LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Miami has had enough of those narrow wins.
Two weeks have given the No. 6 Hurricanes (6-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) time to catch their collective breath after rallying from a 25-point deficit to beat Cal 39-38, which came just a week after they survived an overturned Hail Mary touchdown call against Virginia Tech. Their task now is playing a complete game they’ll surely need Saturday to beat Louisville and reclaim the Howard Schnellenberger Trophy.
The Cardinals (4-2, 2-1) rallied to beat Virginia 24-20 and remain very much in ACC contention. Miami coach Mario Cristobal noted that just about everybody in college football still has a chance to win their conference, which makes every game meaningful right now.
“The quality and the detail of preparation now becomes that much more important because everybody is fighting for their lives right now,” Cristobal said. “And everybody’s got to understand that if anyone loses sight of the urgency necessary to win right now, they’re out of their minds and they don’t understand football.”
Both teams feature hair-on-fire offenses ranked in the top 25.
Miami continues to lead the nation at 583.8 yards per game, a lofty number built by the dynamic arm of quarterback Cam Ward. The fifth-year, 16,000-yard career passer and Heisman Trophy candidate shares the FBS lead with 20 touchdowns passing and is second with 2,219 yards with just five interceptions. Ward’s last TD might have been the most important as it capped Miami’s biggest rally since 1999 and maintained the ‘Canes pursuit of first-place and No. 10 Clemson (4-0 ACC).
Louisville could make the same case for Tyler Shough’s late 5-yard TD pass to Jamari Johnson in Charlottesville. The Cardinals enter with the 21st-ranked offense (461.2) and encouraged to have found their resolve with their biggest test looming.
“We had a couple of key drops and a lot of good plays; we have to continue to show up and be perfect as we can,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. “On defense we got better and at some things we need to get better, still a ways to go. We continue to push the envelope and get it sharp and crisp as we can.”
Shared history
Shough helped Cristobal win a Pac-12 Conference title at Oregon in 2020. Shough now gets a chance to try and derail his former coach and Miami’s push for the ACC title. He was on the Ducks’ roster from 2018-20, and the 25-year-old, seventh-year player still draws high praise from Cristobal.
“Great competitor, great quarterback, he’s big, strong, can run, sees the field extremely well, has a live arm and can make every throw and is a super-high-level competitor,” Cristobal said. “Awesome young man from an awesome family.”
Cardinal playmakers
Running back Isaac Brown and wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks have formed a formidable playmaker combination that Brohm sought in fall camp. Brown had career rushing highs of 20 carries for 146 yards in the victory at Virginia to rank eighth in the ACC with 508 yards and an 84.7 per-game average. He’s the first freshman in Louisville history with three 100-yard rushing games in 10 carries or less. Brooks has a league-high six TDs and is second with 572 yards receiving on 30 catches.
Points aplenty ...
Expect points, but not a close game in a series Miami leads 11-4-1. Of those 16 games, 13 have been decided by at least 12 points. The winner has scored at least 31 in each of the last 10 meetings, with Louisville taking last year’s shootout 38-31 in Florida. That outcome was rare as a one-score game along with the Cardinals’ first win in eight visits.
... But don’t dismiss defense
Louisville’s defense regained its groove after the SMU loss by shutting down Virginia after it took its final lead through the fourth quarter and setting up the rally. The Cardinals recorded three sacks and maintained their streak of not allowing a third-quarter TD this season. They rank sixth in the ACC at 336 yards allowed, five notches below the ‘Canes (282.5). Miami and Louisville are 4-5 in scoring D (18.8-19.7).
Hardware re-Boot
Another tangible reward for Saturday’s winner is the Howard Schnellenberger Trophy, which features a mounted pair of gold-plated pair of cowboy boots worn by the pipe-smoking, folksy coach who revived both programs. Louisville, which Schnellenberger led from 1985-94, took initial ownership with last year’s victory. Miami wants the gilded boots alongside those five national championship trophies, the first of which Schnellenberger helped win in 1983.