Florida and Miami haven’t met on the football field since 2013, but the Sunshine State rivalry clash is still big for both teams. In the opinion of Hurricanes DE Scott Patchan, Saturday’s game in Orlando is so big that a win would help make the 2019 season a success for UM even in the case of double-digit losses.

“We can go probably, like, 2-10 this year, as long as you beat Florida State and Florida, I think it’s a successful season,” Patchan told reporters after practice this week.

If the Hurricanes manage to knock off Florida and Florida State, it’s highly doubtful they would fall to Bethune-Cookman and Central Michigan during the 2019 campaign, but Patchan’s point is presumably more about wanting Sunshine State bragging rights.

To borrow from the SEC, Saturday’s Week 0 clash in Orlando probably does “mean more” for Patchan. His older brother Matt Patchan played at Florida from 2008-12 before transferring to Boston College. The Gators defeated Miami 26-3 in Gainesville during the 2008 season. UF and UM faced off regularly from 1983-87 when his father (also named Matt Patchan) played for the Hurricanes. Miami won three of those five meetings (1984, 1986, 1987).