MIAMI – There are at least two impressive streaks going on at Miami right now.
For the nation’s No. 2 program in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, AP Poll, and Amway Coaches Poll, it’s the 15-game winning streak that stands out vividly. This goes all the way back to last season, when the streak started in October 2016.
Even more impressive is senior offensive lineman Kc McDermott’s streak of his own, which stands at 31 consecutive starts (and counting) at his position.
The Palm Beach Central 2014 alum has the chance to end his illustrious collegiate career with up to 35 straight starts. This includes a few games in front of his team, such as an ACC game on Friday (Nov. 24; 12 p.m. kickoff) at Pittsburgh, the ACC Championship Game (Saturday, Dec. 2; 8 p.m. kickoff) against No. 3 Clemson, and either a New Year’s Six Bowl Game (Orange Bowl at the worst) or a national semifinal tilt that could lead to the national title game.
But knowing McDermott, his focus is always on the present. One of those things is the team’s 15-game winning streak, which his older brother and Miami alum Shane got to witness at Hard Rock Stadium this past Saturday in a 44-28 comeback win over Virginia on Nov. 18.
“It’s something that I’ve always thought of ever since I came here and ever since my brother came here,” McDermott said. “You look at the talent that this team has had year in and year out, and you ask the question, ‘why aren’t they winning?’ Honestly it’s because we just haven’t had the right pieces in the right places, and that’s what Coach (Mark) Richt and his staff have done a great job of. He’s putting us in the right position to win with the way that we prepare for every single game and the way we attack every single week during practice. Things are just a little bit different and that’s just the difference that keeps us going.”
Kc spoke specifically on his two older brothers showing up for his Senior Day game against Virginia.
“It was a special day,” Kc said. “Shane flew down for this. My brother, Tyler, flew in from Minnesota. It was a very special day, especially for them to watch this. The way this team has reacted all year is a great thing.”
The Miami team leader touched on the electric atmosphere that took place in his final regular season home game on the collegiate level.
“It’s just unbelievable,” McDermott said. “As I said last week, the way this city has reacted to how we are playing is unbelievable. Some tragedies happen and it brings a city together and some good things happen and it brings the city together, and I think we have a really good thing going on right here, especially with what happened with Irma. We gave the city a reason to believe in something, and we’re to believe in ourselves and just move forward and keep going on.”
The Virginia game was one that Miami could have easily lost, since the upstart ACC program played much better than what anyone (other than themselves) anticipated.
“They had a great game plan where they took away from our assignments in the way their defensive front moved and the way their linebackers adjusted,” McDermott said. “They just had a really good game plan to adjust our zones and that’s something that took us a while (to figure out) and something we have to get faster at. But once we did, as you saw at the end of the game, we were very successful.”
The halftime adjustments impressed the College Football Playoff Committee so much that they decided to have Miami jump Clemson for this week’s No. 2 spot. In many circles, this committee may be more impressed with Miami than any other team in the nation right now, given the South Florida program’s No. 1 strength of record.
“It’s poise and confidence,” McDermott said. “That’s something Coach (Stacy) Searels preaches to the offensive line. I’m sure that’s what the other coaches preach to every other player, no matter if you’re up by 20 at halftime or down by a touchdown. You’ve got to have poise and confidence, and you have to believe. That’s something this team has done in a way I haven’t really seen in the past four years. This team believes in our goal and the way that we’re going to attack it. They believe in the game plan that the coaches put ahead of us, and that’s why we have been so successful. We believe and we go out there every single week and trust what’s going on. We’re honestly having a lot of fun, and I hope you can see that.”
In a recent press conference, McDermott had a reflective moment about a part of his final regular season home game.
“It was very special for me to go out of that tunnel for the last time,” McDermott said. “But that’s done and over with, and it’s time to focus on the next one. I’ll cherish that for the rest of my life.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde
