Miami Hurricanes Football: Keys to the Game Against the Florida State Seminoles

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There is no doubt there is a monumental game awaiting the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday Night at 8 ET against the #3 Florida State Seminoles. Led by Jameis Winston, the Seminoles are not only coming off a 34-20 win against the Virginia Cavaliers, but a National Championship and a 25 game win streak. Miami has a four game losing streak against the Seminoles from 2010-2013, but they look to break the streak this time around. Al Golden and the Hurricanes are (6-3) on the season and (3-2) in the ACC, and need a win if they want to keep their aspirations for winning the Coastal Division alive. This year, Miami has not shown up for the big time games on the road at Louisville, Nebraska, and Georgia Tech. Luckily, Al Golden has made huge strides in improvement with his team following the Georgia Tech loss with impressive performances against Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina.

A win for the Canes could be a program changer under the national spotlight and give the fans prodigious optimism for the future. This is a game where recruits are lost and won, and Al Golden could prove to these big time recruits the that U is back. Al Golden awaits one of the biggest challenges in his career, and it is time for him to pull off a win for the big game. Florida State and Miami means everything to the players, to the fans, and to the community of Miami. The Hurricanes can restore the power in the state of Florida with a win. History gives the Hurricanes a chance, because they have broken win streaks against programs such as Notre Dame and Florida State in the 80s and 90s. So why not again? If Miami wants a shot to win against #2 Seminoles, they need to follow these keys to victory:

Getting off the field on 3rd Downs

In the past three weeks we have seen a much more aggressive defense and in result the players are gaining confidence and starting to play with some swagger. Two weeks ago, The Hurricanes played impressively against North Carolina, and offensive Juggernaut averaging 400+ yards game, to 250 yards. The defense got off the field on 3rd Downs, and Marquise Williams and company could not get anything together in the 1st half due to open field tackling and perfect execution of blitzes. In last years game in Tallahassee, the Florida State Seminoles converted 11-15 on 3rd downs and gained a total of 517 yards. Winston threw for 325 yards and the Noles rushed for 195 on the ground which in result, led to 38:33 minutes on TOP and resulted in Miami TOP to 21:27. The Canes could never get off the field, and resulting in a blow out. We saw a similar story against Nebraska this year; the defense couldn’t get off the field on 3rd downs and the offense could never get a chance to catch back up. The Hurricanes will have to pressure Winston with blitzes and four D lineman. Chad Thomas may be getting a huge amount of reps, and Tyriq McCord will need to have a big time game off the edge for the Canes to get off the field on 3rd downs. Al Golden has said the Canes are now “an attacking 3-4 defense” , and not the passive one that resulted persistnet criticism. Can they keep it up? The Canes are now ranked 11th in the country in total defense, and Saturday will tell the truth if they can get off the field consistently on 3rd downs.

Nov 23, 2013; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes linebacker Tyriq McCord (17) tackles Virginia Cavaliers running back Kevin Parks (25) during the third quarter at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Win the Turnover Battle, converting 3rd downs and Pound the Ground with Duke Johnson.

Jameis Winston has thrown 11 (5 in the last 3 games) interceptions this year compared to his 10 interceptions last year, and the Canes need to pressure him to make him continue this trend. Luckily this year, Florida State does not have the play makers such as Kelvin Benjamin, Devonte Freeman, and Kenny Shaw.However, they do still have Rashad Greene and the Canes should limit his play making ability to force Jameis to use other options. If you watch any film on Florida State this year, Winston is being forced to make plays because the Seminoles aren’t simply the same team from last year. To their credit, they have been able to continue to win games. The offense of late, has not given up many turnovers except for the fumble by Brad Kaaya in the North Carolina game that led to a scoop and score. Kaaya turned the ball over in the losses against Louisville, Nebraksa and Georgia Tech losses but has improved vastly in the past three weeks. The Canes will have to pressure Winston to get some turnovers on defense, and Brad Kaaya must take care of the football.

Although, Brad Kaaya’s improvement is dictated off the rushing game led by Duke Johnson. #8 got hurt last year in the 3rd quarter against the Seminoles, and anyone watching that game knew he was running at a different level. Duke will have a redemptive mindset in the is game against FSU with only needing 250 yards to surpass Otis Anderson in the all time rushing list. The offensive line has been playing great due to injuries, Trevor Darling stepped up last week and Nick Linder has been playing well all year. Ereck Flowers will return this game, and the Canes should pound the ground to open the field for Brad Kaaya. However, expect FSU to load the box in the beginning of the game, and it will be crucial for Miami to get yards on 1st and 2nd downs to create easier 3rd down opportunities. However, Florida State’s defense only ranks 63rd in the nation in rush defense. James Coley will have to come up with some great X’s and O”s to open the ground game for Duke Johnson against the Noles.

Oct 23, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Duke Johnson (8) celebrates with quarterback Brad Kaaya (15) after running for a touchdown in the last few seconds of the second quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Play with Passion

In this rivalry game, the Miami Hurricane players will be amped, and it is up to them to play with more heart and passion for a victory. Although they not should be overly excited and passionate, they will have to play with fire for four quarters straight to beat the #2 team in the nation. The Seminoles are a very resilient team and will play till 00:00 on the clock. It will all come down to will and heart. Jameis Winston is one of the best QB’s in the college football, and he will do everything to bring the Noles to victory. The Miami Hurricanes need to feed of the electricity of the stadium and atmosphere to play with intensity with perfect execution to pull of the upset.

Why not Miami?

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