There were cheers, nervous glances, and finally a triumphant ending with hugs and high fives. It ended a tense football game watch party inside the Rathskeller Thursday night when the Hurricanes beat the Ole Miss Rebels, prompting the more than 300 fans to erupt into chants of “It’s great to be a Miami Hurricane.”
“I was stressed,” said Eric-Dillan Smith, an alumnus who was watching his brother Chase Smith, a linebacker for the Canes on the television screens, as he rollerbladed around the student-run restaurant on campus, known simply as the Rat. His father, Willie Smith, also played on the team during their glory days in the 1980s. “But now I’m feeling amazing, and I can’t wait to go to the next game.”
He was not alone. Other students had to catch their breath from the nerve-wracking game conclusion, where the Canes came back in the final minutes to edge out the Rebels.
Yet close to midnight, after the Canes won the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and advanced to the national championship, students were already buying tickets to the final game. Shouts of joy echoed across Lake Osceola, and almost everyone inside of the two-story Rat fielded incredulous video calls and text messages from friends, family, and classmates, as they spilled out onto the Coral Gables Campus.
For many students starting their journey at the U this week, it was their first football game as Hurricanes. As part of spring orientation, the University’s Cane Kickoff staff members organized a watch party for new students and their families Thursday night, but many other students spilled into the student-run restaurant to enjoy the game along with them.
For third year law student Seth Hemley, the 2026 Fiesta Bowl was one of the highlights of his University of Miami experience.
“This team is phenomenal,” said Hemley. “The country wanted to root against us, but this is our year.”
And for many of the parents present in the packed Rathskellar Thursday night, watching the Canes in the College Football Playoff semifinal with their newly minted Hurricane was even more meaningful.
Carmen Presti, an associate professor of nursing, was at the Rat with her husband Jay, and her son, Noah, who had just finished a day of new student orientation. Presti, who joined the University in 2011, earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2012, but grew up in Miami as a Canes fan.
“To have my son starting as a student here the same year that we go into the semifinal is an amazing experience, no matter what happens,” she said. “And the fact that our team has gotten this far is an incredible feat. It’s nice to be here with so many people who care about our team’s success.”
Noah agreed.
“My high school didn’t have much sports, but I can really feel the spirit here, like there’s more of a community at the University,” he said. “It’s also crazy that everything aligned like this.”
The Hurricanes put on quite a show in the Fiesta Bowl, with the lead volleying back and forth throughout the game.
Doug and Tracy Deruyter were there with their daughter Ella, who is starting her first semester at the U on Monday. Her older brother Owen graduated in December. From Grand Rapids, Michigan, the family quickly became Canes fans a few years back.
“We became fans when Owen came here, so to be at this watch party with students, fans and their families is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Doug Deruyter said. “It’s very cool that Ella can experience this.”
Also among the fans were four students who met each other and bonded at their own student orientation nearly four years ago. Seniors Akil Smith, Samuel Takele, Ayo Akinrimisi and Eric Thomas have remained friends and Canes fans ever since, attending every home football game together in Miami. Three of them got together to watch the Texas A&M game in their home state of Maryland over winter break. But all four were back in Coral Gables for the watch party Thursday and were focused on the game.
“We came to UM at the perfect time—it was the University’s 100th birthday year our senior year and we are seeing success in football this year,” said Akinrimisi, who is studying finance and real estate at the Miami Herbert Business School.
The four planned to try and attend the national championship should the Hurricanes advance. After the game, Akinrimisi said they are “no longer trying, but will go” to the game.
“The past four years have been a journey, but all of the ups and downs made it worth it,” said Takele. “We’ve been riding with this team since the beginning.”
Smith said he and his family have been waiting many years for the Hurricanes victory days to return, then he left the Rat to call them and celebrate.
“The U is here,” he said.
