Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and receiver Cooper Barkate face their former team.
Duke coach Manny Diaz returns to his prior post as a head coach.
And those are just two of the storylines when No. 7 Miami hosts Duke on Saturday afternoon in a crucial Atlantic Coast Conference clash.
The Hurricanes (8-1, 6-0 ACC) fell six spots in the latest College Football Playoff rankings following their 31-24 loss at Notre Dame last week.
Miami can secure a berth in the ACC Championship Game with a win over Duke (7-2, 4-2), a loss by SMU to Wake Forest and a Louisville loss to North Carolina.
“It is playoff football,” said Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, who replaced Diaz as the Hurricanes’ coach following the 2021 season.
“There are probably eight (ACC) teams that are in line to win a conference championship. It is one game at a time. They have a great defense and they have an offense that is one of the best in the country at points per drive. It is going to be a challenge.”
Miami was without leading receiver and Heisman Trophy candidate Malachi Toney, who is expected to miss at least the team’s final three regular season games after undergoing TightRope surgery for a severe high ankle sprain.
The Hurricanes nearly erased a 24-3 deficit, and had a potential game-tying touchdown catch by Elijah Lofton ruled incomplete in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
“Initially, it’s a shock and we can’t ignore that,” Cristobal said. “We can’t pretend it is no big deal. But this is a reason why we preach and teach getting everybody on the roster ready to play. We met as a team and addressed it. [Toney] loves nothing more than playing football and it was time to move forward and we did a good job of doing that.”
Without Toney, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah relied heavily on Lofton and Barkate, who transferred from Duke, along with Mensah, this past offseason.
Barkate caught nine passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns against Notre Dame, marking season-highs in catches and scores.
Diaz didn’t believe Mensah’s familiarity with his team or vice versa would have any significant impact on the game.
“I don’t think it’s any different than him knowing our tendencies and seeing our defense every day. I don’t see anyone having any clear advantage there,” Diaz said on Monday. “It’s an important game for our conference. It’s an emotional game, but you can’t afford to play emotionally.”
Duke is also dealing with injuries of its own.
Diaz said two starters — safety Patrick Smith-Young and offensive lineman Cole Allen — are out for the season after undergoing surgery for their respective injuries suffered during the Blue Devils’ 41-3 win last week at NC State.
Duke has its own Heisman candidate in sophomore Nate Sheppard, who leads the nation with 21 total touchdowns. Sheppard is second in the nation in rushing yards (1,189) and rushing yards per game (132.1) behind Boise State’s Dylan Riley.
Last week, Sheppard ran for 217 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries and caught a 4-yard touchdown pass against the Wolfpack.
“There’s no question,” Diaz said when asked whether Sheppard is a deserving Heisman candidate. “I mean again, how many times can we say it? A team knows that the No. 1 thing you have to do against Duke is stop No. 20 … 200 yards, three touchdowns again. You know, everybody’s playing great around him.”
