Canes Hope to Protect Home Turf in Orange Bowl
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes are in a unique, yet familiar, position this week.
The No. 10 Canes (10-2, 7-1 ACC) are preparing for a big matchup at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami will face No. 6 Wisconsin (12-1, 9-0 Big Ten) in the Orange Bowl at 8 p.m. on Saturday in its third top-15 game at Hard Rock Stadium this season. The Hurricanes, who fed off a raucous crowd in wins over then-No. 13 Virginia Tech and then-No. 3 Notre Dame, hope their fans will come out in droves to support them in their first Orange Bowl since the 2003 season.
“I hope it’s home field advantage,” head coach Mark Richt said. “I think our fans will come out in big numbers and it will feel like home because it is home for us.”
Miami quarterback Malik Rosier believes playing the bowl game in Miami will be an advantage for the Hurricanes, as the loud and proud orange and green faithful can support their team in their hometown.
“I feel like it’s going to be a huge advantage,” Rosier said. “I know the fans are excited. I have had so many people hit me up and tell me that they are ready to come out to the game and I think we will be in all black, so the crowd will be electrified by that, too. Last time Notre Dame came here, they said that the fans had an impact on how they played. Our fans can be very intimidating. They’re loud, they made us go on different cadences because we can’t hear ourselves, so I hope they come out and I hope they’re loud.”
Veterans like senior Kc McDermott have experienced the energy an excited Hard Rock Stadium crowd creates and he looks forward to that loud environment in his final game as a Hurricane.
“It’s great being at home,” McDermott said. “We’re looking forward to having the hometown advantage of the stadium. It’s definitely going to be a good week for us. We’ve just got to stay focused on the game, and make sure we have a lot of fun too.”
Richt has been impressed with his team’s bowl preparation, especially over the two practices this week. After a 10-win regular season, Miami is eyeing an Orange Bowl victory to punctuate an outstanding year.
“They’re focused, you know,” Richt said. “To me, it’s hard to have a whole lot of tenacity when you’re not scrimmaging and tackling through to the ground, but we had a good tempo and guys are playing as physical as you can as far as what we allow them to do.”
But the Hurricanes will face a tough task every time the football is snapped, as Wisconsin has been one of the top teams in the country in 2017. The Badgers are excellent at running the football. According to Pro Football Focus, Wisconsin is 25th in rushing and seventh in run blocking. Jonathan Taylor, who has rushed for 1847 yards and 13 touchdowns, is tough to bring down. The freshman running back has 62 forced missed tackles on run plays, ranking fourth among halfbacks graded by Pro Football Focus.
“They have those athletic linemen; that guy in the backfield, he’s doing some nice things this season,” linebacker Zach McCloud said. “Apparently a tough guy to tackle, we got to really wrap him up and drive through his legs. The tight end, No. 81 [Troy Fumagalli], he’s also having a great season this year, he’s their leading receiver, I believe. Those are the key guys who we really have to focus on beating as far as the defense is concerned.”
The Badgers also pose a challenge defensively, as Pro Football Focus ranks them seventh overall in defense and believes they are the top defense in the country when it comes to pass coverage. Cornerback Nick Nelson and safety Natrell Jamerson are two Badgers to watch in the secondary. According to PFF, Nelson has graded out at 90.3 in pass coverage in 2017, while Jamerson has not missed a tackle in 658 total snaps this season.
While the Badgers have proven to be a talented team all season, they are facing a proven Miami squad that has beaten two top-15 teams this season, while Wisconsin lost its only top-15 matchup when it fell to then-No. 8 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Canes have a balanced offense that can strike on the ground thanks to explosive runner Travis Homer, who has 11 runs over 15+ yards in 2017. In addition to his speed, Homer has been tough to tackle. The sophomore is average 4.37 yards after contact, ranking second in the ACC in that category.
But Miami is also dangerous through the air, with Rosier throwing to a bevy of targets led by Braxton Berrios. The senior wide receiver has been especially good out of the slot, leading all ACC receivers with nine touchdowns and catching 45 balls for 584 yards from that position.
Miami’s defense has been excellent in 2017, especially on the defensive line. Joe Jackson (1st), Chad Thomas (7th) and Trent Harris (8th) are among the best in the ACC as pressuring quarterbacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson’s 11.9 Pass Rush Productivity (a stat that measures pressure on a per snap basis with a weighting towards sacks) is the best in the conference. Because of all that pressure, opponents have an average depth of target of 8.4 yards, which is the lowest in the ACC.
“I’m very excited,” defensive lineman Chad Thomas said. “Every time I step on the field, I’m excited to play football with my teammates going up against another team. Wisconsin is a good team. Just watching them on film and looking at their record, they’re a good running team and they’re going to come to play, but we’re going to come to play too.”
The Hurricanes have also been excellent at forcing turnovers, ranking second nationally in turnover margin (1.25) and third in the country in turnovers gained (30). Sixteen different Canes have worn the famous ‘turnover chain” and Miami will look to break it out several times on Saturday against Wisconsin.
After missing out on chances to play in the College Football Playoff, both Miami and Wisconsin are hungry to prove they are strong teams that can compete with anyone in the country.
“If we get a win, we will be the first team to win an Orange Bowl in a while, so that will be something to have our eyes on,” defensive lineman Kendrick Norton said. “We are not worried about a slide or anything, we just go out there to perform. If we perform the way we have been practicing, we always come out with a win.”
