Canes Travel to Little Apple, Face K-State
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Sat., Sept. 8, 2012 / 12 p.m. EDT
Site: Manhattan, Kan. / Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000)
TV: FX
Play-by-Play: Justin Kutcher; Analyst: Eric Crouch; Sideline: Darius Walker
Local Radio: 560 WQAM
Play-by-Play: Joe Zagacki; Analyst: Don Bailey Jr.; Sideline: Josh Darrow
Spanish Radio: Caracol 1260 AM
Play-by-Play: Roly Martin; Analysts: Pepe Campos, Joe Martinez
Satellite Radio: Sirius 136, XM 195 (UM broadcast)
Live Stats: HurricaneSports.com
Twitter Updates: @HurricaneSports
Series: Kansas State leads, 1-0
Miami: Kansas State leads 1-0
Manhattan: Tied, 0-0
First Meeting: 2011 — L, 24-28
Last Meeting: same
Streak: K-State, 1 win
STORY LINES
* Miami will face Kansas State – the Canes first ranked opponent of 2012 – for the second straight season on Saturday (12 p.m. EDT, FX) and will be playing at Bill Snyder Family Stadium for the first time in program history. It will be UM’s first visit to a Big 12 school since defeating Texas A&M, 41-23, on Sept. 20, 2008.
* RB Duke Johnson scored his first career touchdown on a 54-yard scamper in the second quarter and added a 56-yard score in the third quarter. He totaled 135 yards for the game, the most by a UM true freshman since Javarris James racked up 148 yards against Houston (Sept. 30, 2006).
* Junior QB Stephen Morris recorded career highs in both completions and attempts in Miami’s season-opening win at BC. In his sixth career start, Morris completed 28 of 45 passes for 207 yards with one TD and one INT. Morris’ career record improved to 3-3.
* Senior PK Jake Wieclaw – a member of the Lou Groza Award Watch List – connected on both of his field goal attempts (22, 24) and was perfect on on five PATs against Boston College.
* In its season-opener against Boston College, 14 freshmen appeared in their first collegiate game, including 12 true freshmen.
* After last week’s win over BC, Miami is 57-29-1 all-time in season openers, winning four of its last five. The Canes improved to 16-12 in road openers.
* Saturday will mark the second series meeting with Kansas State winning the first-ever meeting 28-24 in 2011.
* Nearly 70 of Miami’s 2012 roster hails from Florida (67 players), including 21 that hail from Miami-Dade County.
* Four Miami Hurricanes are among 312 seniors named to the 2013 Senior Bowl Watch List, the nation’s premier all-star game announced August 23. Senior RB Mike James, DB Brandon McGee, DT Darius Smith and S Vaughn Telemaque represent the Hurricanes on the Senior Bowl’s inaugural watch list.
NATIONAL TELEVISION COVERAGE
* Saturday’s meeting with Kansas State will be televised nationally on FX. Justin Kutcher (play-by-play), Eric Crouch (color analyst) and Darius Walker (sideline reporter) will serve as the talent for the telecast.
KANSAS STATE SERIES HISTORY
* Saturday will mark the second series meeting with Kansas State winning the first-ever meeting 28-24 in 2011.
* Miami is making its first trip to Manhattan, Kan.
* In the third quarter of last season’s meeting, UM (Ramon Buchanan) blocked a Anthony Cantele field goal attempt. It was the first blocked FG since 2004, when the Canes stopped a kick by Thomas Carroll of Florida on Dec. 31.
* Entering the 2011 meeting between the two teams, K-State possessed the nation’s No. 1 overall defense, allowing an average of 100 yards through the air and a scant 64 yards on the ground. Miami collected 139 yards on the ground and 272 yards through the air in defeat.
* Rashawn Scott recorded his first-career catch in the 2011 meeting, a two-yard reception in the first quarter.
ROAD WARRIORS
* For the second consecutive season, Miami opened its schedule on the road. The Hurricanes defeated Boston College, 41-32 on Sept. 1. In 2011, Miami fell at Maryland on Labor Day, 32-24.
* The Hurricanes open the season with two consecutive road contests for the first time since the 2005 season. That year, Miami fell 10-7 to Florida State in the opener, then defeated Clemson, 36-30 in triple overtime.
* The 2012 season will be the eighth time in its 86-year history that Miami has opened the season with two consecutive road or neutral contests (’74, ’77, ’83, ’84, ’86, ’90, ’05).
* The Canes join Rutgers as the only 2012 BCS teams that play on the road at least three times in the month of September. In addition to road games at Boston College and Kansas State, Miami will travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech on Sept. 22.
* With the win at Boston College, Miami has won two straight road contests and three of its last four.
#ROOKIECANES
* In Miami’s season-opener against Boston College 14 freshmen appeared in their first collegiate game, including 12 true freshmen.
* True freshmen RB Duke Johnson and OL Ereck Flowers each started the season opener. The duo became the first true freshmen at Miami to start since QB Jacory Harris and WR Aldarius Johnson started against Charleston Southern in the 2008 opener.
* RB Duke Johnson (2) and WR Malcolm Lewis (1) accounted for three of the Canes’ five touchdowns in their debuts.
A GAME OF FIRSTS
* Miami’s win at Boston College was its first season opening road win since defeating Florida State, 38-34, in 2009.
* LB Denzel Perryman (2011 Freshman All-American) returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown against Boston College. The interception and touchdown were career firsts for the sophomore.
* In their first collegiate game, RB Duke Johnson (2) and WR Malcolm Lewis (1) each scored touchdowns.
* DL Luther Robinson and LB Eddie Johnson each forced their career-first fumbles against Boston College. DB Ladarius Gunter also recovered a fumble in his first game as a Hurricane.
CREATING TURNOVERS
* Denzel Perryman‘s interception return for a touchdown was the first by a Miami player since Kelvin Cain returned one 59 yards against Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 1, 2011.
* Prior to the Perryman and Cain interception returns, the last interception returned for a touchdown by a LB occurred when Darryl Sharpton accomplished the feat in 2009 against Duke.
* The Hurricanes recovered two fumbles against Boston College. Miami last had two recoveries in an 24-7 win over Georgia Tech on Oct. 22, 2011. The Georgia Tech contest was also the last time UM forced three or more turnovers and the only time the Canes forced three turnovers in a game in 2011.
40-POINT CLUB
* Miami’s 41 points against Boston College were the most against an FBS school in a season opener since scoring 48 against Louisiana Tech in 2003. Miami scored 52 against FCS opponent Charleston Southern in 2008.
* The Hurricanes last scored 40 points against an ACC foe on Nov. 5, 2011, a 49-14 win vs. Duke.
CAREER DAY
*Eight different Hurricanes set career highs in tackles against Boston College in the season opener. Thurston Armbrister, Deon Bush, Thomas Finnie, Shayon Green, Tracy Howard, Olsen Pierre, Luther Robinson and Kacy Rodgers each set career bests in stops.
* Stephen Morris recorded career highs in both completions and attempts. In his sixth career start, Morris completed 28 of 45 passes for 207 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
* Biletnikoff Award candidate WR Allen Hurns set career marks in both receptions and yards. The junior caught eight passes for 81 yards in the 41-32 victory.
