FSU Football: A First Look at Miami

This year’s edition of the annual rivalry showdown between Florida State and Miami comes a bit later than expected, but it’s almost here. The two ACC foes were originally scheduled to kick off conference play against one another, but Hurricane Irma pushed the Tallahassee contest back from Sept. 16 to Oct. 7.

For the second straight week, FSU will be facing an undefeated team. The Hurricanes are coming off arguably their best performance of the year last week at Duke. Miami, under second-year head coach Mark Richt, will be looking for its first win over Florida State since 2009.

On Miami

Record: 3-0 (1-0 ACC)
Offensive Ranks: 11th in yards per game (517), 36th in passing yards per game (278.7), 21st in rushing yards per game (238.3), 18th in points per game (41.3).
Defensive Ranks: 63rd in yards per game allowed (376), 92nd in passing yards per game allowed (246.3), 46th in rushing yards per game allowed (129.7), 17th in points per game allowed (16.3).

On Offense

With Brad Kaaya declaring early for the 2017 NFL Draft, the quarterback position was supposed to be a significant question mark heading into the year, but Malik Rosier has shored it up. Rosier is completing nearly 66 percent of his passes and ranks 12th nationally in passer rating. Rosier also brings an added element with his legs that Kaaya did not in years past.

The corps of skill players around Rosier is also very good with running backs Mark Walton and Travis Homer combining for nearly 600 yards rushing, six touchdowns and 8.9 yards per rush. Braxton Berrios is Miami’s leading receiver early on with 10 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns, but sophomore Ahmmon Richards may be the most dangerous despite a slow start. Tight end Chris Herndon is also a reliable target. The offensive line starts two seniors and two juniors along with highly-touted freshman Navaughn Donaldson.

On Defense

Defensively, Miami has good depth up front with senior Trent Harris and junior R.J. McIntosh being the two statistical leaders so far with 2.5 and two sacks, respectively. Senior Chad Thomas is also exceptionally talented as he is tied for the team-lead with 3.5 tackles for loss. The strength for the Hurricanes may be their linebackers as Shaquille Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud are all very good.

Quarterman and Pinckney rank first and second on the team in tackles, respectively. Quarterman leads the team with 21 tackles while Pinckney ranks second on the team with 17 to go along with 2.5 for loss, a sack and an interception. With a number of starters gone in the secondary, there has been a learning curve in the defensive backfield. Sophomore cornerback Malek Young has been the most productive so far with an interception, four pass break-ups and 2.5 tackles for loss. Cornerback Dee Delaney and safety Jaquan Johnson are among the team’s leading tacklers.

On Special Teams

Senior kicker Michael Badgley looks to be in the midst of another good season for Miami. Badgley is off to a 4-for-5 start with a long of 50 and his only miss coming from beyond that distance. Freshman Zach Feagles hasn’t put up the punting numbers that Justin Vogel did, averaging 35.2 yards per punt, but six of his 11 boots have been downed inside the 20-yard-line and he has yet to allow a return.

In the punt return game for Miami, Berrios is dangerous, averaging better than 15 yards per return so far this year. It was Berrios’ 43-yard return last season that set up Miami’s final touchdown. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, the PAT was blocked to preserve a 20-19 FSU victory. Miami has been neither explosive nor lax on kick returns or coverage.

Summary

The biggest surprise for Miami to this point has to be the play of Malik Rosier as the Hurricanes are lighting up the scoreboard and playing well on offense. The defense hasn’t been as good as expected, which is largely due to new faces in the secondary. Overall however, Miami is an extremely talented team and appears to be the front-runner in the ACC Coastal. If FSU is to collect its eighth straight win over the Hurricanes, it will need to be at its best on Saturday.

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