Hurricanes To Host Duke Looking To Finish Season Strong
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) –The University of Miami will conclude the 2016 regular season on Saturday with a 3:30pm kickoff against the Duke Blue Devils.
The Hurricanes will look to end the season with a four game winning streak for the first time since 2002.
A victory by Miami would give them a respectable 8-4 season in head Coach Mark Richt's first season with a chance to win a ninth game in a Bowl matchup.
It will also mark the final game for 18 Hurricanes' seniors who bought into Coach Richt and his staff's plan.
"They've been great. You get a new coach, you can have an attitude about it or resist this or resist that," said Richt. "I really never felt that from the seniors. I felt that they were part of the group that was trying to make the best of it and kind of get excited about it, and I think for the most part did. And I am thankful for that, and I'm thankful that this relationship is going to last for more than 11 months, or whatever it is, 12 months. They're going to be a part of this family for good, just as I am, and we're going to help take care of them in the future, too."
The Blue Devils come into this game with a 4-7 record and just 1-6 in conference play, but Richt is not taking Duke lightly.
"Well, all I know is they beat two teams we couldn't beat," Richt said. "They played Notre Dame and beat them; we didn't do that. They played North Carolina and beat them; we didn't do that. So, they've got my respect, I can tell you that."
Duke will rely on 6'5 quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Sean Wilson as they will want to run the ball and control the clock.
The Hurricanes will load the box to take away the run game and force Jones to win the game with his arm.
Miami's defense has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.
They are 28th in total defense, holding opponents to 350 yards a game and 16th in scoring defense allowing 18.7 points per game.
"They've done a great job. Obviously, it's not over yet. We've got another couple games, but I'm really pleased with coach Diaz, the staff, the rest of the defensive staff, the players," Richt said. "We had no idea. Really, when you watch how it started in the spring to how they play right now, there has been a huge change in my mind, in my opinion, the way I see it. I'm really proud of all our coaches, but those guys did a really beautiful job on the defensive side."
NOTES
Hurricanes running back Mark Walton has scored 24 touchdowns in 24 games with Miami. He leads the team this year with 14 scores.
Junior quarterback Brad Kaaya needs 276 yards passing to break Ken Dorsey's all time career passing yards record of 9,565.
Kaaya needs 146 passing yards to go over 3,000 passing yards for the 3rd straight season.
This is the 14th meeting of the series between Miami and Duke. The Hurricanes lead the series 11-2 and have won eight of the last nine vs Duke.
Senior Wide Receiver Stacy Coley will play in his 48th career game. His 49 receptions this year are a career high. His eight touchdowns are also a career high for TDs in a season. He has 19 career touchdowns in Miami.
