Miami v. Florida State

The big showdown with the Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida State Seminoles will go down on Monday, September 4th at 8 p.m. Eastern.

The Miami Hurricanes went down at Florida State last season in a surprisingly low scoring 7-10 game. It looked hopeful that the tides would turn in 2006 with the game being played down in Miami, but the suspensions of several key players including tailback Tyrone Moss and receiver Ryan Moore may have made this one tighter than many originally expected, though Miami is still favored by 3 points in Monday night’s matchup.

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Miami Hurricanes 2005 record: 9-3

Returning starters offense: 5 defense: 6

The Offense: In 2005, Miami’s offense was under much scrutiny as the Hurricanes turned in their lowest point production since 1997. Larry Coker is looking for new offensive coordinator Rich Olson to revitalize Miami’s attack. This will be quite the daunting task in the opener with their starting tailback out against last season’s 14th ranked defense, but the Seminoles lost 6 of their top 7 tacklers and although they’ll be a solid defensive unit, they won’t be at their best in game 1. QB Kyle Wright, who led the ACC in touchdown passes last season, should improve along with his talented but underachieving receiving core of Lance Leggett, Darnell Jenkins, and Ryan Moore. Miami also has one of the best tight ends in the country again this year in Greg Olsen. Despite the suspensions, the Hurricanes will be able to put more than 7 points on the board against the Seminoles defense.

The Defense: It was Miami’s defense which made most of the big plays last season and it will be the defense again in 2006 with far fewer worries than the offense. Just how good were the ‘canes’ defense last season? They had the 4th best total "D" in the nation and they were number 1 against the pass. The secondary should be strong once again with the return of safeties Brandon Meriweather and Kenny Phillips. Miami’s secondary will be a major test early on for the young Drew Weatherford who has created plenty of hype for himself by breaking Phillip Rivers’ ACC Freshman record for TD’s and yards. With the problems the Seminoles had on the ground last season, you should expect to see plenty of Miami’s strength, the secondary, against Florida State’s, the passing attack, on Monday night. I’ll give the edge to the Miami defense initially, but if Miami's offense has trouble moving the football, a tired defense could give up some late game strikes to Weatherford.

Florida State Seminoles 2005 record: 8-5

Retruning starters offense: 5 defense:5

The Offense: If Miami’s defense does have a weakness, it’s against the run as they return just 2 defensive lineman starters and an undersized linebacker core. However, if the Seminoles have a weakness, it’s running the football. Florida State ranked 109th out of 117 Division I-A programs last year with just 94 yards per game on the ground. If the ‘noles can’t do a better job on the ground in this one the ‘canes will be able to sit back and make it difficult for Weatherford to find any open targets. The running game was a huge emphasis all spring and I expect it to be improved with senior Lorenzo Booker and sophomore Antoine Smith’s 2-back attack. Any improvement at all will free up Weatherford for an even bigger year in 2006.

The Defense: The Seminoles produce NFL talent on the defensive side of the ball year after year as their players always make up one of the fastest defenses in the country. Replacing All-ACC players and All-Americans normally hasn’t been too difficult of a task for defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, but he’s had to replace 6 of FSU’s top 7 tacklers from last season including the best linebackers in the conference in Sims and Nicholson. The ‘noles will build around senior linebacker Buster Davis who was the second leading tackler last season with 91 stops. The Seminoles defense will be young, but they will be talented and lightning fast. I anticipate them sticking with a Hurricanes offense, which won’t be a well-oiled machine with missing players and a new offensive coordinator.

Inexperience could overshadow the talent of Florida State’s youngsters on the defensive side of the ball allowing Miami to capitalize with crossing patterns and motion sets on offense. On the other side of the coin, if Miami isn’t prepared for an improved running attack out of Florida State, the Hurricanes could lose their projected ACC title in week 1.

Ultimately, Jimmy Boyd knows which team will be more prepared in the season’s first big matchup and you’ll be able to cash in big by picking up one of our premium college football picks packages on Monday Night’s game.