Through 'Adversity' and a Broken Arm Rises Miami's Quiet Star Safety

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — No. 7 Miami's secondary has been challenged all season by each quarterback they see.

However, there has only been one snap this season with a fully healthy roster before injuries started to plague the group. First, sophomore Ja'Boree Antoine hasn't seen a second of playing time, while star corner OJ Frederique Jr. has only taken one.

Through the first couple of games of the year, it was down to Ethan O'Connor and Xavier Lucas to make the outside, until Lucas got hurt. The severity of the injury wasn't revealed before his return, and after a few games back, he had his best game of the year against Duke.

Nov 14, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes cornerback Xavier Lucas (6) celebrates with Miami Hurricanes defensive back Ethan O'Connor (24) after intercepting a pass against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Yeah, to me, that means it's starting to show up now," Mario Cristobal said about Lucas's game-sealing interception. And I think anyone who's been through a broken arm before, right, that had to play four weeks later, you could probably- nobody- that's tough.

"You know, you've got to log reps. You've got to log full-speed reps, and he has now, and you're starting to see a lot of really, really high-level play. I know the one played like the hatback. We could have gotten the guy down, but it was erased due to a penalty. Thank god.

"I love X. X is a hard worker. X is tough. X is all about the team, and this means a lot to him. So, to see him advance is great. In the absence of OJ, in the absence of Jabori, in the absence of Poyser, I mean, he's invaluable."

Xavier Lucas had a broken arm — per Mario Cristobal
— Justice Sandle (@Justice_News5) November 14, 2026

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Lucas would finish his afternoon with a tackle for miss, a interception and four pass breakups. It was a no-fly zone around him when they attacked Miami's secondary. Defensively, the team has grown since Notre Dame, even with Nate Sheppeard having another career day.

It would come down to a single stop, and Lucas was the one made it.

"On defense, we had to get a stop," Lucas said. " So, we knew that they isolated me to the field, and I just went and made a play. So, we've seen it was a routine play, how we see it in practice, and I just had to go and get it."

Moreover, the injury that he is working through continues to be on the back of his mind. Nevertheless, the star corner is just happy to be back on the field, even while dealing with an injury.

Yeah, I just think of it as a little bit of adversity. So, I just had to fight through it no matter what it took. So, I can't give up. And yeah, I'm feeling like I'm getting back to myself. I'm good."

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