Remember this pic? Yeah, me too. Gross. Three years ago #3 Miami strutted into Chapel Hill a two-digit favorite and fell 31-28 to the Tar Heels on a last-second kick by Spicolli, a.k.a. freshman Connor Barth.
Miami beat North Carolina the following two seasons, but due to scheduling both games were at the Orange Bowl. This year, it’s back to the scene of one of the more embarrassing Hurricane losses in recent memory. While this isn’t a “revenge” game, per se – it’s a statement game. Partially because of the 2004 loss, but also due to the Canes recent ACC road record.
Miami went 0-3 on the road in conference play last year and hasn’t won an ACC road game since Wake Forest in 2005.
More on this match up coming Friday. Stay tuned.
After last week’s performance, and the recent ACC road history, I am a little worried about this game. Will Miami be motivated and focused to handle a middle of the road ACC team which have be giving Miami fits the past few years? This is a team that we should really walk over, but I am apprehensive for some reason. Do we stop on them early and run the clock and get out with a win, or do we let NC hang around like Duke and play Russian Roulette? I hope the former.
-Columbus Cane
Chris,
I saw this on Rivals on NC’s site and wanted to forward it on just to let everyone know what The U does OFF the field:
Despite something of a negative perception, Miami’s football program is proving to be one of the league’s top performers in the classroom. In 2006, Miami placed more players on the ACC Academic team than any other school in the league, including academic heavyweights Duke, Wake Forest, and Boston College. The Hurricanes had eight different players produce either a 3.0 grade point average during the fall semester (football season), or hold a cumulative average of 3.0 during their entire college career, compared to six for both Duke and Boston College. In all, the current Hurricanes roster has 13 student-athletes who have already attained their undergraduate degrees. No other school in the country has had more than 11 post-grads on their varsity roster over the last four years. Over the past two years (2005-2006), Miami graduated 37 scholarship players, which led the NCAA.
-Columbus Cane