This past weekend brought the college football world plenty of chaos. Ole Miss spoiled Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford with a 32-24 win over his new LSU brigade, while unranked Kentucky stunned No. 9 Texas A&M, 31-21, on the road.
With conference play beginning to take over the schedule and ranked teams already proving vulnerable, this upcoming weekend could bring more of the same.
After beating the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 33-20 on Friday night, the now-No. 6 ranked Hurricanes return to Hard Rock Stadium to welcome Central Michigan on Saturday.
Miami enters the matchup 3-0 after surviving its closest game of the season against Wake Forest.
The Hurricanes had outscored their first two opponents 122-13 before the Demon Deacons gave them their first real test of the year.
Quarterback Darian Mensah was nearly perfect to start the game, completing his first 24 passes and setting Miami and ACC records for consecutive completions to begin a game. But the Hurricanes were forced to fight through injuries and a Wake Forest team that remained within striking distance before Miami ultimately pulled away in the end.
Injuries could also complicate what otherwise appears to be a favorable matchup for Miami. The Hurricanes left Winston-Salem banged up after several players went down against Wake Forest, potentially testing Miami’s depth as it prepares for its second game in eight days.
Even if some of those injuries prove minor, Miami will have to balance getting healthy with avoiding a letdown against Central Michigan — particularly against a Chippewas offense that has shown it wears down a defense on the ground.
The Chippewas arrive in Miami with some momentum of their own.
Central Michigan improved to 2-1 Saturday with a 24-10 win over Wyoming, leaning almost entirely on a punishing ground game by rushing for 339 yards while attempting only seven passes, controlling possession for more than 35 minutes.
At the center of that rushing attack is quarterback Angel Flores.
The senior carried the ball 28 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns against Wyoming, one week after rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown in Central Michigan’s 13-10 comeback win over Colgate.
For a Miami defense coming off its first competitive four quarters of the season, containing Flores and Central Michigan’s run-heavy offense will offer a different challenge.
Saturday will mark just the second meeting between the two programs. Miami won the first, 17-12, at Hard Rock Stadium back in 2019.
It will also be the Hurricanes’ first Saturday game of the season after opening the year with games on Thursday and Friday nights.
For Miami, the matchup represents an opportunity to remain undefeated before the heart of its ACC schedule arrives. For Central Michigan, it is a chance to test its ground-heavy identity against one of the nation’s top-ranked teams.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Hard Rock Stadium.
