Canes are set to host rival Seminoles

His head coach — who played and coached in the rivalry — shared that sentiment.

“As a player, I could say we never looked at the record of anyone we played against,” said Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, a two-time national champion offensive lineman for the Hurricanes. “Whatever a team's record is in this rivalry, you're going to get the best version of them, and they're going to get the best version of you.” That's what makes the game so incredibly intense and physical and that's why so many people come here to take part in this game.”

For the Hurricanes (7-0, 3-0), being at their best will undoubtedly be a top priority, as they have played back-and-forth close contests against all three of their ACC opponents so far this season.

And even though Miami won all three of those games, the Hurricanes believe they can be better than what they showed against Virginia Tech, California and Louisville.

Showing that they continued to improve and played well against Florida State won't just be a positive to build on as Miami pursues its goals in November – it will be crucial if the Hurricanes do Looking to leave Hard Rock Stadium tomorrow still undefeated and with their first win over Florida State since 2020.

“It’s teaching and learning. It's a two-part system, right? And we have to practice every ounce of preparation, run-through, meetings and whatever, we have to provide the guidance, the teaching, the mentorship and the confidence so that we can go out there and really get going and play fast like we've shown in so many cases have,” said Cristobal. “And in the (areas) where we didn't do that, we certainly didn't look good, but we feel like we're addressing them, attacking them and approaching them with transparency and honesty. “We know we're getting better must. We have everything behind us.”

Restrepo added: “We are getting better every day. As simple as that sounds, that’s literally our main focus: we’re just trying to improve internally and eliminate all external distractions.”

While all three of Miami's conference games have come in the final minutes, the Hurricanes enter Saturday's matchup against the Seminoles with one of the best offenses in the country.

Quarterback Cam Ward, a transfer from Washington State who will play his first game between Miami and FSU, leads the nation with 2,538 passing yards on the year and 24 touchdowns.

Overall, the Hurricanes are averaging 577.3 yards per game and 8.05 yards per play, both of which are No. 1 among FBS programs.

But in their three conference games, the Hurricanes have allowed an average of 39.0 points – a number the defense knows it needs to be better.

“From the D-line to the linebacker to the secondary, I mean, we didn't play our best ball,” said defensive lineman Simeon Barrow Jr., who had six tackles, one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble in last week's win against Louisville. “We know it's just communication issues and I feel like we all need to put in a collective effort, play together and just keep going and take it day by day.”