The Wait is Almost Over
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Two more days.
Fans of the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles have been eagerly awaiting the annual meeting between the two legendary college football programs, especially after the Canes and Noles had successful seasons that were capped with bowl victories.
The anticipation continued to build as the two teams entered the season ranked, and both fan bases were primed for a Week 3 meeting in Tallahassee, Fla. But Hurricane Irma had other plans, forcing the game to be rescheduled for Saturday.
The wait is almost over.
Miami holds a 31-30 lead in the all-time series over Florida State, including a 14-10 advantage in games played in Tallahassee, but the Seminoles have won the last seven matchups overall. The 62nd edition of one of the best rivalries in college football is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m., at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.
“It’s just two great teams going at each other,” Miami head coach Mark Richt said. “The series is lopsided [recently], but the scores haven’t really been that lopsided all the time. A lot of close games as of late, but not any that Miami has won, obviously. You prepare for a team that you know that you have to battle every snap. You have to scrap for everything you get. That’s kind of how we go into most all of our games.”
The Hurricanes (3-0, 1-0 ACC) have won their last eight games, dating to last November, by an average of 21 points. Miami is averaging an ACC-best 41.3 points per game in 2017, thanks to a potent offense that is averaging over 230 rushing yards per game and over 270 yards per game passing. Miami quarterback Malik Rosier has played a key role in helping the Hurricanes emerge as an explosive offense early in 2017, but he knows the Hurricanes will need to play their best to have success against the Seminoles (1-2, 1-1 ACC).
“They’re probably one of the fastest and most physical teams we’ve played so far,” Rosier said. “Their record doesn’t show how good their defense is. They fly around the ball. Every time you see a pass there’s someone in the way or deflecting the ball. They’re a really solid defense. They’re going to give us troubles and I just feel like we have to be perfect, we have to execute, we have to do our jobs otherwise, they will beat us and we know that. We’re just hawking on doing our job and doing it perfect every play because they’re a great defense.”
A week ago the Canes won their ACC opener in impressive fashion, putting up 31 points and 409 total yards against a Duke defense that had been holding opponents to just 15.3 points per game. But Miami offensive coordinator Thomas Brown knows the Florida State defense will pose a new challenge for the Canes.
“They’re going to be tough,” Brown said. “Those guys are talented. It doesn’t matter who they have in the game. They roll D-linemen, roll linebackers, roll DBs, it’s all the same guy and just the number changes. They’re all very effective, they’re well coached, they play hard, they’re going to be tough and they all make plays if you give them a chance to make plays.”
Mark Walton and Travis Homer will remain pivotal to Miami’s success on the ground, as the running back duo has played a key role in Miami ranking third in the ACC in rushing offense. But the Hurricanes have also gotten strong performances in the passing game, as sophomore receiver Ahmmon Richards hauled in three catches for 106 yards and a score in his season debut against Duke. Senior wideout Braxton Berrios, who has caught a touchdown in all three games in 2017, expects the Seminoles defense to be aggressive and physical on Saturday.
“They are going to challenge the receivers like they always do,” Berrios said. “They are going to run to the ball, they are going to hit. A lot of things they do the same and regardless of their record, Florida State-Miami is going to be Florida State-Miami.”
Defensively, the Hurricanes will be facing a Florida State offense that is full of playmakers surrounding quarterback James Blackman. The freshman was thrust into action after Deondre Francois sustained a season-ending injury late in the Seminoles’ season opener against Alabama. But Blackman has already shown signs of being a dangerous quarterback, engineering a game-winning drive a week ago at Wake Forest.
“On film, he’s a good quarterback,” Miami defensive lineman RJ McIntosh said. “We’re not going to take them lightly. We understand he’s a freshman and it’s new for him right now, so like I said, we want to get after him, put a little pressure on him. It’s his first time against us and we want to make it a good time.”
Wide receiver Auden Tate has been Blackman’s top target this season, snagging 13 catches for 226 yards and three scores, but the Hurricanes expect Florida State to look to establish the run early on Saturday.
“They’ve had to change their identity a little bit, but I still think that in any game, and certainly in this game, stopping the run is still going to be the first order of business,” Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. “They’re still Florida State. They still have highly-recruited and skilled players all over their offense. Like with most quarterbacks, their job is to deliver [the ball] to the guys who can make the plays. You are in a game where, generally speaking, there is a little margin for error. Big plays will be a big factor in this game and trying to limit the big plays. We know that they have some guys who can make things happen and we have to be at our best to shut them down.”
The Seminoles have an impressive duo at running back that features team rushing leader Jacques Patrick and elite freshman Cam Akers. Both backs compliment each other well and stopping them will be important for Miami’s defense.
“They run behind the fullback and really run the ball downhill,” Diaz said. “[Jacques] Patrick is a big back, who runs hard, falls forward on contact, and in [Cam] Akers you see why the recruiting hype with him was so big. Quick feet and can run out of a tackle and all those types of things. And again, they’re going to check you out over and over again, so we have to make sure that you are in your gap and fit all the responsibilities in their runs.”
Miami’s defense will look to set the tone early against Florida State, similarly to its performance at Duke last Friday. Junior defensive lineman Kendrick Norton believes a strong start will play a big role in the Hurricanes’ success on Saturday.
“In our last couple of games, I believe we’ve been doing pretty well at starting fast, especially last game,” Norton said. “We just have to come out there, play intense, and stay focused throughout the game and finish strong.”
