When No. 20 Texas A&M comes to visit the home Hurricanes, it could be the last ranked team Miami faces in the storied stadium. Currently, none of the rest of Miami's home opponents is ranked, and only Georgia Tech realistically has a chance to be. The Canes are moving to Dolphin Stadium next season.
The Aggies are off to a 3-0 start despite being out gained in two of those games, and the opposition hasn't been much: Montana State, Fresno State (which really should have won the game) and Louisiana Monroe. Tonight will be Texas A&M's first football game away from College Station.
"We don't believe we've played slouches, but we do know that Miami will be the toughest team we've faced," QB Stephen McGee said. "But it's important for us because it's our next game."
A nationally televised win over the Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl would spark a program craving a return to the national spotlight. The Aggies haven't been 4-0 in consecutive seasons since 1956-57 under Bear Bryant.
"This is a great opportunity to showcase what we've got," A&M defensive end Chris Harrington said. "We all know that. Everybody's focus is tighter and this is a good shot for us to show the country what is going on down here."
Miami, meanwhile, is trying to avoid back-to-back 2-2 starts to the season. The Canes beat Marshall in the opener before getting bombed by Oklahoma in Norman. UM was lackluster in beating Florida International last week, but the Canes are -2.5 (over/under: 46) for tonight's game on WagerWeb.com.
Miami's offense has been a consistent struggle; Kyle Wright was renamed the starter after Kirby Freeman struggled in the first two games.
UM has won its last 10 games on Thursday nights, but the Hurricanes are 1-7 in their last eight matchups against ranked opponents and 9-8 in their last 17 games overall.
Coach Randy Shannon said neither the national spotlight nor Texas A&M's ranking should provide his team with extra motivation.
"There's no such thing as a statement game. Every game is," Shannon said. "Every game's got to be a statement game. You've got to be prepared and ready to play at all times. If you don't, somebody's going to sneak up on you and beat you."
Texas A&M will try to rush the ball down Miami's throat. Jovorskie Lane, the Aggies' 268-pound tailback, has seven TDs already this season, and fellow back Mike Goodson has rushed for 247 yards through three games. McGee can beat you on the ground or through the air; he has run for a team-best 263 yards, and thrown for 428.
Miami gave up 159 yards rushing against Florida International in a 23-9 win last week, so that could be a concern for Canes fans.
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