Gino Torretta previews Canes - Notre Dame & reveals his all-time favorite Miami rivalry game

WQAM-AM / AM 560 Sports WQAM

5 months ago

Legendary Miami Hurricanes QB & Heisman Trophy Winner, Gino Torretta, previews the Canes - Notre Dame opener.

Transcript

00:00Gino Toretta, the Heisman Trophy winner, will join us every week this season

00:05to talk college football, just like last season.

00:07He will be on the call nationally Sunday night for Canes-Notre Dame

00:12on Touchdown Radio.

00:15Fortuitous scheduling by Touchdown Radio.

00:19First home game, no travel, no question.

00:23When I say fortuitous, Gino's the guy who makes the schedule.

00:26Outside of a noon kick on Saturdays, the home kick is number one.

00:33Yeah, just as exciting, just as exciting.

00:35He did it.

00:37How does UM upset Notre Dame Sunday night, in your opinion?

00:41A very small favorite, Notre Dame, I think one and a half, two, two and a half points.

00:46How does UM beat them?

00:49I think they go out, they're built inside out, so they've got to be physical with them.

00:55I think Beck's got to be an efficient quarterback.

00:58I don't know if I'm necessarily worried about the offense.

01:01I think Shannon did great last year with Cam.

01:06I think he's on the same page with Carson.

01:09I think there's a bunch of moving parts.

01:11Obviously, there's new receivers, guys that have transferred in defensively,

01:15a new defensive coordinator.

01:17That's probably more of my concern of what's our defense going to look like

01:23because Marcus Freeman's got a lot of guys back.

01:27I mean, they only lost four draft choices last year,

01:30and they were in the national championship game.

01:33So they got a stud running back.

01:36And as Channing knows, man, our linebackers better be able to step up

01:39and clog the hole because that kid can get up and go.

01:43The only reason at the end of the year last year, I would probably say

01:48that they weren't in the Ohio State game is he was out, couldn't play.

01:52I think he ended up with like four carries at the end of the championship game.

01:58So I think it's do all those things, and I think there's probably one thing

02:02that I didn't mention, heat and humidity.

02:06It is unbearable.

02:08Unbearable.

02:08You guys know you walk outside as unbearable,

02:11and I don't care if it's 7 o'clock in the afternoon.

02:15They're going to notice a difference out there in their preparation and games.

02:23And, Gino, I didn't talk Hawkins to the under because he doesn't trust me

02:26because he hates me.

02:27But he got talked into the under with the weather, and it's going to be nasty.

02:33And I've just been saying all week to different people we had on, Gino,

02:36I don't want to dive into the mud.

02:38Now we're literally going to be in the mud with Notre Dame.

02:40You know what I'm saying?

02:41I thought that they should try to spread it out, see if they get a mismatch,

02:45not just sit there and play Notre Dame's game.

02:48Notre Dame wants you to run the ball 40 times.

02:50I don't think that's a formula for winning.

02:53Channing, all I can tell you is in 1990 when we went to South Bend,

02:58we walked out on Friday walkthrough.

03:01The grass was a good six and a half inches long.

03:04I mean, it was just awful, and it's just like, okay,

03:07we're just going to try to slow these guys down.

03:10We know they got more speed than us.

03:12And, yeah, I think you do.

03:14But, you know, Miami's built kind of different than when I played.

03:19They are built inside out.

03:20I mean, I'd have to say the strength of their team is their offensive line.

03:24So, you know, if it gets muddy, nasty, and things like that, I would agree.

03:28I think, to me, if it's, you know, you don't want it muddy and nasty because if Beck,

03:34he has all the talent in the world, if he can throw the rock, we're in good shape.

03:38You know, Notre Dame, your wild card is you've got a kid that really hasn't played,

03:43is going to lace them up for the first time.

03:45And, you know, the whole, you know, the clap, snap,

03:50and all that nonsense that goes on in college football right now,

03:53you can't hear this clap, snap, you can't, like, silent count,

03:57like, if you haven't prepared for that.

03:59I mean, essentially, if you're in a huddle in this game,

04:03you're screaming at the top of your voice just to communicate the play

04:08to the offensive linemen, and then you've got to have hand signals

04:11for the outside guys.

04:12So, you know, it's going to be hard, and I guarantee, listen, Miami fans,

04:18they're some of the best, like, they know, like, all right,

04:21you've got a rookie quarterback, we'll be loud.

04:22You know, they'll be loud and relentless, and I think, you know,

04:26it came out in 17, we waxed Notre Dame, their quarterback,

04:30so it was the largest environment or the loudest environment

04:32they'd ever been in.

04:34And it will be the same feel on Sunday night.

04:38You're right about the humidity, tough pickleball playing conditions

04:42this morning, Gino.

04:43Brutal.

04:43No doubt.

04:44Brutal.

04:44For the love of God.

04:46No, but, Gino, that was kind of my take yesterday with DBJ.

04:49Can I just interrupt and tell you the best way to cool off

04:52on a hot, humid day?

04:53Aperol spritz.

04:54Go ahead, Squawna.

04:57Because Crowder is expecting, not just Crowder,

04:59I think most people are expecting this just, like, grinded-out game,

05:04the trenches, the game will be won in the trenches,

05:06and I'm not saying it's not, but at a certain point.

05:09To me, it's simple.

05:10Their quarterback will have to make a throw at a certain point.

05:13If the game is this close, if that's the style, just a physical grind,

05:17he'll have to make a throw at some point.

05:20And don't you trust Carson Beck, who's been in these games before,

05:24who's experienced this type of pressure before, more than you do,

05:28even if he's as well-prepared as he possibly could be going through

05:31a summer in a camp, you trust the guy who's been in these situations

05:34to make that big play over, you know, a rookie who's never been there.

05:38I mean, you experienced that yourself.

05:41Oh, there's no question.

05:41I mean, you'd have more confidence.

05:43I think anybody would have more confidence than the guy that, you know,

05:46is, I think you said, 23 wins or something like that at Georgia.

05:50I mean, he has been in these games.

05:52He's faced a bunch of top 10 opponents.

05:55He's gone through an SEC schedule, so you're going to be more confident.

06:00Miami is.

06:01I think that probably Miami, they hope that they put Carr in a position

06:06where he has to make a throw.

06:08So, and then, you know, based on what we've heard, at least, you know,

06:14through talking season, as Coach Spurrier says, is, you know,

06:17the defense is kind of right of the ship, and it could be the strength of this team.

06:22But, yeah, I got more confidence in Carson Beck than I do in Carr

06:26under center for Notre Dame.

06:28So, I think that, you know, they want to play that type of game

06:31where it's not reliant on the quarterback.

06:33Um, but, listen, first games are very interesting from the standpoint of

06:42somebody can come out schematically totally different than what they did last year.

06:49And I'll give you, for example, my first game, we ran out in the Orange Bowl in 1988,

06:55and preseason number one, Florida State, came down the same weekend.

06:59And they had their video with primetime, all this nonsense.

07:03Jimmy Johnson in the spring, I was now, I was in high school in the spring,

07:08put in the bear defense.

07:09Nobody in college football was running the bear defense.

07:13Florida State did not have an answer.

07:16We beat them 31 to nothing.

07:18They had no idea how to block it.

07:20They had, they had not schemed for it, not one bit.

07:24So, don't, don't be surprised if, if Miami or Notre Dame, one of them comes out in something

07:31and we're like, what are they doing?

07:34And, and then all of a sudden, how do they adjust and, and, uh, and do they get them?

07:39And then, you know, listen, it's first game of college football.

07:42There's going to be special teams blunders this week.

07:44I mean, we all know that, you know, 10 guys are going to run out to the field.

07:48They're going to be 11.

07:49And, you know, you get a kick blocked or a big return, things like that.

07:53Those are, those are all the things that you can control and say, I can't make the mental

07:58breakdowns, but if they come out or we come out and something they're not prepared for

08:03man.

08:03And then, you know, you just, you just let them have it.

08:07And, and, you know, we've talked to, you've talked to a bunch of people this week.

08:10This is a huge week.

08:11And they're saying the same thing.

08:12You are, this old line is one of the best they've had in a long time.

08:15We know that running backs can play.

08:17We know Carson back can do what he did.

08:19We know.

08:19And I love Ruben Bain.

08:20And I'm, I'm, I'm quoting Batman now on the show, cause I love Ruben Bain so much, but

08:25the receivers and the DBs are some people whistling through the graveyard because everybody's

08:32saying, we'll see what he can do.

08:34He might be better.

08:36He transferred in the real bullets are about to start flying on these, on these little

08:40itty bitty spiders on the outside.

08:42Yeah.

08:43Listen, I, I don't know if I would say, let's see what we can, what, what he'll do.

08:48He's better than the last guy.

08:49I mean, the last guy was the first pick of the draft, you know, so, so let's move on

08:55from, from that.

08:55I think that, you know, he doesn't have, or at least we haven't seen because, you know,

09:01he wasn't here.

09:02He doesn't have a guy like Restrepo.

09:04Now, listen, you might, we might say we're separate wasn't the fastest guy.

09:08Wasn't the tallest guy.

09:09Wasn't, but that dude got open and cam knew where he was going to be.

09:14And he made tough catches in traffic.

09:16He didn't cough the ball up.

09:18If he needed a first down and kind of, that's where it came with too.

09:21So that's, that's what I'm curious of.

09:23Okay.

09:24Who has he developed that relationship with?

09:27Now, remember he didn't have spring ball.

09:28He was, he didn't throw at all.

09:29So it's, this is summer practice.

09:31Um, and going out and saying, okay, you're, that guy's kind of my security blanket and

09:38my go-to guy.

09:39They got some stud tight ends.

09:40You know, is it going to be one of those guys that, that, that steps up?

09:44Um, yeah, you know, people saying he's going to be better than the, than the last guy, you

09:49know, I'm like, I'm like, who are your expectations?

09:55We just had the first pick of the draft and probably the greatest statistical season in

09:59university of Miami quarterback history.

10:01So, you know, I'm going to break it to you.

10:04He's not going to have Cam Ward's year people for a week now.

10:09Hey, you know what they say, Jenny hope, hope is eternal.

10:13We had uncle Luke on yesterday, Gino, and we asked him to pick his favorite hurricanes

10:18quarterback of all time.

10:21And he selected you.

10:22Really?

10:23Yeah.

10:23Wow.

10:24That's my boy.

10:25That's my boy.

10:25I like Luke.

10:27I, you know what?

10:28That's, that's cause I'm the, I'm the only, only quarterback that wore the Luke two live

10:33crew bandana out at practice a couple of times being Lamar.

10:36So, so Luke, Luke, Luke knows I represented back in the day.

10:40What's the, uh, what's the best UM rivalry in your opinion from your day?

10:47Is it FSU or Notre Dame?

10:48The one, the one that means you're winning the national championship.

10:51If you win the game and if, if Florida state, you know, if we beat them this game and Hey,

10:57it involves us to kind of move on and, and getting it, getting that mix and getting the

11:01playoffs and have a chance to win the national championship, then I'll say it was this, but

11:05when I played, you know, the, the, I, I think for the fans, the Miami, Notre Dame game is

11:10the greatest, but I would say the Florida state game was the national championship went through

11:18that game.

11:18And you know, it's funny cause people say, well, the greatest rivalry is Alabama, Auburn

11:23and the iron ball.

11:24Greatest rivalry is Michigan, Ohio state, Michigan, Ohio state.

11:29When I was playing, they weren't playing for Jack.

11:30You know what?

11:31I mean, we were playing for the national championship.

11:33So I didn't really care when they played and, and, and if they were at Michigan or, or

11:38Ohio state and Columbus, it was, it was what rivalry is this game.

11:43You got to win to win a national championship.

11:47And, and that's why, that's where I just, you know, listen, I know there's great history

11:52history and rivalries, which is phenomenal.

11:54Cause I think that's why college football is, is, is awesome.

11:58Um, but I think to me, the greatest rivalry is the one, okay, these two teams are really

12:04darn good.

12:05They hate each other and this is going to, this is going to vault one of them into the

12:12top of the discussion for the national championship.

12:14Sounds like you are describing the Florida Long Island university game on the docket for

12:19tomorrow.

12:19That is wow.

12:21They play Long Island university, Long Island university.

12:25Is that, is that out on the BQE?

12:27Are they actually a road trip?

12:28Are they, are they traveling inside a crumble cookies?

12:32There was, that is a cookie for your opponent.

12:35They're flying up.

12:37They're flying up Southwest to ice slip to play that game.

12:44Hey, you don't see the flex that Gino giving the Davey O'Brien shirt.

12:48Oh, I saw it.

12:49I saw it.

12:50Did you see uncle Luke yesterday had gold records above his head while we were doing the interview.

12:55And I saw Gino with the Davey O'Brien shirt.

12:57I was just doing some work outside around the house.

13:00Sorry.

13:00I apologize.

13:04I need to polish this one up.

13:06Oh, I got one.

13:07Maybe dust this one off.

13:08It's easy to win when your ship comes in.

13:1280 people in the history of the world have that shirt.

13:15That's pretty cool.

13:17That is true.

13:18Gino Toretta, the Heisman trophy winner, a touchdown radio.

13:21They've got a great docket of games this season and it starts Sunday night with Miami and Notre

13:27Dame.

13:27Thank you, Gino.

13:28We will talk to you throughout the season.

13:30Always guys.

13:31We'll talk to you courtesy of evening's delight throughout the season.

13:34As far as, uh, as far as I know, and we'll have to set up our little grilling competition.

13:38Once again, make sure Crowder's in town this time.

13:42And then, uh, then you can see Solana in action behind the grill versus Gino in action behind

13:47the grill.

13:48Talk about a mismatch.

13:49That's Florida, Long Island University right there.

13:52What are these?

13:54They're called matches.

13:55Matches?

13:56Uh-huh.

13:57They like things.

13:58Mm-hmm.

13:59Mm-hmm.

Gino Torretta previews Canes - Notre Dame & reveals his all-time favorite Miami rivalry game

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