Despite falling to third in the College Football Playoff rankings, Florida State remains in line for a playoff bid at 9-0 as it gets set to face rival Miami on Saturday. The Seminoles have dominated the series of late winning the last four and seven of nine, including a 41-14 victory in Tallahassee last season in a battle of top 10 teams.
Miami comes in winners of three straight after a 3-3 start. The Hurricanes have beat their last three opponents by an average margin of 24 points-per-game.
Freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya has shown tremendous improvement over that stretch for Miami, throwing seven touchdowns without an interception. Kaaya does have a talented array of weapons around him as wide receiver Phillip Dorsett is averaging an ungodly 30 yards-per-catch. He and tight end Clive Walford each have six touchdown grabs.
The star for the Miami offense however, is running back Duke Johnson. Johnson is one of the nation’s elite backs ranking in the top 10 in the country in rushing yards and yards-per-carry. Johnson already has over 1,200 yards on the ground and 11 total touchdowns.
For Florida State to slow down the high-powered Miami attack, it will need a big night from what has been a banged up front seven. Defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. however, was unstoppable last week against Virginia. Playing next to him, will be Eddie Goldman, who leads the Seminoles in sacks and tackles for loss.
The corps of linebackers is also very thin for Florida State, but when healthy, juniors Reggie Northrup and Terrance Smith along with freshman Jacob Pugh are shaping up to be a very good trio.
The secondary has not been the force to be reckoned with that so many expected for the Seminoles, but it does more than cover against the pass. Safety Jalen Ramsey and cornerback P.J. Williams each had two tackles for loss against Virginia this past week.
Despite throwing for nearly 700 combined yards over the last two weeks, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston has become turnover-prone of late with five interceptions over that stretch. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner has already thrown more interceptions this season than last.
With Florida State’s running game largely inconsistent this year, the Seminoles may need a big night from senior wide receiver Rashad Greene. Greene caught a career-high 13 passes for 136 yards and a score in Saturday’s 34-20 win over the Cavaliers.
Greene needs just 11 yards receiving to hit the 1,000-yard mark for a second straight season. Greene sits just 145 yards shy of tying Ron Sellers’ Florida State record for career receiving yards.
In recent weeks, freshmen Travis Rudolph and Ermon Lane have emerged as compliments to Greene while tight end Nick O’Leary is an always dependable target.
The Miami defense of late has been much improved as it held North Carolina in check for most of the game its last time out in a 47-20 victory at Sun Life Stadium.
Senior linebacker Denzel Perryman leads the ‘Canes in tackles while safety Deon Bush tops the ACC with four forced fumbles on the season. Bush is joined in the secondary by a very talented cornerback in Tracy Howard, who may spend the majority of the night matched up against Greene, the ACC’s leading receiver.
At linebacker, senior Thurston Ambrister is Miami’s leading sack man with five on the year.
At 6-3, Miami will enter Saturday’s contest at Sun Life Stadium as only a slight underdog. The Hurricanes have yet to beat Florida State under head coach Jimbo Fisher, losing each of the four contests and by an average margin of 18 points.
Miami last beat the Seminoles on Labor Day of 2009 by a 38-34 margin in Tallahassee. The Hurricanes have not topped Florida State at home since 2004.
With a victory, Florida State would clinch a third straight trip to the ACC Championship and a fourth 10-win season in five years under Fisher. Saturday’s game will air on ABC and coverage will begin at 8:00 P.M. eastern time.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
