#14/#16 MIAMI HURRICANES (0-0, 0-0 ACC) HEAD COACH: Manny Diaz (Florida State, 1995) | CAREER: 14-10 (third season) | AT MIAMI: 14-10 (third)

VS.

#1/#1 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (0-0, 0-0 SEC) HEAD COACH: Nick Saban (Kent State, 1973) | CAREER: 261-65-1 (26th season) | AT ALABAMA: 170-23 (15th)

THE GAME

• The #14/#16 Miami Hurricanes kick off their third season under the direction of head coach Manny Diaz on Sat., Sept. 4 against defending national champion #1/#1 Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff for the game, slated for national broadcast on ABC, is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.

• Miami is opening its season with a neutral site matchup for the third time in the last four years; the Hurricanes played Florida in Orlando (Camping World Stadium) to open their 2019 season and played against LSU in Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium) to begin their 2018 campaign. Miami kicked off its 2020 season with a home matchup against UAB. UM is 31-11 in regular season openers in the modern era of Miami Football (since 1979).

• The game will be broadcast on ABC with Sean McDonough (pxp), Todd Blackledge (color), Todd McShay (sideline) and Molly McGrath (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 live on WMYM 990AM from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

THE SERIES

• Miami trails the all-time series against the Crimson Tide by a 14-3 margin. The two teams have not met since the 1993 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

• The series is tied, 1-1, in neutral site matchups, both of which occurred in New Orleans: the 1990 Sugar Bowl, where Miami capped off its third national championship season with a 33-25 win, and the 1993 Sugar Bowl, where Alabama upended the Hurricanes, 34-13, for a title of its own.

THE HURRICANES

• The Miami Hurricanes return 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.

• The Hurricanes will feature several returners who opted for another season at The U over the NFL Draft, led by Heisman Trophy candidate D'Eriq King. In his first season as starting quarterback at The U, King finished with 2,686 passing yards, 538 rushing yards and 27 total touchdowns.

• Miami was ranked #14 in the Associated Press preseason top 25 and #16 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll released in August.

• Miami was ranked #18 in the final College Football Playoff rankings of 2020; it was UM's second time being included in the final CFP rankings.

• For head coach Manny Diaz, 2021 will mark 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 has 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.

MIAMI KICKS OFF FOOTBALL SEASON #96

• #14/#16 Miami kicks off its highly anticipated 2021 campaign with a neutral-site game against #1/#1 Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 4. The game is slated for 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

• UM is opening up the season with a neutral-site game for the third time in the last four years; Miami opened 2018 with a game against LSU at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and opened 2019 vs. Florida at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

• The last time UM opened the season against the nation's top-ranked team, Miami blasted past No. 1 Florida State, 31-0, to kick off 1988 at the Orange Bowl.

RETURN OF THE KING IN CORAL GABLES

• After recovery from reconstructive surgery on a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee suffered in Miami's bowl game, D'Eriq King is slated for the 12th start of his UM career against Alabama on Sept. 4.

• King is responsible for more than 10,000 yards in his collegiate career: 7,611 passing yards, 1,959 rushing yards, 520 receiving yards, 29 punt return yards and 260 kick return yards - a total of 10,379 yards.

• King spent the first four seasons of his career at Houston; the Manvel, Texas native was selected to the watch lists for the Davey O'Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Award and Maxwell Award this preseason.

TURNOVER CHAIN' ICONIC ACROSS CFB

• Since the unveiling of the Turnover Chain during the 2017 season, Miami has ranked among the leaders in all of Power 5 in turnovers forced over the last four seasons.

• Entering the 2021 season, the Hurricanes were tied with Iowa and Syracuse with 92 turnovers forced since the chain's inception - the third-most in Power 5, behind only Clemson (97) and Alabama (95).

• The Hurricanes' average of 1.84 turnovers forced per game since the unveiling of the chain is also the third-most among all Power 5 teams, trailing only Iowa (1.96) and Syracuse (1.92). Arizona State (1.84) and Wisconsin (1.83) round out the top five.

#14/#16 MIAMI OPENS 2021 WITH DEFENDING CHAMPION CRIMSON TIDE

• #14/#16 Miami opens its highly anticipated 2021 season with a neutral-site showdown against defending national champion #1/#1 Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 4 (ABC).

• The Hurricanes are matching up with the Crimson Tide for the first time since 1993, a 34-13 Alabama win in the Sugar Bowl. UM trails the all-time series with Alabama, 14-3, but is 1-1 in neutral site games.

• Head coach Manny Diaz is entering 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.

• Saturday's Miami season opener is slated for broadcast on 560 WQAM, WMYM 990 AM & WVUM 90.5.

THE KING IS BACK IN CORAL GABLES: D'ERIQ A HEISMAN CANDIDATE

• After a dominant first season in Coral Gables, QB D'Eriq King announced his plans to return to the Hurricanes in 2021 on Dec. 26, 2020 - just before Miami's appearance in the 2020 Cheez-It Bowl.

• King, who tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee during that bowl game, is fully recovered from the injury and will be under center when the Hurricanes take on the Crimson Tide in their opener.

• King spent the first four seasons of his career at the University of Houston; 2021 will mark the first time since high school he has had the same coordinator in back-to-back years (Rhett Lashlee).

• The standout signal caller is one of just 11 quarterbacks in FBS with more than 30 career starts at QB.

• King was named a preseason watch list for several major awards, including the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Davey O'Brien Award (top quarterback) and the Maxwell Award (player of the year).

• The Manvel, Texas native is responsible for more than 10,000 yards during his illustrious career - 7,611 passing yards, 1,959 rushing yards, 520 receiving yards, 29 punt return yards and 260 kick return yards - a total of 10,379 yards. He totaled 3,224 yards (2,686 passing, 538 rushing) at Miami in 2020.

• King set an FBS record with at least one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown in 16 straight games, a streak that ended at Louisville in 2020; he bested Florida QB Tim Tebow's FBS record (15).

• King became the first Miami QB in history to rush for 100 yards in a game in a win at NC State in 2020.

• King had a prolific career with the Cougars, totaling 82 total touchdowns (50 passing, 28 rushing, three receiving, one kickoff return), 4,925 passing yards and 1,421 rushing yards in just 22 starts.

• King became the first player in Houston history to throw a touchdown, catch a touchdown and return a kickoff for a touchdown in the same game when he managed the feat for Houston at Texas State.

"BREAK OUT THE CHAIN AGAIN!" TURNOVER CHAIN IS ICONIC IN CFB

• The next time an opposing pass lands in the hands of a Hurricanes player, or the ball hits the turf on a fumble, fans across the country will await the unveil of the newest turnover chain - Turnover Chain 5.0.

• The chain has previously featured a charm in the shape of the iconic 'U' (2017), Sebastian the Ibis (2018), the notorious '305' Miami area code (2019) and the famous school logo inside the state of Florida (2020). The most recent charm weighed 300 grams while the chain was 30 inches in length.

• The chains have taken roughly three months to complete, and are designed by famed jeweler Anthony "AJ the Jeweler" Machado. He is the architecht behind all four chains and the "Touchdown Rings."

• From the start of 2017 - the year of unveiling of the first turnover chain Miami is tied for third among all Power 5 programs in turnovers forced (92) and ranks No. 3 in turnovers forced per game (1.84).

LASHLEE'S "POWER SPREAD" OFFENSE PAID DIVIDENDS IN YEAR ONE

• In his first year as Miami's offensive coordinator, Rhett Lashlee's installation of an up-tempo "power spread" offense made a clear impact for Miami. Lashlee joined the Hurricanes in January 2020 from SMU.

• Teaming up with QB D'Eriq King, the Hurricanes shot up the NCAA leaderboards in nearly every category. 2021 will mark the first time since high school King will have the same coordinator two straight years.

• In Lashlee's first season as coordinator in Coral Gables, the Hurricanes jumped to No. 32 in FBS in total offense (from No. 98), No. 29 in passing offense (from No. 52), No. 26 in scoring offense (from No. 90), No. 17 in red zone offense (from No. 122) and No. 20 in first downs gained offense (from No. 84).

MIAMI SET FBS RECORD FOR NET PUNTING IN HEDLEY'S STANDOUT YEAR

• A finalist for the Ray Guy Award honoring the nation's top punter a year ago, P Lou Hedley delivered one of the best seasons by a punter in FBS history in 2020 - his second year with the Miami Hurricanes.

• UM set the FBS record (minimum 40 punts) for net punting with an average of 44.96 yards per punt, besting the mark by San Diego State in 1996 (44.94). Hedley ranked second in FBS in punting (47.3).

• Hedley was named to the All-America Second Team by the Associated Press and the All-ACC Second Team. A former Australian Rules Football player, the 28-year-old Hedley hails from Mandurah Australia.

BROTHERLY LOVE: BORREGALES CARRIES ON GROZA WINNER'S LEGACY

• A year after his older brother Jose became the first Lou Groza Award winner in program history, Andres "Andy" Borregales enters his true freshman season at The U as Miami's starting placekicker for 2021.

• Jose was Miami's first consensus All-America since 2004 in his lone season at The U, finishing 20-for-22 on field goal attempts and a perfect 37-for-37 on extra point attempts. He passed on #30 to his brother.

• One of the top-ranked kickers in the country, Andy was one of Miami's early enrollees in January 2021.

DEFENSE LOOKING TO CONTINUE WREAKING HAVOC UNDER DIAZ

• Miami Football fans will enjoy a familiar sight on Saturdays this fall when Manny Diaz assumes his responsibilities as playcaller and defensive coordinator; Diaz was coordinator from 2016 through 2019.

• The Hurricanes defense has featured at least one player with 15 tackles for loss for three straight years; Jaelan Phillips (15.5) in 2020, Gregory Rousseau (19.5) in 2019 and Jonathan Garvin (18.0) in 2018.

• Including Diaz's time as head coach, Miami has had multiple defensive players record double-digit tackles for loss in four of his five seasons at The U, including Phillips (15.5) and Quincy Roche (14.5) a season ago.

• The Hurricanes are the only team since Diaz's arrival to Coral Gables in 2016 to rank among the top five in all of FBS in tackles for loss each year; Miami was No. 4 in 2020 (8.6 per game), No. 4 in 2019 (8.3), No. 1 in 2020 (10.5), No. 4 in 2017 (8.5) and No. 5 in 2016 (8.3). The Hurricanes, along with Alabama, are the only two programs to have had at least one player record eight sacks each of the last five years (2016-2020).

VETERAN OFFENSIVE LINE RANKS AMONG NATION'S MOST EXPERIENCED

• The University of Miami will enter the 2021 season with one of the nation's most experienced offensive lines in the nation. UM's 159 combined FBS OL starts are the second-most, trailing only Minnesota (180).

• The Hurricanes' offensive line features nine players who have made at least one start at the FBS level.

• Among Miami's most battle-tested veterans include Navaughn Donaldson (34 starts), DJ Scaife (31), Jarrid Williams (29), Corey Gaynor (25), Jakai Clark (22), Justice Oluwaseun (21) and Zion Nelson (20).

BOLDEN ENJOYED BREAKOUT 2020 SEASON, NOW A THORPE CANDIDATE

• One of Miami's top defenders last season was S Bubba Bolden, who started eight of 11 games and led the Hurricanes with 74 tackles at the end of the year. Bolden was named to the 2020 All-ACC Second Team.

• Last year, Bolden was announced as one of just 12 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award honoring the nation's top defensive back back. Bolden was the lone Thorpe Award semifinalist from the ACC.

• Bolden, who had just 11 tackes in an injury-shortened 2019 season, was one of three representatives from Miami to attend ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, the conference's annual media day features coaches and players.

• In Miami's game at #1 Clemson a year ago, Bolden totaled 10 tackles, two blocked field goals and a forced fumble. He won his second ACC Defensive Back of the Week Award for his performance against the Tigers.

• The standout safety had another double-digit tackle game with a career-high 13 vs North Carolina in 2020.

• Bolden, who starred at national power Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas during his high school career, spent his freshman year of 2017 at Southern Cal before transferring to the Hurricanes prior to the 2019 season.

HURRICANES BOLSTER ROSTER VIA TRANSFER PORTAL ONCE AGAIN

• Miami added several important players via transfer portal once again this offseason, including CB Tyrique Stevenson (from Georgia), WR Charleston Rambo (from Oklahoma) , DE Deandre Johnson (from Tennessee) and OL Justice Oluwaseun (from UNLV). All figure to play important roles for the Hurricanes.

MALLORY NEXT UP AT TIGHT END U, CARRYING ON FAMILY LEGACY

• Following the departure of TE Brevin Jordan, who declared for the NFL after a standout career at UM, veteran Will Mallory is next in line to carry the torch for the tight end factory that is Miami Football.

• Mallory has flashed the ability to be a dominant figure during his three seasons at The U; during a three-game injury absence for Jordan last year, Mallory totaled 10 catches, 187 yards and three TDs.

• In his three seasons, Mallory has totaled 43 receptions, 659 yards and seven TDs - four in 2020 alone.

• A football legacy, Mallory's grandfather Bill Mallory is the winningest coach in Indiana University history. His father, Mike, spent last season as assistant special teams coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

HARLEY CLIMBING UP RECORD BOOKS, ENJOYED BREAKOUT 2020

• 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 and 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 125 career receptions, which ranks as the eighth-most in the history of Miami Football. In 2020, Harley moved past Phillip Dorsett (121) and Allen Hurns (121) into eighth place in the record books.