No. 5 Miami playing host to Duke, looking to remain unbeaten on season
Miami quarterback Cam Ward looks to pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Florida State, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky
Duke (6-2, 2-2 ACC) at No. 5 Miami (8-0, 4-0), Saturday, 12 p.m. ET (ABC)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Miami by 20 1/2.
Series record: Miami leads 15-5.
What’s at stake?
Miami needs a win to continue its unbeaten start and keep the inside track toward a berth in the College Football Playoff. Duke will try to avoid falling below the .500 mark in ACC play.
Key matchup
They may say otherwise, but this game will mean a little something extra for Duke coach Manny Diaz and Miami coach Mario Cristobal — two Cuban-Americans raised in Miami. Cristobal replaced Diaz when the Hurricanes fired him in December 2021. Cristobal is 20-13 at Miami; Diaz went 21-15.
Players to watch
Duke: RB Star Thomas is the workhorse, accounting for 681 of Duke's 885 yards on the ground this season and five of the team's eight rushing touchdowns. He has 52 of Duke's 72 runs of 5 yards or longer this season.
Miami: WR Xavier Restrepo is 120 yards shy of matching Santana Moss' school record for receiving yards (2,547) and eight receptions away from Mike Harley Jr.'s record for receptions as a Hurricane (182).
Duke running back Star Thomas (17) runs through defenders in the second quarter of a football game against the Georgia Tech, during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Jason Allen
Facts & figures
Miami enters the week No. 1 in scoring offense nationally (46.8). ... Miami QB Cam Ward is 25 yards from passing Oklahoma’s Landry Jones (16,646) for fifth on the NCAA’s all-time, all-division passing list. ... Road teams have won five of the last six games in the series. ... Miami went 13-1 against Duke from 1983 through 2017. Duke is 3-2 against Miami since. ... Since the start of the 2018 season Duke is 31-2 (.939) when holding teams to 21 or fewer points, 10-39 (.204) overwise. This season, Duke is 6-0 when holding teams to 21 or less; 0-2 otherwise. ... In its last 48 games that followed a Florida State matchup, Miami is 38-10. ... Duke is 3-31-2 all-time against Top 5 opponents, 0-21 since 1960. ... Miami is 3-3 in its last six games as a Top 5 team over the last 20 years. It went 45-3 from 2000 through Oct. 30, 2004 as a Top 5 team and is 132-18 overall when ranked that high. ... Duke has forced 14 fumbles this season, third-most nationally entering this week, and is tied for third nationally with a plus-12 turnover differential.
