Miami Hurricanes Football: 5 Strengths of Florida State That Miami Should Be Aware of
The Miami Hurricanes are coming off a bye week and have had an extra week to prepare for their toughest test of the season when they face off against their bitter rival the #2/3 ranked Florida State Seminoles on Saturday night at Sun Life Stadium. I am sure that the Canes coaches are aware of the strengths of this Florida State team but I wanted to give the fans a bit of insight as the game comes closer to kickoff. I took a look at many statistical categories and found the Seminoles’ five greatest strengths’ according to team statistics/rankings. I found that 4 out of the 5 strengths included the offense and thus confirms that the play of reigning Heisman winner Jameis Winston is extremely vital to the success of this Florida State team.
Scoring Offense
This Seminoles team scores a lot of points. They score 37.9 points a game to be exact, which ranks as the #15 scoring offense in the country.
Florida State will certainly test the #11 ranked Canes defense. The Canes will certainly need to hold the Seminoles below their near 38 point a game average if they want to come out of this game with a win. The Seminole defense is not nearly what it was last season, however, I still believe it will be very difficult to put up 40+ points on them.
Completion Percentage
As a team, the Seminoles complete 65% of their passes which ranks as #14 in the country. Jameis Winston has a 66.7 completion percentage to be exact.
Winston is very efficient with the football, especially in ‘crunch time’. The Canes MUST put pressure on Winston, they can not afford to play a soft zone and let him pick apart the defense. When Florida State played Louisville, the Cards were very successful in the first half at pressuring Winston. He was only sacked once, yet the Cards forced Winston into 2 interceptions and a 50% completion percentage going into halftime. However, Louisville took their foot off the gas a bit on defense and Florida State adjusted well and that was all she wrote. If the Canes play with a lead at some point, the defense can’t go soft at any time, Winston must be pressured all game long.
Red Zone Defense
Here is the one Florida State defensive ranking worth noting, and it’s an important one. The Seminoles are ranked #14 in the country in red zone defense. They are allowing a score 71.8% of the time. Opponents have been in the red zone 39 times and Florida State has allowed 28 scores (9 rush TD, 10 pass TD, 9 FG).
The Seminole defense does their job when they are absolutely needed, in the red zone. This is also a good explanation of why they are 9-0 despite having the 49th ranked defense. They buckle down and get the job done.
Basically, the Canes need to score every time they get into the red zone. This means no turnovers, no missed field goals, no unsuccessful 4th down attempts, etc. Obviously, a touchdown is preferred but any score is beneficial.
Passing Offense
Here is yet another strength due to the play of Jameis Winston. The Seminoles rank #10 in the country in passing offense with an average of 319.9 passing yards per game.
It will be a very interesting matchup between Florida State’s pass offense versus Miami’s pass defense which is ranked #10 allowing 180.6 pass yards per game. Something has to give. Again, pressure must be applied on Jameis Winston.
Red Zone Offense
Florida State’s greatest team strength is…. scoring in the red zone. What a great strength to have. The Seminoles certainly don’t leave points on the field very often as they rank #6 in the country in red zone offense. Florida State scores 92.5% of the time while in the red zone. Out of 40 attempts they have scored 37 times (19 rush TD, 8 pass TD, 10 FG).
The Canes NEED to force some turnovers in the red zone. Put a helmet on the ball, force Winston to make a poor decision (did I mention pressure him?), do whatever it takes because the Seminoles score nearly every time they are in the red zone. Their field goal kicker Roberto Aguayo is nearly automatic, so a turnover is the Canes best bet.
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It won’t be an easy one for the Canes, however, the Seminoles are vulnerable. There aren’t many strengths on this Florida State defense despite solid play in the red zone. The run game is not spectacular either. The Canes could pull off the upset by making Jameis Winston uncomfortable and by not leaving any points on the field (scoring in the red zone). Obviously, there is more to it than that but taking away the strengths of this Florida State team is a good place to start.