CORAL GABLES—The final day of fall training camp took place on Friday (Aug. 23). As the Miami Hurricanes prepare to transition into regular season mode, a few players shared their thoughts on this particular phase that has just wrapped up and the upcoming preparation period for the season opener next Saturday (Aug. 31) against Florida.

Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe made a strong impression with his overall play in the past few weeks of fall camp. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior wanted to focus on the team as he spoke on how much his teammates and coaches have progressed together.

“I feel we’ve been working really hard,” said Bissainthe, who had 44 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one fumble recovery as a sophomore in ten starts this past season. “I’m very excited to just go out there and let it all out. Show what we’ve been doing and how hard we’ve been working.”

Bissainthe also spoke on how Miami is currently preparing for Florida and its game environment at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville (Fla.)

“At our practices, our coach plays loud music indoors or outdoors before the ball gets snapped,” Bissainthe said. “They try to do that for us so we could get used to it when we come to game.”

Bissainthe on what the team is sensing right now as we get closer to the season opener: “The excitement level is through the roof. Just hearing about everything over the summer and finally getting down to the business, guys are excited and ready to get to work.”

The Miami alum also touched on how the linebacker room looks.

“The whole LB room feeds off each other,” Bissainthe said. “It’s gonna be one for the books. We just can’t wait to get to work.”

Bissainthe compared the team’s overall hype from last season to this season.

“Just taking it a day at a time and being where your feet are. It’s not good to think too much in the past and think too much in the future. Just be where your feet are and let the day come. Work every single day until it leads up to game day. Hopefully you get the results you want.”

He reflected on the second scrimmage that took place on Saturday, Aug. 17, and how it will help the team moving forward.

“I don’t really like to look at who won or who lost because, at the end of the day, we’re not playing each other,” Bissainthe said. “I feel like both sides have good plays. And we compete. That’s good for the team. I feel like that’s gonna help us in the long run.”

Redshirt junior tight end Elijah Arroyo added his perspective on how the Canes are gearing up for the season opener against Florida.

“We know it’s gonna be a hostile environment,” Arroyo said. “We’re just preparing for the opportunity. We want to go out there and do our best.”

Arroyo spoke on what the team accomplished in training camp regarding preparation for the season ahead.

“The biggest thing I’ll probably say is the competition,” Arroyo said. “The way we go out there and work on the field every day. Offense going after defense. Defense coming back at us. The intensity of practice and how hard we play.”

Arroyo shared his thoughts on the second scrimmage and the growth that came from it.

“It’s kinda hard to tell who won,” Arroyo said. “We had fun at the second scrimmage. We’ve been going at it for two weeks. We’re familiar with each other. The competition was much higher. We kinda got used to the weather. And we were just going at it.”

Nine-year veteran tight end Cam McCormick chimed in on the progress made from the first scrimmage to the second scrimmage.

“We’re getting the defense better,” McCormick said. “We play as a whole. I think as an offense, we’re playing together. We’re playing faster. We’re playing confident. I think that’s all you can ask for from the coaching staff.”

McCormick spoke about the culture that head coach Mario Cristobal has been building here at Miami.

“It’s really a process of getting guys to just buy into that culture,” McCormick said. “I think that the guys on this team have done a really good job of buying in and kind of seeing the vision of where he sees this team going and where he believes that we can go. So, ultimately, he believes in all of us. And we have to sit there and now go perform on Saturdays because we’re the ones on the field.”

Senior linebacker Francisco “Kiko” Mauioga spoke about his outlook for the Canes season opener against Florida.

“We’re just going to play our game,” Mauioga said. “All we’re gonna do is execute and focus on our main job.”

Mauioga on Florida’s offense: “They got a really experienced quarterback in [Graham] Mertz,” Mauioga said. “They got a good running back corps. And they got some good playmakers too on the outside. All in preparation, just be prepared for that challenge. Those guys got a good football team and a good offense. Just be prepared for the offense and take it day by day. Just lock in on the plays that we need to work on. Throughout practice, we’re just being able to correct our mistakes, watch film after, and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes.”

Mauigoa recapped how these past few weeks have gone for the Canes.

“Throughout fall camp, it was at a high level,” Mauigoa said. “Everybody was just competing at a high level. We were going at it, the defense and offense. And now, it’s time to shift our focus to our opponent. I think everybody is at the right place and right mindset to prepare and practice for the upcoming game.”

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