On Saturday night, the Miami Hurricanes turned Death Valley into Death Valley after defeating the Clemson Tigers 41-13. Following the game, Cooper Barkate, Third Scorggins, Damon Wilson, and Ryan Rodriguez were all posted up in the media room, recapping the win over the Tigers.
Check out everything they had to say down below:
WR Cooper Barkate
On the win: Really cool environment. Winning here is always great. Great team win, so it felt nice.
On his touchdown that set the tone: Really, the O-line is what it was. It parted like the Red Sea to me. I just caught it, went inside, and then saw nothing but green grass, so all thanks to them.
On Miami’s offense getting back on track after a slower stretch in the second quarter and early third quarter: That's a great team we just played. They get paid too they get scholarships, there coaches get paid. They came out after our first couple of drives and made some adjustments and we just had to rally back.
On Darian Mensah’s ability to effectively run the offense despite not putting up his usual numbers: We never put an emphasis on the stats for anyone. The ball was rolling and we got the win. So that’s all he cares about and that’s all we care about too.
On Miami imposing its will in the second half with two long drives and a dominant rushing attack late in the game: We wanted to come out of halftime strain and finish. That’s what Coach Cristobal always says and what our offense really strives on. And those were two **** of a catches by Malachi Toney. It just shows how talented he is really.
DL Third Scroggins
On how he thought he did Saturday: It went well. All week my coach been getting on us about the details and the fundamentals and things like that. So, I just had to lock into my head and get the coaching from Coach JT and just go out there and do what I had to do.
On if he is getting more confident playing more: Yes, sir. Just my brothers influence me. Damon, Armondo, Keshawn, Booker, and all the brothers in the room. They influence me just to get better every day, and it boosts my confidence. When you make a mistake, they just right there beside you just help you up and tell you just keep going.
On what worked well on his first career sack: Just the swarm by everybody else. Damon missed the sack. Everybody was just getting to the ball. Armondo was right there. All of our defensive linemen were just getting out of their stances, hunting and going to the ball—and just working on technique. Rack and roll, sweep the ankle and things like that.
On what five first-half sacks showed about Miami's defense: They had some dogs on the O-line and things like that. Main focus was just going out there and doing what Coach Hetherman had planned for us and just playing our best ball.
On what he saw in Clemson's offensive front: Like I said, just going out there and just playing our best ball and just looking for those little nicks and things in the offense, that caused us to just go.
On how proud he was of Miami’s defense: Man, we were excited. We was turning up on the sideline. Everybody dapping each other and things up. So we just got to keep that, us on the sideline, just keep that energy going, and it fuels the offense and things like that. So, I was very proud of my brothers and everybody just, stepping up in these occasions.
On what was working run-stopping wise: Playing physical and violent. Throughout the day from snap to snap, just being physical and violent and, like I said, detail-oriented and fundamentally sound. That's it.
OL Ryan Rodriguez
On the young offensive linemen stepping up: Yeah, just growth. All those young guys are capitalizing on their opportunities. They are hearing the backlash, and obviously they take that personally, not in a bad way, but it motivates them. They’re hungry guys and they want to get better. I give them a ton of credit, those young guys, for pushing through, overcoming that adversity and just continuing to get better.
On Max and McCoy playing through injuries: Max has been doing that for years. He’s one of the toughest guys I know. He’s been battling forever, and he’s a seasoned vet. I can trust him with my eyes closed.
On his block on the screen touchdown: That was one of our better plays. that was one of my favorite plays.
On what Mario Cristobal has built at Miami since 2022: Really instilled the level of discipline, just wanting to get better. Since that year, just constantly tried to improve, and he's always bringing guys like Damon, who just want to get better. Like all week Damon was telling me he wants to have his best game, and he said that every week. And he's my locker neighbor, so I love talking to him every day, and bringing in guys like Damon, things like that. That's why we've made the improvements we've made
On Ben Congdon getting his first start: Tremendous amount of credit for him. He didn’t let the atmosphere become a factor. He was even-keeled and poised. He plays physical. He plays fast. I’m glad he’s out there and making the most of his opportunity.
DL Damon Wilson
On the pass rush: I feel we just keep growing every week. Like this is a game where you actually play against a team that's actually going to throw the ball deep down the field. So I feel like that's what we play best and just keeping the rhythm. That's what we do.
On what was working in the run defense: I feel like the formation really told the story. The tight end, the running backs, the counter. They told you everything. So we just communicated and trusted our keys.
On what he saw on the fake 4th down stop: When they line up, we always can expect to see it. We just weren’t ready for it. We were not in all our stances or anything like that.
Check out everything they had to say down below:
WR Cooper Barkate
On the win: Really cool environment. Winning here is always great. Great team win, so it felt nice.
On his touchdown that set the tone: Really, the O-line is what it was. It parted like the Red Sea to me. I just caught it, went inside, and then saw nothing but green grass, so all thanks to them.
On Miami’s offense getting back on track after a slower stretch in the second quarter and early third quarter: That's a great team we just played. They get paid too they get scholarships, there coaches get paid. They came out after our first couple of drives and made some adjustments and we just had to rally back.
On Darian Mensah’s ability to effectively run the offense despite not putting up his usual numbers: We never put an emphasis on the stats for anyone. The ball was rolling and we got the win. So that’s all he cares about and that’s all we care about too.
On Miami imposing its will in the second half with two long drives and a dominant rushing attack late in the game: We wanted to come out of halftime strain and finish. That’s what Coach Cristobal always says and what our offense really strives on. And those were two **** of a catches by Malachi Toney. It just shows how talented he is really.
DL Third Scroggins
On how he thought he did Saturday: It went well. All week my coach been getting on us about the details and the fundamentals and things like that. So, I just had to lock into my head and get the coaching from Coach JT and just go out there and do what I had to do.
On if he is getting more confident playing more: Yes, sir. Just my brothers influence me. Damon, Armondo, Keshawn, Booker, and all the brothers in the room. They influence me just to get better every day, and it boosts my confidence. When you make a mistake, they just right there beside you just help you up and tell you just keep going.
On what worked well on his first career sack: Just the swarm by everybody else. Damon missed the sack. Everybody was just getting to the ball. Armondo was right there. All of our defensive linemen were just getting out of their stances, hunting and going to the ball—and just working on technique. Rack and roll, sweep the ankle and things like that.
On what five first-half sacks showed about Miami's defense: They had some dogs on the O-line and things like that. Main focus was just going out there and doing what Coach Hetherman had planned for us and just playing our best ball.
On what he saw in Clemson's offensive front: Like I said, just going out there and just playing our best ball and just looking for those little nicks and things in the offense, that caused us to just go.
On how proud he was of Miami’s defense: Man, we were excited. We was turning up on the sideline. Everybody dapping each other and things up. So we just got to keep that, us on the sideline, just keep that energy going, and it fuels the offense and things like that. So, I was very proud of my brothers and everybody just, stepping up in these occasions.
On what was working run-stopping wise: Playing physical and violent. Throughout the day from snap to snap, just being physical and violent and, like I said, detail-oriented and fundamentally sound. That's it.
OL Ryan Rodriguez
On the young offensive linemen stepping up: Yeah, just growth. All those young guys are capitalizing on their opportunities. They are hearing the backlash, and obviously they take that personally, not in a bad way, but it motivates them. They’re hungry guys and they want to get better. I give them a ton of credit, those young guys, for pushing through, overcoming that adversity and just continuing to get better.
On Max and McCoy playing through injuries: Max has been doing that for years. He’s one of the toughest guys I know. He’s been battling forever, and he’s a seasoned vet. I can trust him with my eyes closed.
On his block on the screen touchdown: That was one of our better plays. that was one of my favorite plays.
On what Mario Cristobal has built at Miami since 2022: Really instilled the level of discipline, just wanting to get better. Since that year, just constantly tried to improve, and he's always bringing guys like Damon, who just want to get better. Like all week Damon was telling me he wants to have his best game, and he said that every week. And he's my locker neighbor, so I love talking to him every day, and bringing in guys like Damon, things like that. That's why we've made the improvements we've made
On Ben Congdon getting his first start: Tremendous amount of credit for him. He didn’t let the atmosphere become a factor. He was even-keeled and poised. He plays physical. He plays fast. I’m glad he’s out there and making the most of his opportunity.
DL Damon Wilson
On the pass rush: I feel we just keep growing every week. Like this is a game where you actually play against a team that's actually going to throw the ball deep down the field. So I feel like that's what we play best and just keeping the rhythm. That's what we do.
On what was working in the run defense: I feel like the formation really told the story. The tight end, the running backs, the counter. They told you everything. So we just communicated and trusted our keys.
On what he saw on the fake 4th down stop: When they line up, we always can expect to see it. We just weren’t ready for it. We were not in all our stances or anything like that.
