MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It is a game that does not lack stories.

Duke’s Manny Diaz is about to coach against Miami for the first time since being fired by the Hurricanes on December 6, 2021. He will face Mario Cristobal, the man Miami hired to replace Diaz on the same day. Both coaches are of Cuban descent and both are Miami natives.

It’s a lot to process. But Diaz and Cristobal keep it simple. For them, it’s just Duke vs. Miami.

The fifth-ranked Hurricanes (8-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) face Duke (6-2, 2-2), a game in which a Miami offense that leads the nation in scoring per game takes a Blue Devils defense that ranks among the stingiest in the country.

“This week, it was really a task at hand,” Diaz said when asked about balancing the emotions surrounding his return to Miami and the game itself. “Certainly when the schedule comes out, you’re aware of it. … I can’t predict how it will be on game day. But once the week rolls around and you’re in that kind of game-planning mode, you’re here to try to solve the problems it presents. If that means compartmentalization, then guilty as charged.”

Duke is coming off a 28-27 overtime loss to SMU. Miami scored on seven of nine possessions (seven of eight, if you don’t count the meaningless last play) in a 36-14 win over rival Florida State that only added to the buzz around the Hurricanes .

“This town likes to root for a winner,” Cristobal said. “When teams win, they come out strong and it’s a different kind of energy. It was great here for the Miami Hurricanes national championships, Miami Dolphins Super Bowls, Miami Heat world championships. The (Florida) Panthers last year, the (Miami) Marlins, they take a whole different mindset and way.”

Win and Miami should be headed to the ACC title game. But any loss could deny the shooting Hurricanes as well as a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

“This time of year,” Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward said, “you really have to put on your little boy pants and play football.”

Ward continued to look forward all season without reveling in the stats that have him in the Heisman Trophy race. Coaches take the same approach. What happened in 2021 no longer matters to Diaz or Cristobal.

“There’s a great saying, ‘No man crosses the same river twice because he’s not the same man and he’s not the same river,'” Diaz said. “That’s really the way I look at it. i grew up I’m different as a coach, as a head coach and as a man than when I was in Miami. The program is certainly in a different place by every metric since I was there. So I’m at peace, I’ve moved on.”

Strength vs Power

This looks like a classic offense vs defense battle. Miami has scored on 64 percent of its offensive possessions this season — which is not only the highest rate in all of FBS football this season, but also the highest rate nationally in the last decade. Duke has given up points on 23.9 percent of its defensive possessions this season, which is 14th nationally.

A few links that connect

Only nine Miami players are still on the 2021 roster, Diaz’s final season leading the Hurricanes. They are kicker Andy Borregales, wide receivers Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George, tight end Elijah Arroyo, offensive linemen Jalen Rivers and Ryan Rodriguez, linebacker Chase Smith, punter Fred Potter and long snapper Mason Napper.

welcome back

Diaz will become the first former Miami coach to lead another team against the Hurricanes since Butch Davis, who did it six times — four with North Carolina, two with FIU. Davis’ teams went 4-2 in those games, including FIU’s 30-24 win over Diaz and the Hurricanes in 2019.

Fourth quarter magic

Miami is 3-0 this season in games where it has been tied (once, Louisville) or trailing (twice, Cal and Virginia Tech) in the fourth quarter. Duke is 3-2 in such games in 2024, with all three of those wins coming from behind (defeating Northwestern, UConn and North Carolina).

Last until 2027

Barring a future ACC championship game between the former Coastal Division rivals, this will be the last Miami-Duke matchup until 2027. The Hurricanes travel to Durham, North Carolina, that year; The Blue Devils are scheduled to return to Miami Gardens in 2028. The programs met for 18 consecutive seasons (2005-2022) before not playing last year.