An hour and a half rain delay could not stop the inevitable as the Miami Hurricanes made easy work of University Of South Florida Bulls 49-12 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Next up ... the rival Florida Gators.
Hurricane faithful have had the date circled on their calendars since the home-and-home matchup was announced in 2019. Last year at Ben Hill Griffin stadium the world was introduced to Cam Ward as the Hurricanes put on a show by racing the Gators to a 41-17 victory.
The Gators are reeling and suffering through the usual slings and arrows that occur on a once proud but now underachieving program. Coach Billy Napier is seemingly in lame duck status early in his fourth season. Napier is 20-21 overall and 10-15 in the SEC. The .486 winning percentage is the worst for a non interim Florida coach since 1950.
The Gators are 1-2 with surprisingly eyebrow-raising statistics that reveal a team (especially on defense) much better than the record indicates. Last week the Gators only allowed LSU only 10 first down and 13 offensive points.
It’s unlikely UM coach Mario Cristobal allows his team to overlook the Gators, especially after watching film and digging into the statistics. The questions in Gainesville mostly revolve around the sub or play of DJ Lagway. He was poised to have a breakout season this year and on many preseason accolade watchlist. The can’t-miss prospect out of Willis, Texas showed flashes last year as a true freshman.
To date, the production hasn’t been there ...unless you count producing interceptions. Five interceptions at Death Valley ruined the Gators chance at an upset. Combing through the statistics, you might get the impression that the Gators won. They out-gained LSU by 50 yards 366 yards and held a 23-10 advantage in first downs. They also won the time of possession battle.
Carson Beck, who grew up in Jacksonville, has made no secret that he grew up a Tim Tebow-loving Florida Gator fan. He gets to show off his talents in a nationally-televised game on ABC. The H-word is already being mentioned and he is positioned in the Top 3 Heisman Hopeful on several betting sites.
Hurricane fans, get your signs ready as the ESPN GameDay Crew will broadcast live from the Coral Gables campus Saturday morning. As a college football fan, who could ask for much more than what’s on tap Saturday. Rivalry games have a tendency to have no respect for records. While the Gators come in unranked and the Hurricanes have the momentum and a justified No. 4 ranking in the polls, crazy things can happen in rivalry games.