After a tough loss against Notre Dame, Miami will look to finish off the regular season strong with three straight games at Hard Rock Stadium.
The No. 7 ranked Hurricanes (8-1, 6-0 ACC) are set to face the Duke Blue Devils (7-2, 4-2 ACC) Saturday at noon in a game that has many storylines.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and wideout Cooper Barkate will face their former squad for the first time wearing the orange and green. Mensah’s departure from the Blue Devils came with controversy, as Duke sued the quarterback for violating his contract when he entered the transfer portal.
Both sides reached an undisclosed agreement outside of court on Jan. 27, 2026. Mensah and Barkate committed to Miami later that day.
Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz was the defensive coordinator for Miami from 2016–2018 and the head coach from 2019–21. As head coach of the Hurricanes, he led the team to a 21-15 record during his three-year tenure and qualified for a bowl game in each of his three seasons as head coach.
Diaz will be on the visitors sideline for the second time as Duke’s head coach.
The last time these two squads faced off was in Miami Gardens during the 2024 season. The Cam Ward-led Hurricanes defeated Duke 53-31 on a day where Xavier Restrepo broke the all-time yards record by a Miami Hurricane with an eight-catch, 146-yard performance with three touchdowns.
The Hurricanes, who lead the all-time series 16 to 5, are coming into Saturday’s with a vengeance, a chance to get back on track and keep on winning in conference play.
Last Saturday in South Bend, Ind. against then-No. 11 ranked Notre Dame, Miami almost came back after a lackluster first half. Down 24-3 at one point, UM was an Elija Lofton catch away from tying the game at 31 before losing 31-24.
Canes fans did learn in the second half that they can compete without star wideout Malachi Toney, whose earliest possible return is the ACC Championship game on Dec. 5, should Miami make it.
Mensah threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns while also allowing an interception on 24-for-43 passing.
The tight end Lofton led the way with seven receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. Barkate followed that up with nine receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Lofton almost hauled in the game-tying touchdown pending the PAT, but replay review showed that he did not have possession all the way through his catch.
Saturday’s game could be a good opportunity to get Vandrevious Jacobs and Daylyn Upshaw in the mix more. The two receivers finished Saturday’s contest with a combined five catches for 63 yards and will face one of the best defenses in the ACC in the Blue Devils.
Duke ranks fifth in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 13 points per game and ranks 11th in yards per game (282.1). The Blue Devils have not allowed a touchdown in the past two games, outscoring Boston College and NC State by a combined score of 88-5.
In its last game, Duke held the Wolf Pack to 32 rushing yards on 25 carries and 3-for-14 on third down.
It will be a good test for Miami’s running back room featuring Mark Fletcher Jr. and Javian Mallory.
Miami will have to watch out for sophomore defensive end Bryce Davis, who has 24 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks on the season. Additionally, defensive end Tyshon Reed leads Duke with seven tackles for loss and 28 pressures.
On the offensive side of the ball for Duke, sixth-year quarterback Walker Eget leads the way. Eget, a transfer from San Jose State, has thrown for 1,849 yards and ten touchdowns with three interceptions on the season.
The biggest threat is sophomore running back Nate Sheppard, who is entering his name into the Heisman Trophy conversation late in the year.
He has 1,189 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground and 306 yards and four touchdowns as a receiver.
“He [Sheppard] really is a different level athlete runner,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said on Monday. “He runs with I think very underrated power. He runs through people. He runs around people. He diffuses angles of the football.”
It will be a good test for both Sheppard and Miami’s best rushing defense in the country, a unit that allows just 64.3 rushing yards per game.
No Duke receiver has more than 360 yards receiving this season, but will face a battered Miami pass defense looking to turn it around. Since the Hurricanes bye week in Week 6, Miami’s secondary has allowed an average of 323 passing yards per game and 13 total touchdown passes.
After a solidifiable second half for Miami’s defense last week, this matchup could allow UM to find its footing in its pass defense.
As Duke has quietly been one of the better teams in College Football this season, it will look to upset Miami on its home turf.
The Hurricanes can clinch the ACC Championship game for the first time since 2017 with a win against the Blue Devils and a UNC win over Louisville.
Kick-off at Hard Rock Stadium is set for noon this Saturday and will air on ABC.
