Who: Miami Hurricanes (3-1, 0-0 ACC) at No. 12 Florida State Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 ACC)
When: Saturday, October 10th at 8:00 P.M. eastern time
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida (ABC)
Florida State has never defeated Miami in six straight seasons, but that could change with a win on Saturday night as the teams meet in Tallahassee.
Both schools come in with a lot to prove. Miami was defeated by Cincinnati 34-23 its last time out while FSU has been sluggish offensively in wins over Boston College and Wake Forest recently.
Senior safety Tyler Hunter had to save the day for the Seminoles in Saturday’s 24-16 road win over Wake Forest as Hunter came up with a diving interception in the end zone to preserve the victory. Hunter is part of a talented secondary headlined by All-American Jalen Ramsey.
The Seminoles will likely be without safety Nate Andrews, who suffered a knee injury against Wake Forest, on Saturday, but Hunter, Trey Marshall, Derwin James and Lamarcus Brutus give Florida State plenty of depth at the position against Miami’s high-octane passing attack.
That attack is led by sophomore quarterback Brad Kaaya, who leads the ACC in passing yards-per-game and has nearly 1,100 yards through four games. Kaaya passed for 316 yards and two touchdowns against the Seminoles last season.
His top two receivers are seniors Rashawn Scott and Herb Waters, but junior running back Joseph Yearby may be Miami’s biggest offensive weapon. Yearby has 535 yards of total offense this season and is averaging more than seven yards-per-carry and nearly 14 per catch to go with five total touchdowns this year.
Yearby will try to run against a deep defensive front for FSU led by junior end DeMarcus Walker. Walker had 1.5 sacks last week against the Demon Deacons and ranks third on the team in tackles for loss. Leading the Seminoles in that category are linebackers Ro’Derrick Hoskins and Terrance Smith, who could also miss Saturday’s game with an ankle sprain. Senior linebacker Reggie Northrup leads FSU this season in total tackles with 26. As a team, the Seminoles are allowing just 11.5 points-per-game this season — the sixth fewest in the country.
Offensively, the Seminoles could be without their top two running backs including the ACC’s leading rusher and Miami native Dalvin Cook. Cook scored a 94-yard touchdown on his first carry against Wake Forest last week, but left the game with a hamstring injury after just three touches. Cook has 570 yards rushing this season and six rushing touchdowns. His 8.6 yards-per-carry average ranks sixth nationally.
With Cook and junior Mario Pender each potentially out, the Seminoles may be forced to rely more heavily on senior quarterback and Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson. Golson has had an up and down start to 2015, but has yet to turn the ball over, which was a major issue at Notre Dame last season. Miami leads the ACC in turnover margin early on in 2015.
At Golson’s disposal are junior Jesus Wilson and sophomore Travis Rudolph, who each have over 200 yards receiving this year and a pair of touchdowns, but both have had issues with drops.
Senior safety Deon Bush leads a Hurricanes’ secondary that ranks second in the conference with eight total interceptions. Juniors Artie Burns and Rayshawn Jenkins are each tied for 10th nationally with three interceptions on the young season. Senior linebacker Raphael Kirby leads the team with 34 total tackles this season while sophomore defensive end Trent Harris has been Miami’s best pass-rusher with 2.5 sacks.
Both teams have the luxury of possessiong real weapons on special teams as well. FSU kicker Roberto Aguayo was a Consensus All-American last season as a sophomore after winning the Lou Groza Award as a freshman in 2013. Miami’s Justin Vogel leads the ACC in punting, averaging better than 48 yards-per-kick. Florida State’s Kermit Whitfield and the Hurricanes’ Corn Elder are each dangerous in the return game.
Though Florida State has won each of its five meetings against the Hurricanes under head coach Jimbo Fisher and eight of 10 overall, games in recent years have been competitive.
Five of Miami’s last eight losses to the Seminoles have come by four points or less. Miami let a pair of 16-point leads slip away last season as Cook scored the winning touchdown from 26 yards out in a 30-26 FSU victory. In a match-up of top-10 teams, the Hurricanes were handled 41-14 in their last trip to Tallahassee in 2013. The last win for Miami in the series came at Doak Campbell Stadium by a 38-34 margin on Labor Day in 2009.
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