The No. 4 Miami Hurricanes will host the Florida Gators in Week 4, marking the 58th meeting between the in-state rivals.
Despite not being a ranked matchup anymore after Florida’s Week 2 loss to USF, this isn’t a game undefeated Miami can look past. Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal made sure to remind everyone of that during his September 19 appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“They’re one of the most talented teams we’ve seen in four years,” Cristobal said. “They’ve got speed, size, scheme and great coaching. They’re as good as any team that we have faced. We always expect everybody’s best and we’re looking forward to an unbelievable opportunity.”
Some Miami and Florida fans might disagree with those sentiments. After all, the Hurricanes already defeated then-No. 6 Notre Dame in the season opener, a team that just months earlier played in the national championship game. That victory was Cristobal’s first top-10 win since taking over at Miami.
As for Florida, head coach Billy Napier enters with his job on the line after back-to-back losses. The USF upset was particularly damaging, considering it was expected to be one of Florida’s easier opponents. Now the Gators are set to face three straight top-10 opponents. Napier is 20-21 overall since arriving in Gainesville.
Mario Cristobal Knows Risk of Facing Florida
Cristobal is typically measured in his words. He doesn’t embellish, rarely lets his emotions show, but he’s aware that Miami cannot afford to get ahead of itself. The program has a history of failing to capitalize when momentum builds.
Miami has only two 10-win seasons over the last 20 years, with eight top-25 finishes, just one of those inside the top 10. That’s far from the Hurricanes’ glory days, when they won five national championships from 1981 to 2001 and played for eight titles overall.
While this Florida team may not resemble a national title contender, Cristobal knows rivalry games can’t be taken lightly.
“In rivalry games all across the country, you’re never all the way in the win column or all the way in the loss column. It’s a back-and-forth,” Cristobal said. “The energy, intensity and all the hype surrounding it is a different level. Our job is to make sure that becomes a non-factor. We focus on doing our job and not letting anything get in the way of that. But the intensity that these guys will play with, knowing that they’ve known each other since high school and youth football, is through the roof.”
Miami Hurricanes Hoping For Repeat From Last Year
Last year, Miami marched into The Swamp and thrashed the Gators 41-17, avenging a 24-20 loss in Orlando back in 2019.
Miami currently leads the all-time series 30-27. In the last four meetings, the rivals have traded wins, though Miami has won 10 of the last 12 overall.
If the Hurricanes want to push that tally to 31, Cristobal delivered a clear message to the fanbase.
“It has to be an asylum on Saturday,” he said. Our fans have done a great job bringing the juice, the energy… really involved, really, really involved. And certainly, we appreciate that energy is just contagious.”
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