joining Ward were WR Xavier Restrepo, DL Rueben Bain, Jr., LB Francisco Mauigoa and K Andy Borregales. Ward earned 71 of a possible 170 votes for Preseason ACC Player of the Year.
• Restrepo delivered one of the best seasons by a Miami wide receiver in program history a year ago, starting all 13 games. He set the program single-season record with 85 catches and posted just the sixth 1,000-yard campaign in Miami history with 1,092 yards and six touchdowns
• Bain Jr., the reigning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, dominated his competition in his first season of collegiate action in 2023. Bain was a consensus Freshman All-America last fall, posting 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.
• An All-ACC Second Team pick in 2023, Mauigoa started all 13 games and led Miami with 82 tackles. Mauigoa posted a team-best 18 tackles for loss to go along with 7.5 tackles for sacks in his first campaign in the orange and green after two seasons at Washington State.
• Borregales served as Miami’s primary placekicker for the third straight year last season and earned first-team All-ACC honors for the first time. He was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, finishing 22-for-26 on field goal attempts and 44-for-45 on extra point attempts.
TRIO OF WIDE RECEIVERS WILL LEAD ON OFFENSE
• The Miami Hurricanes were the only team in the nation to have three players named to the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, honoring the nation’s top pass-catcher: WR Sam Brown, WR Jacolby George and WR Xavier Restrepo.
• The trio has garnered preseason praise, and with good reason: since 1997, there have only been five other instances of an FBS team entering a season with three players who each had 800 receiving yards the year prior: 2010 Houston James Cleveland (1,214), Tyron Carrier (1,029), Patrick Edwards (1,021) 2008 Tulsa Brennan Marion (1,244), Trae Johnson (1,088), Charles Clay (1,024) 2006 Texas Tech Joel Filani (1,007), Robert Johnson (951), Jarrett Hicks (850) 2002 Marshall Darius Watts (1,417), Josh Davis (961), Denero Marriott (800) 2000 Louisiana Tech Delwyn Daigre (1,084), Sean Cangelosi (943), James Jordan (824)
• Restrepo delivered one of the best campaigns by a wide receiver in Miami history a season ago, setting a program single-season record with 85 receptions. An All-ACC First Team selection, Restrepo tallied 1,092 yards and six touchdowns, as part of only the sixth 1,000-yard season by a pass-catcher in UM history.
• George enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Hurricanes in 2023, ranking third in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a career-high 864 receiving yards. The All-ACC Third Team pick finished with 57 catches and registered a team-high eight receiving touchdowns, highlighted by a three-score performance against No. 23 Texas A&M.
• Brown — who spent the past two seasons at Houston — totaled 1,286 receiving yards with the Cougars. In 2023, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound wideout posted 62 receptions, 815 yards and three touchdowns for Houston.
MAUIGOA BROTHERS KEY TO MIAMI’S SUCCESS
• Brothers Francisco and Francis Mauigoa spent their first seasons in Coral Gables together in 2023 and delivered an immediate impact for the Hurricanes.
• Francisco, who goes by “Kiko,” was a second-team All-ACC linebacker after startingall 13 games and leading UM in tackles with 82. He also ranked among the top players nationally with 18.0 tackles for loss and had 7.5 sacks.
• Francis, who goes by “Sisi,” entered the season as a five-star high school prospect and delivered on his potential as a Freshman All-America at right tackle. He started all 13 games and was a key member of a group named to the midseason honor roll for the Joe Moore Award, honoring the nation’s top offensive line unit.
• The elder Mauigoa, who spent the first two seasons of his career at Washington State before transferring ahead of his junior season, switched from jersey #51 to #1 prior to this year. His 18.0 tackles for loss last season are the most of any Power-4 returning player entering 2024.
• The Mauigoa Family is from Pago Pago, American Samoa; Fa’alialia and Telesia Mauigoa have three sons who all went on to become Power 5 football players. In addition to Francis and Francisco, their eldest son, Frederick, had a four-year career at Washington State, where he started his final 39 games at center.
CONTINUITY ON COACHING STAFF ENTERING 2024
• Mario Cristobal made significant changes to his coaching staff from Year 1 (2022) to Year 2 (2023) at Miami, including both coordinator positions and several other assistants prior to last year.
• Entering 2024, however, the Hurricanes returned eight of 10 “full-time” assistants, including both coordinators – Shannon Dawson and Lance Guidry, who are in their second seasons at Miami.
• The only two new faces to the “full-time” coaching staff are running backs coach Matt Merritt, who joined from USF, and cornerbacks coach Chevis Jackson, who arrived from Marshall – where he worked with Guidry in 2022.
MIAMI RANKED AMONG BEST IN “THREE-AND-OUT”
• Excluding OT, Miami’s defense forced a three-and-out on 28.7% of its drives in 2023, which ranked fourth-best in the ACC and 10th best in FBS.
• On the other side of the ball – excluding overtime – Miami’s offense went three-and-out on just 17.0% of its drives, which ranked fourth best in the ACC and 41st best in FBS.
ONLY MIAMI HAD FRESHMEN AAs IN EVERY PHASE
• Mario Cristobal reeled in the best recruiting class in Miami history in 2023 – eventually topped by the 2024 class – and produced three Freshman All-Americans: DL Rueben Bain, Jr. P Dylan Joyce & OL Francis Mauigoa.
CRISTOBAL’S PROVEN TRACK RECORD STACKS UP
• Mario Cristobal is one of only nine active FBS head coaches to have won multiple Power-5 titles, one of only two coaches to have won two titles in six years or fewer (Ryan Day), and one of only six with a Power-5 championship game appearance rate of 50% or better (three in six years). He won two Pac-12s and a Rose Bowl at Oregon.
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