Orange Bowl: Five Things to Watch

The 2016 season for Florida State will wrap up on Friday as the No. 11 Seminoles take on Michigan in the Capital One Orange Bowl. The sixth-ranked Wolverines are 10-2, but the two losses came by a combined four points and both on the final play of the game.

At stake for FSU on Friday will be a top-10 finish and a fifth straight 10-win season. Michigan is aiming for its first major bowl victory since the 2011 season and a probable top-5 finish. Without further ado, here are five things to watch for in Miami on Friday:

1. Quarterback Play
Both defenses will be hoping to put the burden on the shoulders on the opposing quarterback. For Florida State, redshirt freshman Deondre Francois has handled pressure quite well this season, but against the nation’s top-ranked pass defense and a team that ranks in the top 5 nationally in sacks, things won’t be easy. The ACC’s Rookie of the Year, Francois has been largely mistake-free this season with more than 3,100 yards passing, 22 total touchdowns and just six interceptions.

For Michigan, Wilton Speight has been more of the game manager type, but has gotten the job done for Jim Harbaugh and company. Speight however, did throw two very costly interceptions his last time out in a loss to Ohio State and turning him over could go a long way in FSU getting the victory. Speight will also have to deal with an FSU pass-rush led by DeMarcus Walker that leads the nation in sacks.

2. Dalvin Cook
For Michigan to force Deondre Francois to make plays, it will need to first shut down junior running back Dalvin Cook. Cook will likely be playing his final game in an FSU uniform and will be doing so in his hometown of Miami. In his previous two trips to Hard Rock Stadium. Cook has totaled 319 yards and three touchdowns.

Against former Boston College and current Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown’s units however, Cook has largely been held in check. Cook has also not performed at his best in bowl games. After losing a pair of fumbles in the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2014 season against Oregon, Cook was held to just 33 yards rushing on 18 carries in last season’s Peach Bowl loss to Houston.

3. Jake Butt
Michigan tight end and John Mackey Award winner Jake Butt is a player who could really give FSU trouble. Against the likes of Ole Miss’ Evan Engram, Jordan Leggett of Clemson and N.C. State’s Jaylen Samuel, the Seminoles really struggled this year. Butt is a dependable target and could be a key in keeping drives alive. Likely drawing much of the assignment for slowing Butt down will be FSU linebacker Matthew Thomas.

4. The Battle in the Trenches
Two of the best defensive lines in the country will square off in Miami, putting the onus on opposing offensive lines to try to block them. Michigan features a deep, veteran group led by defensive ends Taco Charlton and Chris Wormley with Ryan Glasgow on the interior. Finding cohesiveness along the offensive line has been an issue for Florida State this season, but the Seminoles have gotten significantly better over the last couple games, averaging nearly 300 yards on the ground and yielding just two sacks. Michigan ranks fifth nationally with 44 sacks.

Thanks largely to senior DeMarcus Walker, Florida State leads the country in sacks with 47. Like Michigan, the Seminoles are very deep up front with Derrick Nnadi and Demarcus Christmas manning the interior and a lot of bodies to line up outside. The Michigan offensive line led by tackle Erik Magnuson is a pretty good unit, allowing just 18 sacks this year.

Both teams would be best served to make the opposing quarterback win the game, making the battle up front especially key. Winning the early downs against the run-first offenses will force Deondre Francois for FSU and Wilton Speight for Michigan to not only make throws against talented secondaries, but avoid top-notch pass-rushes.

5. FSU Secondary
Without Derwin James, Nate Andrews and Ermon Lane at safety, Florida State will likely have a number of youngsters seeing time in the defensive backfield. Veterans like senior cornerback Marquez White and junior safety Trey Marshall will certainly start, but expect a lot of young faces to see action.

Sophomore cornerback Tarvarus McFadden leads the nation with eight interceptions, but the likes of Kyle Meyers and Levonta Taylor have also come on in recent weeks at the position. At safety, sophomores A.J. Westbrook and Calvin Brewton should get some run, along with freshman Carlos Becker. The Seminoles will be facing a good, but thin corps of Michigan receivers headlined by senior Amara Darboh.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson