Game Day Notes: Miami Hurricanes at Duke

MIAMI HURRICANES (6-5, 4-3 ACC) HEAD COACH: Manny Diaz (Florida State, 1995) | CAREER: 20-15 (third season) | AT MIAMI: 20-15 (third)

AT

DUKE BLUE DEVILS (3-8, 0-7 ACC) HEAD COACH: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, 1976) | CAREER: 121-125 (20th season) | AT DUKE: 77-96 (14th)

THE GAME

• Miami will play its final regular season game of 2021 at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C., on Nov. 27 against host Duke. Kick is set for 12:30 p.m.

• The game will be broadcast on ACC RSN with Tom Werme (pxp), James Bates (color) and Wiley Ballard (sideline) on the call. Joe Zagacki (pxp) and Don Bailey, Jr. (color) are in the 560 WQAM radio booth for their 20th season together while Josh Darrow manages the sideline duties. Alfredo Alvarez (pxp) and Joe Martinez (color) will carry the game against the Blue Devils live on Mundial 990AM from Wallace Wade Stadium. THE SERIES

• Saturday's game at Duke is the 19th matchup in the history of the series; UM leads the series by a commanding 14-4 margin, including 8-2 in Durham.

• The longtime foes have met every year since 2005 after Miami joined the Coastal Division of the ACC. Miami topped Duke 48-0 in the 2020 matchup.

• Miami is making its third straight trip to Durham in 2021; Miami's 2020 game against Duke was only added due to late COVID-19 scheduling issues. THE HURRICANES

• The Miami Hurricanes returned 19 of 22 starters from a 2020 team that finished 8-3 overall and 7-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Canes, who ended the year in the 2020 Cheez-It Bowl, became the third Miami team to win seven games in ACC play since joining the conference in 2004.

• With their 38-26 win over Virginia Tech on Nov. 20, the Hurricanes earned the right to play in a bowl game for the ninth straight year dating to 2013.

• On Oct. 11, Diaz announced starting QB D'Eriq King would miss the rest of the season due to shoulder surgery resulting from an injury versus Michigan State. In his first season as starting quarterback at UM in 2020, King had with 2,686 passing yards, 538 rushing yards and 27 total TDs.

• Last time out vs. Virginia Tech (Nov. 20), Miami jumped out to a sizable early lead and topped the visiting Hokies, 38-26, at Hard Rock Stadium.

• QB Tyler Van Dyke has been sensational since taking over for King, throwing for 2,550 yards, 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions in eight starts. Van Dyke won three straight ACC Rookie of the Week honors this year, becoming the first player to do it since Jameis Winston of Florida State in 2013.

• WR Charleston Rambo became just the fourth wide receiver in Miami history to record 200 receiving yards in Miami's win over Georgia Tech on Nov. 6. Rambo currently ranks second in Miami history in single-season receptions (71) and fifth in single-season receiving yards (1,071) with one game left.

• For head coach Manny Diaz, 2021 marks a return to his roots as the program's defensive signal caller and defensive coordinator. Diaz was hired by Mark Richt in 2016 as the program's defensive coordinator, a role he served in for three seasons before being named head coach in January of 2019.

• In addition to re-assuming his role as defensive coordinator, Diaz hired Travaris Robinson - former defensive coordinator at South Carolina - to coach defensive backs, added Ishmael Aristide from Texas A&M to coach strikers and promoted DeMarcus Van Dyke from recruiting operations to coach corners. Diaz also brought back defensive line coach Jess Simpson, who spent the previous two years as d-line coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

• Several Miami Hurricanes were selected as preseason candidates for major college football awards; in addition to King, who was named a candidate for nearly every offensive award, Miami had Bubba Bolden named to the Thorpe Award watch list, Will Mallory to the Mackey Award, Lou Hedley to the Ray Guy Award, Mike Harley to the Biletnikoff Award, both Zion Nelson and Jarrid Williams to the Outland Trophy watch list, and others.

• Miami had more production returning than all but three Power 5 programs in America (Arizona State, UCLA, Rutgers) at 91%; the national average of returning production from 2020 into 2021 was 76.7% across FBS. UM was the only team in the ACC to rank in the top 25 of FBS returning production.

UM CLOSES 2021 SEASON IN BULL CITY

• The Miami Hurricanes look to close out their season on a high note when they travel to Durham, N.C., to play host Duke on Nov. 27. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.

• With its 38-26 win over Virginia Tech at Hard Rock Stadium last time out, the Hurricanes clinched bowl eligibility for the ninth straight year. Miami's bowl destination will be determined after the conference championship weekend (Dec. 3-5).

• Despite a commanding 14-4 lead in the all-time series, Miami had dropped two in a row to the Blue Devils before a dominant 48-0 win in last year's matchup. The Hurricanes are 8-2 all-time in Durham. UM's first trip to the Bull City came in 1983.

VAN DYKE MAKES HISTORY IN LAST FIVE

• QB Tyler Van Dyke will be making his ninth straight start under center when the Hurricanes take on Duke on Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C.

• Van Dyke, who has compiled a 5-3 record in his eight starts this season, threw for the ninth-most yards in a single game in Miami history and the second most ever by a Hurricanes freshman when he passed for 426 yards against #17/#19 Pitt on Oct. 30.

• With 357 passing yards and three touchdown passes last time out in a win over Virginia Tech, Van Dyke became the first ACC quarterback in the least 15 years to throw for at least 300 yards and at least three touchdowns in five straight games. RAMBO NEARING TOP OF RECORD BOOKS

• After spending the first four seasons of his career at Oklahoma, WR Charleston Rambo joined the Hurricanes in January 2021 as one of the top-regarded wide receivers in the transfer portal.

• Rambo has delivered a dominant first season at The U, and now ranks second in Miami's history in single-season receptions (71) and fifth in single-season yards (1,071).

• With just 92 more receiving yards, Rambo would move into first place in single-season receiving yards in program history, surpass Allen Hurns' single-season record (1,162).

• Rambo (71) is two catches away from moving past Leonard Hankerson (72, 2010) into first in UM history for a single season.

HURRICANES WRAP UP REGULAR SEASON IN BULL CITY VERSUS DUKE

• Coming off a 38-26 win last time out over Virginia Tech that clinched a bowl berth, the Hurricanes wrap up their regular season on Nov. 27 against host Duke at Wallace Wade Stadium. Kickoff is 12:30 p.m. ET.

• With its win over the Hokies last time out, Miami clinched bowl eligibility for the ninth straight year. The Hurricanes have played in three straight bowl games under the direction of head coach Manny Diaz

• Miami leads the all-time series, 14-4, but had dropped two in a row to the Blue Devils before stomping the hosts, 48-0, at Wallace Wade Stadium in 2020. The Hurricanes have an 8-2 all-time mark in Durham.

• The Hurricanes are making their third straight trip to the Bull City this season; the Hurricanes were not scheduled to play Duke in 2020 but a road game was added due to COVID-19-related scheduling issues.

• Head coach Manny Diaz is currently in his third season at the helm in Coral Gables; Diaz led Miami to an 8-3 record in 2020, including a 7-2 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Miami won seven games in ACC play for just the second time in program history in 2020 - UM finished 7-1 in ACC play in 2017.

• Miami's game versus the the Seminoles is slated for broadcast on 560 WQAM and WMYM 990 AM.

LAST TIME OUT: HURRICANES TOP HOKIES, 38-26, CLINCH BOWL BERTH

• The Hurricanes jumped out to an early lead and captured a 38-26 win over Virginia Tech at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 20. Miami honored 24 players during Senior Day ceremonies before the matchup.

• QB Tyler Van Dyke, making the eighth straight start for Miami, delivered another strong outing; Van Dyke threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns and was named ACC Co-Rookie of the Week on Nov. 22.

• WR Charleston Rambo finished with seven catches and 116 yards, becoming just the fifth Hurricane in Miami history to record a 1,000-yard season (1,071). He needs 92 yards to set UM's single season mark.

• TE Will Mallory caught a touchdown pass for the fourth time in the last five games dating to Oct. 23.

• CB Marcus Clarke wore the turnover chain for the first time in 2021 on a fumble recovery vs. the Hokies.

A LOOK BACK: FIRST ROAD SHUTOUT IN 20 YEARS WAS VS. DUKE IN '20

• In its 2020 game, Miami maintained its winning ways with its most dominant win of the season - a 48-0 romp of Duke at Wallace Wade Stadium on Dec. 5. The Hurricanes posted their first road shutout since 2000 (versus Syracuse) and their first shutout of a Power-5 opponent - also vs. Syracuse - since 2001.

• Miami's 48-point margin of victory was its largest ever in an ACC game, besting the previous high of 45, which had been done twice ever - against Wake Forest in 2004 (52-7) and Duke in 2005 (52-7).

• QB D'Eriq King had another strong outing for the Hurricanes, finishing with 248 yards with three passing touchdowns and one rushing score. He linked up with WR Michael Harley on a 89-yard touchdown in the win - the fourth-longest pass play in Miami history and the longest since 2007.

• Miami forced five turnovers and held the Blue Devils to a paltry 177 total yards of offense. Miami's elite tandem of DE Jaelan Phillips and DE Quincy Roche combined for four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.

'ROOSTER' NOW RB1, SHINING IN ROLE AS TOP BACK FOR HURRICANES

• After RB Cam'Ron Harris suffered a season-ending leg injury in a loss to North Carolina on Oct. 16, RB Jaylon Knighton assumed responsibility as UM's lead back. He will make his sixth start of 2021 Saturday.

• Knighton is the only ACC player with 500+ rushing yards, 250+ receiving yards and 10+ touchdowns.

• Knighton leads UM in touchdowns (10) and ranks second in all-purpose yards (761) in only seven games.

• In a win against Georgia Tech on Nov. 6, Knighton finished with a career-high 162 yards on a career-high 32 carries for the first 100-yard rushing game of his career. He also scored a touchdown in the win.

• Nicknamed 'Rooster' by former Pop Warner football coach named Dave Williams for his reddish hair in a mohawk style as a kid, Knighton was named ACC Rookie of the Week on Mon., Oct. 18 after posting the best outing of his career vs. the Tar Heels. Knighton totaled 165 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.

• Knighton upped the ante with his start against NC State on Oct. 23, finishing with 166 all-purpose yards, including 21 carries in the win. He was recognized as the ACC Running Back of the Week on Oct. 25.

• Knighton played in nine games and made two starts in his first year of college football in 2020 but was suspended for the first four games of 2021 due to a violation of team rules. He returned in Week 5.

• Knighton was a consensus four-star prospect and was listed as the No. 88 player in the ESPN300.

MALLORY MAKING BIG IMPACT OVER THE LAST FIVE GAMES FOR MIAMI

• After a slow start to the season, TE Will Mallory has been instrumental over the last five games. He had a career-long 57-yard score vs. Pitt and has 17 catches for 230 yards with four TDs in the last five games.

• In Miami's first six games of the season, Mallory totaled 10 catches and 73 yards with no touchdowns. Mallory has touchdowns in four of the last five games dating to Miami's win over NC State on Oct. 23.

• In his three seasons at The U entering 2021, Mallory had totaled 43 receptions, 659 yards and seven TDs. This season, the Jacksonville native ranks fourth on the team with 27 receptions and fifth in yards (313).

VAN DYKE SHINING, HAS THROWN FOR 17 TOUCHDOWNS IN LAST FIVE

• Ever since his insertion into the starting lineup against Central Connecticut State on Sept. 25, QB Tyler Van Dyke has impressed with some of the best outings by a freshman in Miami Hurricanes history.

• Van Dyke has 22 touchdowns and six interceptions and has a 61.1 completion rate for 2,550 yards.

• Over Miami's three-game winning streak (Oct. 30 - Nov. 6), Van Dyke averaged 380.0 passing yards per game, completed 72% of his passes and compiled totals of 10 touchdowns and just one interception

• Over the last 15 seasons in the ACC, Van Dyke is the only quarterback in ACC history to have ever thrown for 300-plus passing yards and had three passing TDs in five straight ACC games. He joined FSU's Jameis Winston (four in 2013), UNC's Sam Howell (three in 2019) and NC State's Russell Wilson (three in 2010) with at least three such games when he did it against Georgia Tech (for the third straight game).

• The 6-foot-4, 224-pound signal caller became the first Hurricane since the legendary Bernie Kosar in 1984 to record three consecutive games of at least 325 yards passing in Miami's win vs. Georgia Tech.

• Van Dyke, who took over as starter after QB D'Eriq King suffered a season-ending injury on Sept. 18, completed 10-of-11 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns in the win vs. Central Connecticut State.

• In a victory over NC State (Oct. 23), Van Dyke had the best game of his career by nearly every margin - he set career marks for completions, passing yards and touchdowns in a 31-30 victory. He one-upped himself against #17/#19 Pitt (Oct. 30), throwing for career-high 426 yards on 32-for-42 passing.

• He won three straight ACC Rookie of the Week awards and won ACC Co-Rookie of the Week Nov. 22.

• Van Dyke's 270 yards were third-most by a UM quarterback making his first career start (since 1999).

• Van Dyke was rated a four-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals coming out of high school. He ranked No. 105 nationally in the ESPN300 and was rated as the No. 2 pro-style quarterback nationally by ESPN.

• The Glastonbury, Conn., native totaled over 4,600 yards and 39 passing touchdowns over his final two high school seasons. He was named 2019 New England Prep Player of the Year after his final season.

'O' STARTING TO CLICK WITH LONG SCORING DRIVES OVER SECOND HALF

• Despite a myriad of different season-ending injuries to four opening day starters, the Hurricanes offense has begun to click over the last seven games, all of which have been vs. Atlantic Coast Conference teams.

• Miami's offense had just five scoring drives of 70-plus yards over its first three games vs. Alabama, App State and Michigan State combined. It had five such drives vs. NC State (Oct. 23) and four vs. Pittsburgh (Oct. 30). In a win over Georgia Tech (Nov. 6), UM had its second-longest drive of 2021 by yards (93).

• After posting five scoring drives of 70-or-more yards over its first three games, the Hurricanes have managed 20 such drives over the last seven games, including two versus Virginia (Sept. 30) and three versus UNC (Oct. 16). UM tied its season-long 97-yard scoring drive in its loss against Florida State.

• Miami had its fastest scoring drive of the season (0:10) on a 75-yard TD pass last time out vs. Virginia Tech.

HARLEY MOVING UP RECORD BROOKS IN CAREER RECEPTIONS, NOW 2ND

• WR Michael Harley delivered the best season of his career in Miami's new up-tempo offense a year ago, hauling in a career-high, team-best 57 receptions for a team-high 799 receiving yards with seven TDs.

• A third-team All-ACC selection, Harley set career marks in every category, nearly eclipsing his first three season totals combined. In his first three years at The U, Harley had 68 catches, 816 yards and three TDs.

• Harley has 169 career receptions, which ranks as the second-most in the history of Miami Football. In 2020, Harley moved past Phillip Dorsett (121) and Allen Hurns (121) into eighth in the record books.

ONE OF NATION'S TOP WRs, RAMBO CLIMBING UP UM's RECORD BOOKS

• One of Miami's top playmakers this year has been WR Charleston Rambo, who arrived after spending the first four seasons of his career at Oklahoma, where had had 1,180 receiving yards and 76 career catches.

• Rambo currently ranks No. 2 in single-season catches (71) and No. 5 in single-season yards (1,071) at UM. With just two more catches and 92 more receiving yards, Rambo will have compiled the most prolific season by a Miami pass catcher in program history; he ranks No. 2 in both categories entering Week 13.

• Rambo delivered a scintillating performance in UM's win against Georgia Tech (Nov. 6), finishing with 210 receiving yards - only the fourth time a Miami player has ever eclipsed 200 receiving yards in one game.

• Rambo's 210 yards were the most by any ACC receiver in a game this season and only the 21st 200-yard game by any receiver in FBS in 2021 through Week 12. It was the 14th-best single game total so far in 2021.

• On Nov. 3, Rambo was one of six players added to the midseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award.

• When Rambo put together a dominant performance against Michigan State on Sept. 18, he managed a feat that had been done only twice in University of Miami history: 12 receptions in a single game.

• Rambo became the first Hurricane to haul in 12 catches since Phillip Dorsett did it versus USF in 2012, and only the third Hurricane ever. Rambo's 12 catches were the most he ever had in any college game, and his 156 receiving yards bested his previous high of 122, set in 2019 versus Texas Tech at Oklahoma.

• Rambo has started all 11 games at wide receiver and leads Miami with 71 catches, 1,071 yards and five TDs.

• The Cedar Hills, Texas native is one of just seven receivers in the ACC to have recorded 50 catches through Week 10. Rambo's average of 6.44 receptions per game ranks as the fourth-best mark in the conference.

FIVE STARTERS (FOUR ON OFFENSE) OUT FOR SEASON DUE TO INJURIES

• In addition to its two most productive offensive players in QB D'Eriq King and RB Cam'Ron Harris, the Hurricanes are missing team captain and center Corey Gaynor and left guard Jalen Rivers for the season.

• Miami will miss S Bubba Bolden for the rest of the year, as announced by HC Manny Diaz on Oct. 25, due to a shoulder injury. Bolden and King were two of three players selected to represent Miami at ACC Kickoff.