(WSVN) - The time for talk is at an end. The No. 7 Miami Hurricanes finally return to the gridiron to face Atlantic Coast Conference rival Stanford in what the team hopes to be a good first step to avenge their loss in last season’s national championship game.
Head coach Mario Cristobal promised his squad will deliver explosive plays on the field, avoiding any shortcuts along the way, with a singular focus on showing last year’s march to the biggest game was no fluke and starting off strong in their West Coast showdown.
“All focus is on making sure we do everything humanly possible to be 1-0,” said Cristobal.
The Canes will line up against the Stanford Cardinal in California on Friday night.
It’s their first game since January’s crushing defeat in the title game against the Indiana Hoosiers.
For several returning players from last season, the memory of that loss is still fresh but they’re ready to run it back, especially against a conference rival who already got off to a 1-0 start.
“It’s about time, it’s about time, we’re just ready. What we’ve seen is great guys who played great together, played fast, it’s gonna definitely be a challenge for us that we’re all ready to take on,” said Canes running back Mark Fletcher.
Leading the way in the Canes offense is quarterback Darian Mensah, who transferred to Miami from Duke over the summer.
Mensah threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns for the Blue Devils on their way to a victory over the Virginia Cavaliers in the ACC championship game last season.
The California native is excited to lead the Canes campaign for a national championship.
“The goal is to just go 1-0, it’s a business trip so [I’m] extremely excited to go out and play another defense,” said Mensah.
Despite being heavily favored in Friday’s contest, Miami is not letting their guard down.
They’ll have some additional help as Stanford enters the matchup shorthanded, with five of their starters not expected to play due to injuries.
Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.