After a run as the quarterbacks coach for Nick Saban at Alabama, Enos has taken his talents to South Beach as the offensive coordinator at Miami for coach Manny Diaz.

Enos' time in Mount Pleasant was met with both criticism and positivity as the Chippewas (2-1) get set to take on their former head man.

"I was putting my heart and soul into the program and (the president and administration) were not putting their heart and soul into Dan Enos," Enos said to reporters. "When you put your heart and soul in something, you want people giving you that same type of backup in return, and I just felt like, after five years, we just weren't getting that."

He also said that he loved the people he worked with day-to-day — the players especially — but it was time for a change.

Fast forward to 2019.

The Hurricanes sit at 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the ACC with Enos running the offense after two losses – to Florida in the season opener and at North Carolina in Week 2. Miami returned to the win column last weekend against Bethune-Cookman in its first true home game with a 63-0 drubbing.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Jarren Williams was named the starter in the offseason after he beat out Ohio State transfer Tate Martell. So far, the decision has been working well for the 'Canes.

After the three games, Williams is 68-of-93 (73.12 percent) for 777 yards and six touchdowns. Most importantly, he has not thrown an interception to this point.

"They know how to formation you and get you into certain coverages that makes you hurt," McElwain said. "We've got our work cut out for us because they do an excellent job down there."

DeeJay Dallas has taken the ground-and-pound portion of Enos' offense to a high level, as he's averaged 103 yards per game. Miami runs for 174.3 yards per contest, which ranks 60th in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

McElwain said that stopping the Miami running game is equally important as stopping the passing attack. This was the same approach as he and CMU had for the Week 2 matchup against Wisconsin.

"Whenever you have a chance to compete, whether it's football, a test or work, it should be exciting," McElwain said. "The chance to play in a pro stadium for these guys is pretty cool. I'm excited for them and that's the biggest message."

As for CMU, junior quarterback David Moore dazzled in his first career start at the Division I level, going 20-31 for 316 yards and two touchdowns. He will need to have another strong performance on the road against the Hurricanes.

CMU earned its first FBS victory in 659 days with the 45-24 win over Akron in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.

The Miami pass defense ranks 60th in the FBS 207.3 yards allowed. For comparison's sake, CMU ranks 115 in the FBS by allowing 293.7 yards per game.

In the running game, the Hurricanes are the eighth best team in the country and top of the ACC as they allow just 69.3 yards per game.

"I think Miami puts up a good competition," said running back Kobe Lewis, who had 146 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in his first start. "We'll see how it goes with the preparation for this week."

Diaz said that there are a lot of similarities between his team and McElwain's squad.

"Central Michigan, is, like us, a new staff," Diaz said. "It’s kind of the same thing, they’re finding their sea legs in all three phases. Obviously, we know with McElwain, they’re going to have a well-designed offense.

"It’s a game where we have to make sure we know what we’re doing on both sides of the ball because they’ll present some issues."

CMU is receiving $1.4 million for playing Miami, and it will be the first meeting between the two schools.

Central Michigan (2-1) @ Miami (Florida) (1-2)

Date: Sept. 21, 2019

Time: 4 p.m.

Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium

Location: Miami Gardens, Florida

Odds: Miami -29.5

Over/Under: 48

TV: ACC Network (Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich and Kelsey Riggs)

Radio: 98.5 WUPS (Don Chiodo, Brock Gutierrez and Adam Jaksa)