Game Day Notes: Miami vs. Louisville

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

vs.

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (5-3, 3-2 ACC) HEAD COACH: Scott Satterfield (Appalachian State, 1995) | CAREER: 56-27 (seventh season) | AT UofL: 5-3 (first)

THE GAME

• Coming off a 27-10 win last time out in a rivalry game at Florida State, the Miami Hurricanes play their final home game of the year on Nov. 9 in a Homecoming tilt with visiting Louisville. Kickoff for the matchup is set for 3:30 p.m. from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

• 13 players will be honored before the game during Senior Day festivities as they play the last home game of their University of Miami careers.

• The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Mark Jones (pxp), Dusty Dvoracek (color) and Olivia Dekker (sidelines) on the call. Joe Zagacki (pxp) and Don Bailey, Jr. (color) are in the 560 WQAM radio booth for their 18th season together, while Josh Darrow will handle the sideline duty. Alfredo Alvarez (pxp) and Joe Martinez (color) will carry the game on Unanimo Deportes 990AM live, as will Miami's student radio station, WVUM 90.5 FM.

THE SERIES

• The Hurricanes carry a commanding 9-3-1 all-time series lead against the Cardinals, including a 5-0-1 mark in games played in Miami.

• The two teams have not met since 2014 - Louisville's first football game as a member of the ACC and a 13-31 loss to the Cardinals in Louisville, Ky.

• UM has not played Louisville in Miami since 2004, a 41-38 win; the Hurricanes have lost the last three games to Louisville since (2006, 2013, 2014).

THE HURRICANES

• The Hurricanes won their most recent game at Florida State on Nov. 2, emerging with a 27-10 win in the annual rivalry game. QB Jarren Williams threw for a career-high 313 yards and two touchdowns, while DE Greg Rousseau (four sacks) led a UM defense that terrorized the Seminole offense.

• Rousseau was named Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Seminoles, which included five tackles for loss and a career-high eight tackles. Rousseau, who leads teh ACC with 12 sacks this year, is tied for the fourth-most sacks in a single UM season.

• LB Shaq Quarterman has started all 48 games of his career since arriving on campus in January 2016; he has the second-longest start streak in FBS.

• Miami returned 12 starters and 39 letterwinners from a 2018 team that finished with a trip to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in New York, N.Y. Mark Richt announced his retirement at season's end, and Manny Diaz was introduced as the 25th head coach in University of Miami program history on Jan. 2.

• Diaz, who spent the previous three seasons as defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes (2016-18), retooled Miami's offensive staff upon his hire, bringing Dan Enos from Alabama as offensive coordinator and hiring four other new coaches for offense. He hired longtime colleague Blake Baker, who spent the last four seasons at Louisiana Tech, as defensive coordinator and added Todd Stroud as assistant head coach / defensive line coach.

THE OPPONENT

• Louisville is under the direction of first-year head coach Scott Satterfield, who has led the Cardinals to a 5-3 record in his first year as head coach.

• Satterfield arrived to Louisville after leading his alma mater, Appalchian State, for six seasons. During his time there, he compiled a 51-24 record.

• RB Javian Hawkins (887 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns), QB Micale Cunningham (1,009 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, two interceptions) and WR Tutu Atwell (41 catches, 668 yards, seven receiving touchdowns) pace the Cardinals offensive attack. On defense, Louisville is led by defensive back Khane Pass (59 total tackles), OLB Rodjay Burns (48 tackles, six tackles for loss) and LB Monty Montgomery (four sacks).

14 SENIORS HONORED AT HOMECOMING

• The Miami Hurricanes play their final home game of the season on Nov. 2 against Louisville on Homecoming (3:30 p.m.).

• Saturday's game against the Cardinals represents the final home game for 14 seniors, who will be honored during pregame festivities at Hard Rock Stadium.

• Following the game against Louisville, Miami has an open date (Nov. 16) followed by road matchups with FIU (Nov. 23) at Marlins Park and at Duke (Nov. 30).

• The Hurricanes have not played the Cardinals in Miami since 2004, when Miami, ranked No. 3 at the time, beat then-No. 18 Louisville 41-38 in a shootout at the Orange Bowl; UM has never lost to Louisville in Miami (5-0-1) in six all-time meetings.

ROUSSEAU EXPLODING IN YEAR TWO

• After missing nearly all of his freshman season with an ankle fracture, DE Greg Rousseau has been Miami's top perfomer on defense this season.

• Rousseau leads the Hurricanes with 15.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks this season; last time out at Florida State (Nov. 2), Rousseau had a career-best four-sack performance and career-high five TFLs.

• The Coconut Creek, Fla., native, who has started the past four games at defensive end, leads the ACC and ranks second nationally in sacks this year (1.33/game).

• Rousseau, named Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week, is tied for the fourth-most sacks in a single season in Miami history; the program standard is 17.

THE POWER OF TURNOVER CHAIN 3(05)

• One of the most recognizable sights in college football over the last two years, the latest version of the turnover chain was revealed in Miami's opener vs. Florida.

• The new chain, sporting a 10-inch '305' charm that contains more than 2,000 white sapphire stones, was worn four times vs. the Gators, including the first-ever appearance when DL Scott Patchan recovered a fumble.

• The season opener vs. the Gators also served as the debut for Miami's offensive reward: the two touchdown rings, which combine to spell out "Hurricanes".

• 10 different Hurricanes have worn Turnover Chain 3(05); Miami leads all of Power 5 in turnovers forced (71) since the 2017 inception of the chain (2.01/game).

CANES TO HONOR SENIORS BEFORE HOMECOMING GAME VS. LOUISVILLE

• After capturing a 27-10 win over Florida State in a rivalry game last time out in Tallahassee, Fla., the Hurricanes play their final home game of the season on Nov. 9 vs. Louisville at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2).

• Miami is looking for its third straight when it welcomes the Cardinals to south Florida for the first time since 2004 - a 41-38 win at the Orange Bowl; UM is undefeated (5-0-1) all-time vs. Louisville in Miami.

• Saturday's contest is the final home game for 14 Miami seniors: Pat Bethel, Nick Ducheine, Romeo Finley, Trevon Hill, Tommy Kennedy, Robert Knowles, Jacob Munoz, Jimmy Murphy, Chigozie Nnoruka, K.J. Osborn, Michael Pinckney, Shaq Quarterman, Jack Spicer and Shawn Walker.

• Miami's matchup with Louisville also represents the annual Homecoming Game at Hard Rock Stadium.

• After Saturday's game, Miami's only remaining games are vs. FIU (Nov. 23) and at Duke (Nov. 30).

• The game will also be carried by 560 WQAM The Joe, Unanimo Deportes 990 AM and WVUM 90.5 FM.

A LOOK BACK: MIAMI WINS THIRD STRAIGHT OVER RIVAL FSU, 27-10

• QB Jarren Williams threw for a career-high 313 yards with two touchdowns, DE Gregory Rousseau had a four-sack performance, and Miami crushed rival Florida State, 27-10, on Nov. 2 in Tallahassee.

• Miami's defense overwhelmed the Seminoles, compiling 16 tackles for loss, nine sacks and two interceptions in the victory. Rousseau had five tackles for loss while LB Shaq Quarterman added 3.5.

• Williams had long touchdown passes to WR Dee Wiggins and WR Jeff Thomas in the win, while RB DeeJay Dallas added his seventh rushing score of the season in Miami's third straight win over FSU.

• The 17-point victory was Miami's largest over the Seminoles since a 22-point win in 2001 (49-27).

• Prior to Saturday, the Hurricanes had not won three games in a row versus the rival Seminoles since a stretch of six straight wins from 2001-2004; Miami improved to 16-10 all-time vs. FSU in Tallahassee.

ROUSSEAU DOMINATING AT D-END, IS AMONG TOP SACK ARTISTS IN FBS

• After missing all but one full game during his true freshman season of 2018 due to a right ankle fracture, DL Gregory Rousseau has shined in his first season as a major contributor on defense.

• Rousseau leads the ACC and is tied for second in all of FBS with 12 total sacks this season (all solo).

• Rousseau's 12 sacks are already tied for the fourth-most in a single season in Miami history with three games remaining in the regular season; UM has not had a 12-sack season since 1996 (Kenard Lang).

• In a win at Pittsburgh on Oct. 26, Rousseau finished with three sacks, becoming the first Hurricane since 2011 with three sacks in a game. He topped that performance a week later with a career-best five tackles for loss and the first four-sack game by a Hurricane since at least 2000 at FSU (Nov. 2).

• The redshirt freshman is one of just seven players in all of FBS with more than 15 tackles for loss.

• The Coconut Creek, Fla., native was rewarded with his first career start in a win over Virginia (Oct. 11) and made it count with a then career-high seven tackles, two TFLs, one sack and a forced fumble.

• Rousseau has at least one sack in six of UM's nine games and is first among all freshmen in sacks,.

• In a dominant game vs. Central Michigan (Sept. 21), the 6-foot-6 standout recorded his first strip-sack, recovering his own forced fumble to wear the turnover chain for the first time in his career.

• Rousseau was ranked as a four-star prospect by Rivals out of high school; he had 10 sacks as a senior.

OSBORN LEADING THE WAY ON OFFENSE AFTER TRANSFER TO THE U

• One of Miami's most important additions of the offseason was transfer K.J. Osborn, who joined the Hurricanes for his final year of eligibility after an impressive four-year career at Buffalo with the Bulls.

• The 6-foot Osborn has started all nine games at wide receiver this season and leads the Hurricanes in receptions (36) and touchdown receptions (5). He has 439 receiving yards - second-most on Miami.

• In a win at Pittsburgh on Oct. 26, Osborn had a career-high 94 yards and the game-winning 23-yard touchdown with less than a minute left. He led Miami with six catches in the win over Pittsburgh.

• Alongside LB Shaq Quarterman, Osborn was selected as one of two players to represent Miami at ACC Kickoff, the conference's annual media day, despite not having played a down and arriving in January.

• In three seasons of playing time at Buffalo, Osborn totaled 1,490 yards and 12 touchdowns.

SOPHOMORE JORDAN DAZZLING AS A MACKEY AWARD CANDIDATE

• For the second straight year, TE Brevin Jordan has been among Miami's top contributors on offense.

• Jordan has the third-most receiving yards (495) of any Power 5 tight end this season, and has surpassed his freshman total for receiving yards. He is second on UM in catches (35) and leads in yards.

• Last time out in a win at FSU (Nov. 2), Jordan had a game-high six receptions totaling 48 yards.

• In a win vs. Virginia Tech on Oct. 5, Jordan had a career-high 136 receiving yards with one TD.

• Jordan enjoyed a strong opener vs. Florida (Aug. 24), starting the game and finishing with a team-high five-catches for 88 yards and one TD. He has at least five catches in four of nine games this year.

• Playing his first season of college football in 2018, Jordan emerged as a go-to target in the Miami offense; Jordan was second on Miami in receptions (32) and was second in touchdowns (four).

• Jordan was named to the All-ACC Second Team after a standout first year, starting 12 of 13 games.

• A Las Vegas native and high school teammate of QB Tate Martell and S Bubba Bolden, Jordan was named to the Mackey Award preseason watch list (nation's top tight end) and preseason All-ACC.

NO POWER-5 TEAM HAS MORE TURNOVERS SINCE'S CHAIN'S INCEPTION

• When DL Scott Patchan pounced on a Gators fumble in the first quarter of Miami's game on Aug. 24, fans inside the stadium and across the country awaited the unveil of the newest turnover chain.

• The chain, which previously featured a charm in the shape of the iconic 'U' (2017) and Sebastian the Ibis (2018), features a 10-inch charm with the famous '305' Miami area code with more than 2,000 white sapphires; the charm weighs 500 grams. The chain took roughly three months to complete.

• Since the unveiling of the chain in 2017, Miami has compiled a Power 5-high 71 turnovers in 35 games, an average of 2.01 turnovers per game; Miami had 19 takeaways the season before the chain.

• The Hurricanes are the only Power-5 team averaging more than two takeaways per game since 2017.

• In a 17-12 win over Central Michigan on Sept. 21, Miami had three turnovers and two first-time chain wearers - CB Al Blades, Jr. (interception) and DL Gregory Rousseau (fumble recovery) both wore it.

WILLIAMS IMPRESSING THROUGH EARLY GOING OF CAREER AS QB1 AT UM

• QB Jarren Williams was announced as Miami's starting quarterback by head coach Manny Diaz on Monday, Aug. 12 after winning a quarterback battle that started in spring ball and lasted into camp.

• Williams, who started last time out at Florida State (Nov. 2), threw for a career-high 313 passing yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 27-10 win against the rival Seminoles on the road.

• Injured during Miami's game vs. Virginia Tech on Oct. 5, he did not start for three games, but came off the bench in the fourth quarter at Pitt (Oct. 26) and orchestrated the game-winning touchdown drive.

• The Lawrenceville, Ga., native has totaled the third-best pass efficiency in the ACC (153.3) and 18th-best mark in all of Power 5. His 66.9% completion percentage is second-best in ACC and 16th in Power 5.

• In his first start as quarterback versus Florida on Aug. 24, Williams finished 19-for-30 for 214 yards and the first passing TD of his career. He became UM's seventh freshman QB to start a game since 2008.

• He was even better at North Carolina on Sept. 7, throwing for 309 yards on 30-for-39 passing with two touchdowns. The 30 completions were the most by a Miami QB since Brad Kaaya vs. Pitt in 2016.

• Williams beat out QBs Tate Martell and N'Kosi Perry for the starting spot. He was the first freshman to start a season opener since Brad Kaaya started as a true freshman on the road at Louisville in 2014.

• Williams played in one game as a reserve during his true freshman year Savannah State (Sept. 8, 2018).

• A consensus four-star prospect, Williams was ranked as the No. 6 dual threat quarterback by ESPN.

• Williams chose Miami over Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Ohio State, among other schools.

A RAY GUY AWARD NOMINEE, HEDLEY PAYING DIVIDENDS ON SPECIALS

• Miami's punting unit struggled in 2018 with a 34.48 net punting average, ranking 117th in all of FBS.

• The addition of Australian punter Lou Hedley - who arrived to Miami after two years at City College of San Francisco and who is a former Australian Rules Football player - has been a key for the Hurricanes.

• Hedley was selected to the Ray Guy Award watch list after a standout first half of the season at The U.

• Hedley is averaging 45.5 yards per punt - ranking as the 12th best mark in FBS. In a game vs. Georgia Tech back on Oct. 19, Hedley boomed a career-long 67-yard punt. He has totaled 1,685 yards on punts.

• Thanks largely to Hedley's stellar play, Miami's unit now ranks 15th in FBS in net punting (42.03 / punt).

• Standing 6-foot-4 and tattooed from the neck down, Hedley used to own a tattoo shop in Bali, Indonesia before moving to San Francisco from Melbourne, Australia where he was at ProKick Australia.

YOUNG O-LINE STUDY IN LAST TWO ROAD GAMES AT PITT, FLORIDA STATE

• UM's starting offensive line vs. Florida (Aug. 24) included two freshman - true freshman LT Zion Nelson and redshirt freshman RT John Campbell, Jr. - and has gotten even younger as the season moves on.

• In a win on the road at Pitt (Oct. 26), UM held the nation's number one sacks defense to a season-low two sacks in a 16-12 win. The Panthers entered that averaging what was an FBS-best 5.14 sacks / game.

• A talented Seminoles defense was held to just two sacks in UM's 27-10 win on the road at FSU (Nov. 2).

• Joining Nelson on the offensive line and making his University of Miami debut was true freshman Jakai Clark, who has made eight straight starts at right guard following the season opener versus Florida.

• OL Navaughn Donaldson was the only returning starter on the offensive line with at least 10 starts.

• According to research from The Athletic, the Hurricanes were one of only three programs in the country to start a true freshman at left tackle in their opener. Tennessee and UCLA also started a true frosh LT.

• According to the same research, Miami was also one of just three programs in the country to start freshmen at both tackle spots in the opener; Duke and Michigan started two redshirt freshmen tackles.

WIGGINS COMING ON STRONG AT RECEIVER IN SECOND HALF OF 2019

• Sophomore WR Dee Wiggins has been among Miami's top playmakers of late, with a career high-tying four catches for a career-best 74 yards and his first career touchdown last time out at FSU (Nov. 2).

• Wiggins had a 56-yard TD reception - the longest passing score for Miami of the year - vs. the Noles.

• Over the last three games, Wiggins has totaled seven catches for 148 yards with two 50-yard catches. MIAMI DEFENSE WREAKING HAVOC, RANKS AMONG NATION'S TOP UNITS

• The Miami Hurricanes defense ranks No. 14 in FBS and No. 3 in the ACC in total defense, allowing just 290.1 yards per game; UM is one of just 15 units in FBS allowing fewer than 300 total yards per game.

• Miami's scoring defense is No. 18 in the nation at just 18.3 points per game - second-best in the ACC.

• One of Miami's top-performing units this season has been its rushing defense, which has allowed an average of 97.8 yards this season - the 12th-best mark in FBS and second-best performing ACC unit.

• The Hurricanes have allowed just three of nine opponents - Virginia Tech (Oct. 5), Georgia Tech (Oct. 19) and Pitt (Oct. 26) to surpass the 100-yard rushing mark. Florida and FSU combined for 81 rush yards.

• One of the most important statistics when measuring a defense in modern day college football - opponent yards per play - is another stat where Miami has excelled this year (4.4, 11th-best in FBS).

• The Hurricanes are averaging 8.4 tackles for loss per game - the sixth-best mark and the best total in the ACC - and are averaging the fifth-most sacks per game of any team in FBS (3.78, second in ACC).

HARRIS ENJOYS BIG GAME VS. GT, EARNS FIRST CAREER START AT PITT

• Seeing significant action due to an in-game injury to RB DeeJay Dallas, RB Cam'Ron Harris had the best performance of his young career in a loss to Georgia Tech on Oct. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium.

• Harris rushed for a career-high 136 yards on a career-high 18 carries and added his first receiving touchdown of the season in a three-catch game. Harris' previous career high for rush yards was 77.

• Harris was rewarded with his first career start vs. Pitt (Oct. 26); he finished with 60 yards and a rush TD.

• Harris' 136 yards vs. GT were the most by a Hurricane back since Travis Homer rushed for 168 yards on eight carries in a win over Pittsburgh in November 2017. Harris averaged 7.56 yards per carry vs. GT.

• A consensus four-star prospect by every major scouting service, Harris - who went by Cam'Ron Davis last year but changed his last name to match his father's last name this past offseason - was ranked as the No. 9 running back in his high school class and No. 167 overall prospect in his class by ESPN.com.

IVEY HAS FIRST TWO INTERCEPTIONS OF CAREER IN WIN OVER PANTHERS

• Sophomore DJ Ivey picked up the first two interceptions of his career in a win at Pittsburgh (Oct. 26), wearing the turnover chain twice in the first half in one of the best games of his young career.

• Ivey's multi-interception game was the first by a Hurricane since Trajan Bandy had two picks at Virginia on Oct. 13, 2018; it also marked the third straight year a Miami has recorded a multi-interception game.

• Prior to Ivey and Bandy, CB Michael Jackson, Sr., had two interceptions vs. Syracuse on Oct. 21, 2017.