Miami returns home to face Syracuse on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla., looking to keep its slim College Football Playoff hopes alive.
The No. 18 Hurricanes (6-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) are coming off a damaging 26-20 overtime loss at SMU, which considerably reduced the odds of them advancing to the ACC championship game.
Miami finds itself behind six other teams either unbeaten in conference play or with one loss, and will face only one of those teams – Pittsburgh – over its final four games.
“We have hard-working people, people that have a high care factor, and also people that recognize opportunity and know that the college football landscape and this thing down the stretch is as unpredictable as it gets, and that we will be one of a dozen or so teams that will have an opportunity if you take care of business, to continue to push into the postseason,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.
A year after the Hurricanes struggled mightily to slow down any opposing offense, their own offensive regression has been one of their biggest issues. Miami has had a significant drop in explosive plays with only 31 this season through eight games. The Hurricanes had 99 last season behind quarterback Cam Ward, second-most in the nation.
The Orange (3-6, 1-5), who would need to win all three of their remaining games just to earn bowl eligibility, dealt the Hurricanes their most costly defeat last season.
Syracuse snapped a six-game losing streak against Miami with a 42-38 victory in the regular-season finale for both teams. That loss knocked the Hurricanes out of the CFP picture and ended any hopes of making last year’s ACC Championship Game.
The Orange would love to play spoiler again but are facing their own issues as they try to snap a five-game losing streak.
Syracuse made a couple of changes to its coaching staff in the wake of its 27-10 loss last week to North Carolina. The Orange dismissed wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Myles White, and head coach Fran Brown said offensive specialist Josh Gattis will take over White’s responsibilities. Quarterbacks coach Nunzio Campanile and tight ends coach Mike Johnson Sr. swapped roles.
Injuries at the quarterback position have hampered Syracuse’s offense, creating a revolving door. The Orange hit rock bottom last week as Joseph Filardi completed only 4 of 18 attempts for 39 yards.
“I think that sometimes, styles make fights … but for us to get the best out of our players for the last three games of the year, I felt as though there was some stuff that needed to happen on our staff,” Brown said Monday. “I feel that if you make some of those decisions now, it gives you an opportunity to see if it works … because I think it will. But, you get to do it now and not after the season, and say, ‘OK, this is going to work’ … and then there’s no trial and error to find out.”
The Hurricanes are dealing with injuries to key players as starting wide receiver C.J. Daniels, who leads the team with six TD receptions, and starting cornerback OJ Frederique Jr. are out a couple of weeks, according to Cristobal. Running back Mark Fletcher Jr., Miami’s leading rusher with 636 yards and nine scores, could also sit out after suffering an injury against SMU.
