The Miami Hurricanes will have fresh legs coming off their bye week, as the sixth ranked team in the country will go on the road to take on the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday at noon.
“You take a humble approach to the bye week,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said to reporters on Monday. “In our last two years, we haven’t been successful after bye weeks, and it’s 1000% related to the level of urgency in practice and preparation.”
Miami is 0-2 in regular-season games following a bye week during Cristobal’s tenure.
Miami’s week off followed two thrilling ACC victories, including its 25-point comeback at California. As one of the nation’s 11 remaining unbeaten teams, the Hurricanes gear up for another challenging conference road game.
The Hurricanes have filled up the stat sheet all season, ranking as one of the top offenses and defenses in the country on the way to their 6-0 start.
Miami (6-0, 2-0 ACC) will face a Louisville (4-2, 2-1 ACC) team eager for a signature win. The Cardinals finished second in the ACC in head coach Jeff Brohm’s first season in 2023, and this year, Louisville was ranked in the top 15 before suffering back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and SMU.
Louisville boasts talent on both sides of the ball, but the electric Cardinal offense, which ranks 15th nationally with 6.7 yards per play, will test a Miami defense that has struggled in recent matchups.
It’s a pivotal week for Miami defensive coordinator Lance Guidry’s unit, which allowed 34 points to Virginia Tech and 38 to California.
“Can’t come back from 20 all the time,” Guidry said to the media. “Playing complementary football in the second half is great, but we need to start better.”
On offense, Miami has been led by Heisman candidate quarterback Cam Ward, whose elevated play has propelled the Hurricanes offense to new heights. The unit, which has been the backbone of Cristobal’s best start as the head coach of Miami, faces its highest-scoring opponent yet.
Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough, a sixth-year senior, was recruited and coached by Cristobal at the University of Oregon. While Shough has seen his ups and downs, he has experience and also benefits from having one of the top pass-catchers in the ACC, Ja’Corey Brooks.
The Alabama transfer ranks second in the conference in receiving yards, only to Miami wideout Xavier Restrepo. Mix that connection with true freshman running back Isaac Brown, who is averaging 8.7 yards per carry, and the Cardinals have an offense that can potentially go toe-to-toe with Miami.
While the Cristobal-led Hurricanes have faltered at similar points in the season in the past two years, there’s a different feeling around this year’s team.
“Everyone understands their role on the team. We don’t have egos in this building,” said Miami wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, following reports of a player-only meeting during the bye week.
Louisville will have the home crowd on its side at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. If there is one thing this Miami team has shown, it’s the ability to deal with adversity.
Saturday’s game holds significant weight in the ACC. Although Louisville’s recent losses prevented this from being a more nationally scaled matchup, the stakes remain as high as ever. Miami will look to stay unbeaten and continue its path to the College Football Playoff.