Longtime rivals Miami and Florida are trending in opposite directions as they prepare to meet on Saturday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The No. 4-ranked Hurricanes (3-0) beat their second ranked opponent of the season last week with a 49-12 rout of then-No. 18 South Florida.
Florida (1-2) fell out of the Top 25 following back-to-back losses to South Florida and LSU and will look to avoid losing three games in a row for the first time since they dropped their final five games of the 2023 season.
Miami leads the all-time series 30-27 and has split the past four encounters, with the Hurricanes winning 41-17 in Gainesville in last season’s opener for both teams.
Florida coach Billy Napier’s seat is warming up again, though on Monday he said he felt his team was on the cusp of turning the corner after a competitive yet frustrating 20-10 loss to No. 3 LSU last week.
“If I didn’t feel good about the intangibles of the team, I think that’s probably when I would be worried,” Napier said. “But this group turned it around and showed up and competed their tail off Saturday. They’re a group that knows they’re that close.
“We’re close to being pretty dangerous, in my opinion.”
Gators quarterback DJ Lagway’s inconsistency has been part of the issue.
Lagway, who dealt with multiple injuries that limited his participation leading into the season, completed 33 of 49 passes for 287 yards and a touchdown but threw a staggering five interceptions in last week’s loss.
The turnovers negated another respectable performance by Florida’s defense, which has allowed only two touchdowns in three games and held all three opponents to 20 points or less.
“We have to keep things in perspective here, relative to how much experience he has, the offseason that he’s been through,” Napier said. “It’s important to evaluate things from that perspective, and not necessarily on one performance.”
On the flip side, Miami has had no issue replacing overall No. 1 NFL draft pick Cam Ward at quarterback.
Georgia transfer Carson Beck has flourished in the Hurricanes’ offense, completing 79.3 percent of his passes (65 of 82) for 812 yards and seven touchdowns with two interceptions.
Beck threw his first two picks as a Hurricane against South Florida last week, but he passed for a season-high 340 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 28 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s a big guy (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) who can flat-out run,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said. “He’s done that his entire career, and it adds to our offensive package. The guy is a winner, and he can hurt you in so many ways.”
Beck has also been sacked only twice as Miami’s offensive line continued to stand out last week. The Hurricanes totaled 576 total yards, including 205 rushing.
“The physicality of the game and the ability to take over the game and really impose our will, running the football, they’ve done a great job,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said.
Miami’s defense also has shown noticeable improvement after giving up 42 points in each of its final two games last season.
The Hurricanes are allowing an average of 13.0 points through three games this season. Their other win against a ranked opponent came against then-No. 6 Notre Dame, 27-24, in the season opener.
–Field Level Media
