The day has come. The No. 12 ranked Miami Hurricanes look to extend their win streak against rival Florida State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m ET.
305Sports’ UM writers gave their score prediction and analysis for Week 3.
Anthony Yero, Lead Hurricanes Writer (Season Record: 2-0)
41-20 Miami: The Seminoles will have a lot on their plate with attempting to contain D’Eriq King’s passing and running ability. Add a running back room that has accounted for 408 rushing yards through two games this season, and FSU has way too much to handle.
As for Miami’s defense, they had a field day with Florida State’s offensive line in last year’s 24-10 victory, recording nine sacks and 16 tackles for loss. UM also picked apart FSU’s quarterback room, and based on their performance in the 16-13 loss to Georgia Tech, things haven’t gotten better in that department.
While this rivalry always seems to be decided in the fourth quarter, if the Hurricanes are going to live up to their No. 12 ranking, they must dominate a struggling Seminole team that’ll be without its head coach.
Michael Yero, Lead Hurricanes Writer (Season Record: 2-0)
34-17 Miami: Downplaying this Seminoles group could be the worst thing Manny Diaz and the Hurricanes could do. Despite their season-opening loss to Georgia Tech, FSU is well capable of causing havoc defensively and using that energy for an offensive score. A prime example would be when the Noles picked off Yellow Jackets quarterback Jeff Sims in the games first drive and scored on the ensuing possession.
With that being said, Miami has the talent on all sides of the field to outmatch the Seminoles from the start. From D’Eriq King to Cam’Ron Harris, the ability to move the chains in quick fashion will be something the Seminoles won’t be able to contain. Defensively, keep an eye out for UM’s front seven, who’ll likely have a field day on FSU quarterback James Blackman, a fumbling specialist.
As long as players can stay healthy, I expect Miami to start strong early on and keep FSU on its heels throughout the entire game. While the score says otherwise, this should be a competitive battle between the two.
Art Moreno, Hurricanes Writer (Season Record: 1-0)
45-24 Miami: The Seminoles head into Week 3 leading the nation when it comes to dropping back and being pressured when throwing the ball. Quarterback James Blackman has dropped back to throw 43 percent of the time, usually under duress. This hasn’t all been on his offensive linemen, however, as Blackman is hugely responsible for holding onto the ball too long as well. Several times he held the ball longer than needed, forcing the play to breakdown.
UM’s D’Eriq King and the Canes are coming off their best game yet. King has remained exceptional with his decision making and has not turned the ball over at all. Miami’s defense will allow some yards to Blackman scrambling but overall expect a dominant night for Miami. It’s been a quiet rivalry week because the Canes are expected to come out victorious.
The defensive line will feast on the Seminoles’ weak pass protection. Miami’s explosiveness on offense will once again control help control the game from the start. Expect the running game to click once again. If the canes wide receiver group show up and the team plays a complete game. it could get ugly.
Trent Lima, Hurricanes Writer (Season Record: 1-0)
46-13 Miami: I believe Miami makes a statement against the Seminoles in their primetime matchup. The Hurricanes will lean heavily on their run game for their steady yardage while creating chunk plays through the passing game. On defense, I believe UM will piggyback off the dominance from last year. FSU’s offensive line struggled in their season-opener, something that spells feast for Miami’s defensive line.
Since we’ll get so much disruption in the trenches, Miami’s secondary will hold up and dominate Florida State’s offense and keep them off the field. On special teams, the punter/kicker duo of Lou Hedley and Jose Borregales will do what we expect them to do. All in all, I believe this will be a long-overdue thrashing of Miami’s biggest rivals.
Jose Zarraluqui, Hurricanes Writer (Season Record: 2-0)
37-24 Miami: Miami vs. Florida State is one of the most exciting and competitive modern rivalries in college football. No matter how good the other opponent is, one of the teams will find a way to make it a nail-biting game. With that being said, the Hurricanes cannot get overly confident versus the Seminoles, especially coming off of that big win over Louisville.
If Miami wants to win this game, King must play very discipline and perform how he did last week. The offensive line must give King time in the pocket, as FSU’s defensive line is much better than the Cardinals’. The wide receivers can’t drop any catches, which we saw happen a few times last week from Mike Harley. Brevin Jordon and Will Malory have to replicate their performance from last Saturday. Regarding the run game, Cam’Ron Harris, Jaylon Knighton and Don Chaney have got to get it going and provide a spark for the offensive unit.
Defense:
Last week, safeties Bubba Bolden, Gurvan Hall and Amari Carter had phenomenal games. However, that’s not where my worry is in the secondary. Miami’s cornerbacks are definitely the weakest link defensively. Al Blades Jr. had a solid game last week but DJ Ivey still seems to have a massive question mark around him. Ivey and Blades need to step up when covering one of the best receivers in the nation, Tamorrion Terry.
Miami’s front seven gave up some big runs against the Cardinals, but that should change this week. Louisville was a very explosive team on the ground, while FSU isn’t nearly as explosive. James Blackmon has had a very up and down career at quarterback for the Seminoles and hasn’t had particularly the best history with Miami. That should continue as well. FSU has a very sluggish offensive line, which Miami needs to take advantage of.
Overall, this game should come down to the wire and will be won by whoever wants it more.
