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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Al Golden wanted to send a message to his Miami Hurricanes.
Check that. Golden wanted to send several messages.
For football coaches, that usually means employing famous quotes, inspirational sayings or another helpful prop.
Golden chose a Super video.
“Coach Golden showed us a video of the (New York) Giants from last year,” left guard Jon Feliciano said Monday, “how they went on a four-game losing streak and everybody rallied around the team and they ended up winning the Super Bowl.”
The Hurricanes’ “Super Bowl” is the ACC Championship game, which remains a possibility despite Miami (4-4, 3-2) riding a three-game losing streak.
That’s because the Hurricanes still can capture the conference’s Coastal Division crown.
The 'Canes will return from an off week to face Virginia Tech (4-4, 2-2) at Sun Life Stadium on Thursday night. After that, Miami will play at Virginia (2-6, 0-4), host South Florida in a non-conference game and end the season at Duke (6-3, 3-2).
Teams with three-game losing streaks usually aren’t in position to win a division, which probably was one reason Golden went to the video.
Another reason might have been rumors of dissent among the Hurricanes. Two juniors, offensive lineman Jermaine Johnson and defensive end Kelvin Cain, quit the team recently. There also have been reports of Golden and his staff favoring their recruits over those of former coach Randy Shannon.
“There were a couple of messages in (the video) I wanted them to see,” Golden said, “and make sure they understand what we need to do to get ready for this game.”
Take one game at a time. Teams with character unite in the face of adversity. Leaders step up when needed.
Those seem to constitute the Golden Rule for this week.
“The Giants stayed together, and they didn’t all go their separate ways,’ defensive end Shayon Green said.
“The Giants hit a little slump and they bounced back,” safety Kacy Rodgers II said. “They used their leaders. Their leaders stepped up and their best players started making plays.”
Understanding and accepting Golden’s messages is fine, but winning Thursday night matters most.
“This team that we’re playing has done what we’re trying to do,” Golden said of Tech. “They’ve been to the ACC Championship game, they’ve won the division, they’ve won the ACC Championship.”
To keep its division title hopes alive, Miami likely must prevent Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas from making big plays with his arm and legs.
In last season’s meeting, the 6-foot-6 Thomas led Tech to a 38-35 win, its third straight victory in the series. He completed 23 of 25 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran 19 yards for the game-winning score on fourth-and-1 with 56 seconds left.
Miami already has faced — and lost to — dual-threat quarterbacks this season in Kansas State’s Collin Klein and Florida State’s EJ Manuel.
“Our mindset is to get Thomas out of his comfort zone,” Green said. “If we can keep him in the pocket, and put pressure on him so the DBs can cover the receivers, if we get him out of his game, the whole team is gone.”
Easier said than done.
Then again, that’s where Golden’s video comes in.
“Seeing (Victor) Cruz after the 49ers game running around screaming, ‘We’re going to the Super Bowl!’ ” Feliciano said, “that gave me chills and goose bumps. I was ready to practice.”
Message received.
