Preview: Hurricanes In Tallahassee (Again!)

Who: No. 13 Miami Hurricanes (3-0, 1-0 ACC) at Florida State Seminoles (1-2, 1-1 ACC)
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
When: Saturday, Oct. 7 at 3:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)

It’s been quite a while since Florida State fans have felt nervous for a match-up against Miami. For about six years from 2011 to 2016, the Seminoles were the clearly better team coming into the game. Now, the situations are reversed. The Hurricanes are favored by both oddsmakers and a substantial amount of college football writers. If there was ever a year for Miami to beat Florida State, it’s now.

That being said, there’s probably no one in the Florida State locker room who thinks they’re going to lose this game. It’s still a vicious rivalry that brings out the best in both squads. Even if some of the coaches are sub-par, Florida State’s players will come out fired up and ready to give their all on Saturday.

To break down Saturday’s contest, lead writer Clint Eiland and editor Mike Ferguson weigh in:

Biggest Miami Advantage

Clint: The Hogmollies – Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has been a surprise for even the most ardent Hurricane fans. The Miami defense has undergone a dramatic turnaround with him leading the attack. While the results have been mixed at the beginning of 2017, the Hurricanes still have a defensive line with great combination of talent and experience. Their defensive tackles R.J. McIntosh and Kendrick Norton are among the bigger problems for FSU coming in to the game. Given what fans just witnessed against Wake Forest, the prospects of an FSU offense getting into rhythm against Miami are questionable.

Mike: The D-Line vs. FSU’s O-Line
If there is a battle on Saturday where Miami has an overwhelming advantage, it’s up front. Since the opener against Alabama, Florida State has played one stellar defensive line after another and the offensive line has yet to impress. In fact, it took a significant step last week by allowing 17 tackles for loss to Wake Forest — a school-record for the Demon Deacons. Miami has a nice mix of youth, experience and talent. R.J. McIntosh has been a load in the middle while defensive ends Chad Thomas and Trent Harris have lived in opposing backfields. Wake Forest lived in the FSU backfield last week and with more offensive firepower for Miami, allowing that to happen again will not likely result in a victory.

Biggest FSU Advantage

Clint: Pressuring Malik Rosier – The Hurricanes’ starting quarterback has been good (not great) in their first three games of the season. The numbers are somewhat deceptive. While he has an impressive touchdown-to-interception ratio and solid yard totals, he’s done it against Bethune-Cookman, Toledo, and Duke. Florida State’s defense is much more daunting and has the ability to send consistent pressure (even if that wasn’t the case at certain points). Rosier is talented but it’s only his first year starting. He has to go into a hostile environment and re-enact impressive performances by Brad Kaaya. If the Seminoles can force the offensive load on his shoulders, their chances go up tremendously.

Mike: The Secondary — Comparing the teams head-to-head and the position where Florida State is overwhelmingly better than Miami is in the secondary. That unit hasn’t played great over the last two weeks and has shown a propensity to give up big plays, but with All-American talents like Tarvarus McFadden and Derwin James back there, talent isn’t an issue. For Miami, that contingent has been a weakness, which isn’t surprising considering the team has had to replace guys like Jamal Carter and Corn Elder. If the Seminoles can protect quarterback James Blackman, that is an area that FSU can exploit vertically.

Game Breaker

Clint: Which Offensive Line Will Show Up for FSU? – One of the more worrying developments from the Wake Forest contest was the offensive line struggling. They didn’t even look like they belonged in a Power 5 conference. Now, they will have a banged up Derrick Kelly and Landon Dickerson on Saturday. If they are up to the task and can play like they did in the first two games of the season, the Miami defense does have very real weaknesses to exploit. If they get their lunch money taken again, the Hurricanes will romp to their first victory over the Seminoles in eight years.

Mike: Can FSU Play Well Early? – Even though Florida State was able to take a 13-12 lead into the locker room last week, it has come out flat in just about every contest this season with maybe the exception of Alabama. In each of the last two weeks, the Seminoles have fallen behind by multiple scores in the first half. When down in contests, head coach Jimbo Fisher tends to take a pass-heavy approach. If the Seminoles can play well early on Saturday, that would not only allow them to maintain balance, but it would serve as a nice confidence booster.