UM vs. Wisconsin: Orange Bowl Matchups to Watch
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes will close the 2017 season in the Orange Bowl, a fitting finale for a team that means so much to the South Florida community.
The No. 10 Canes (10-2, 7-1 ACC) will make their 10th Orange Bowl appearance when Saturday’s matchup against No. 6 Wisconsin (12-1 9-0 Big Ten) kicks off at 8 p.m. from Hard Rock Stadium. Both Miami and Wisconsin enter the game off tough losses in their respective conference championship games and the Hurricanes and Badgers are looking for a victory to wrap up outstanding seasons.
Miami has a 6-3 record in Orange Bowl history, with three of its six victories resulting in national titles for the Hurricanes. UM has a 20-20 all-time mark in bowl games. Miami is competing in the Orange Bowl for the first time since the 2003 season when the Hurricanes beat Florida State, 16-14, on January 1, 2004.
UM is competing in a “New Year’s Six” game for the first time in program history; the NY6 games began with the College Football Playoff in 2014. Miami checked in at No. 10 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released on Dec. 3 and was ranked in every CFP poll for the first time ever.
Wisconsin is under the direction of third-year head coach and Badgers alum Paul Chryst, who has guided his team to a 12-1 record. Wisconsin’s last contest was the Big Ten Championship Game, where the Badgers fell, 21-27, to Ohio State. UW is No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
The all-time series between the Hurricanes and Badgers is tied, 2-2. Wisconsin won the last matchup between the two teams at the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando – the only other neutral site meeting between the two programs. The series is also tied, 1-1, in games played in Miami. In the modern era of Miami Hurricanes football (since 1979), UM holds a 2-1 advantage, including a win in the only game played in Madison in 1989.
Here are three matchups to watch in Saturday’s game.
Miami’s defense vs. Wisconsin’s running game
Maybe the most obvious matchup of the game, the Hurricanes will need to stop the run if they want to win on Saturday, while Wisconsin’s success will largely be tied to how well the Badgers can run 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.
“Similar to the Notre Dame week, you know, they’re a team that’s great at running, and you’re going to have to stop the run first to be able to have a chance at beating them,” Miami defensive lineman Joe Jackson said. “So we come out strong, we hit them up front hard. It’s going to be a fight in the trenches. So we’ve just got to come out and really focus on their run, but that’s not the main thing. They can beat you with the pass, as well, so we’ve just got to focus on the run, play hard, and we’ll have our chance.”
Miami will look for its talented and deep rotation of defensive linemen to be very physical with the mauling Wisconsin offensive line. Jackson, Chad Thomas, Trent Harris and Jonathan Garvin give Miami a quartet of explosive and strong defensive ends, while junior defensive tackles RJ McIntosh and Kendrick Norton are joined by senior Anthony Moten and sophomore Pat Bethel to form a stout group of defensive tackles.
“I think everybody knows they like running the ball,” Harris said. “I think they’re tougher and bigger than everybody, so come down here and just really try to run the ball down our throats, and we’re not going to let that happen. That’s not how we play. Just out-physical and out-play them. They’re going to come down here and do what they do, but we’ll see what happens.”
The sophomore trio of Shaquille Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud headline an athletic and fast linebacker group, while Miami’s secondary, especially safeties Jaquan Johnson and Sheldrick Redwine, will also be active in trying to slow the Wisconsin ground game. The Hurricanes have limited strong running attacks before, holding Notre Dame to just 109 yards in a 44-8 UM victory.
Miami’s offensive line vs. Wisconsin’s defensive line
Winning the battle in the trenches is essential to success in football and Saturday’s Orange Bowl matchup will be no different. The Hurricanes will need an excellent showing from their offensive line and Wisconsin’s front four will do everything it can to make life difficult on Miami’s line. According to Pro Football Focus, Wisconsin sacked the quarterback on 26.51% of pressured dropbacks in 2017. Their active defensive line also forces quarterbacks to rush throws, which leads to the top passing efficiency defense in the country. Add in Wisconsin’s second-ranked rush defense and you see why the Hurricanes will need to play well on the offensive line if they want the offense to succeed.
Third team All-ACC tackle Kc McDermott, who is set to make his 34th consecutive start on Saturday, leads a Miami offensive line that also includes All-ACC honorable mention linemen Tyler Gauthier and Navaughn Donaldson. Senior Trevor Darling and junior Tyree St. Louis round out the starters up front for Miami and all five will need to help open holes for explosive running back 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.
Pass blocking will also be crucial for the Canes, as Pro Football Focus believes Wisconsin is the top defense in the country when it comes to pass coverage. According to PFF, McDermott has allowed just 12 total pressures on 420 pass block snaps this season. If Miami can give quarterback Malik Rosier enough time to throw, the redshirt junior should be successful Rosier has a 96.5 passer rating and has thrown 10 touchdowns when blitzed.
Miami’s edge rushers vs. Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook
The Hurricanes defensive line is fast and strong and can get after a quarterback, proven by their FBS-leading 3.58 sacks per game. Wisconsin signal caller Alex Hornibrook loves to get the ball quickly to his playmakers at wide receiver and his standout tight end Troy Fumagalli. According to PFF, Hornibrook has thrown 11 touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing 69.2% of his passes when he has 2.5 seconds or less to throw. Something has got to give.
Miami defensive ends Chad Thomas, Joe Jackson, Trent Harris and Jonathan Garvin will look to wreak havoc behind the line of scrimmage all night. The Hurricanes 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.
“We like it,” Thomas said of Miami’s speed on defense. “We have played a lot of powerful teams and they couldn’t keep up with the speed. It’s hard to adjust to speed. We can adjust the power because we go in the weight room just like them and we get ready just like them. We’re not a weak team. We’re probably a little smaller than them, but they’ve got to adjust to us. Playing with power, we just go out there and be physical. That’s a part of the football game; if you don’t be physical, you don’t have a chance, so going out there and being physical, that’s all we’ve got to do.”
Kickoff against the Badgers is set for 8 p.m. from Hard Rock Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
