Last Saturday’s 41-3 loss to Notre Dame likely would have kept Al Golden awake all night so the University of Miami coach never went to sleep.
Golden and his staff spent the flight back from Chicago poring over film then continued for 13 more hours after the team arrived on campus at 5:30 a.m. Sunday. That’s nearly two days without any sleep.
The object of the coaching staff’s attention? North Carolina, whose high-scoring offense led by running back Giovani Bernard face the Hurricanes (4-2, 3-0 ACC) Saturday afternoon at Sun Life Stadium in a critical ACC showdown.
“It’s really the most complete team I’ve seen on film so far,” Golden said.
That’s saying something considering Miami has played — and been embarrassed — by two Top 10 opponents in No. 6 Kansas State and No. 7 Notre Dame.
While the ashes from the meltdown against Notre Dame continue to flutter, the Hurricanes enter today’s game with plenty to play for.
Atop the ACC’s Coastal Division with the conference’s only 3-0 record, Miami opens a pivotal three-game stretch that begins today against the Tar Heels, continues next Saturday night versus Florida State then concludes with a Thursday night meeting on Nov. 1 against Virginia Tech. All three games will be played at Sun Life.
“We are in the position we want to be,” junior safety A.J. Highsmith said. “We control our own destiny as far as conference play and we are home. We’re going to try to get on a little run here.”
The Hurricanes haven’t won the Coastal since the ACC went to divisional play in 2005. But the Coastal Division appears ripe for UM’s taking. North Carolina is ineligible to win the division because of NCAA sanctions. Perennial favorite Virginia Tech is struggling and Georgia Tech and Virginia are even worse off. Duke, 2-0 in ACC games entering today, hasn’t won more than three conference games since 1994.
“We haven’t had a chance like this,” sophomore receiver Phillip Dorsett said.
To have a real shot at the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 1 in Charlotte, N.C., Miami will have to plug holes on a defense full of them. Against their five FBS opponents, the Hurricanes have allowed nearly 40 points per game.
It won’t get any easier today against North Carolina, which is ninth nationally in scoring offense (44.0) and has piled up 114 points in its last two games. Bernard, a sophomore from Davie, ran for 262 yards in a 48-34 win against Virginia Tech last week and is averaging 9.1 yards on 52 carries.
As bad as the defense has been and as much as the Notre Dame loss stung, Golden has reminded his young team there’s plenty left on the table.
“Here we are going to the second half of the season and we’re positioned good right now,” Golden said. “But we have to do something with it. What do they say - the tournament doesn’t start till the back nine on Sunday? Well guess what? We just finished No. 9. We’re getting ready to make the turn.”
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