Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck has tasted regular season success before and doesn't want to get ahead of himself.
The Miami Hurricanes, led by quarterback Carson Beck, are No. 2 in the Week 8 AP Poll, only trailing the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Miami started the season at No. 10, so it's clear it's exceeding the expectations of the media and fans. Beck has tasted a lot of regular season success during his time with the Georgia Bulldogs but did not win a national championship as a starter. He is clearly trying to prevent his teammates from getting ahead of themselves as well, sharing this message recently:
"I've been on championship teams and I've been on teams that have been top five, number one in the country. I mean, it means literally nothing," Beck said. "And not even speaking about the past, but speaking about right now."
"And what I try to, you know, communicate and get across to these guys is with these same people that are telling you're the best and good, were the same telling you that we were going to go eight and four and we were going to suck before the season. So, you're going to listen to them now that they're saying that you're good, even though they were just telling that you suck before we went out and played Notre Dame week one," Beck concluded.
The Hurricanes take on the unranked Louisville Cardinals on Friday, Oct. 17, at home.
Louisville Going To Extreme Measures To Prep For Game Against Miami
The Hurricanes have plenty of strong units.
There's Beck at quarterback. There's Malachi Toney leading a talented group of receiver. And there's Mark Fletcher atop the running back committee.
But nothing is more feared than the `Canes defensive line led by Heisman candidate Rueben Bain. The group is atop the list of priorities the Louisville Cardinals are concerned about heading into Saturday's game at Hard Rock Stadium.
"Trust me, it shows up on tape," Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm said. "They've got two defensive ends that are really talented and strong along with some big guys up front and fast linebackers."
Bain anchors a line that includes David Blay, Ahmad Moten and Akheem Mesidor. Rightfully so, Bain gets more of the attention. He has two sacks and a team-high 26 tackles. Mesidor leads the Hurricanes with 3.5 sacks.
Brohm went far as reaching out to the staffs of the Hurricanes' previous opponents. One of them was the Florida Gators, who the `Canes defeated 26-7 Sept. 20.
The Gators coaches gave the UM defensive line a glowing review.
"We've talked to some coaches at Florida," Brohm said. "They said this is better than the ones they've seen in the SEC the last three or four years. It's a good defensive front. They're talented. They're big, they're strong, they're fast . They're not over-complicated but when you're that talented, you don't have to be. They come off the ball, they strike and they do a very good job. It will be a huge test. We're going, without question, have to help to a certain degree. Then at times, they're going to have to man up and do their part."
At 5-0, the Hurricanes enter ranked No. 2 in the country behind the Ohio State Buckeyes. They must avoid any slip-ups if they are going to continue their return to national prominence. After dominating the 1980s, `90s and early 2000s, they haven't played for a championship since 2003. That year, they lost to the Buckeyes in overtime.
The Hurricanes have since been mostly mired in mediocrity but things appear to have finally chanced under coach Mario Cristobal. Everything is in place for them to run the table the remainder of the season because the toughest part of the schedule is in the rearview. They have no games left against ranked opponents.