The defense for the Miami football team has had trouble giving up big plays this season. Florida State has two explosive players on their offense that the Hurricanes have to limit on Saturday in Tallahassee.
The defense for the Miami football team ranks in the middle of schools in FBS when it comes to allowing big plays. Against FBS teams the Hurricanes defense sinks even further. Florida State running back Cam Akers and wide receiver Tamorion Terry are among the leaders nationally in explosive plays.
Big plays against the Miami defense cost the Hurricanes in all four losses this season. The Hurricanes gave up a 66-yard touchdown pass to Florida because of poor tackling on the Gators’ first drive of the game. Florida added a 65-yard pass play in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning TD.
North Carolina used a 66-yard TD pass from Sam Howell to Dyami Brown and a first down completion from Howell to Rontavius Groves for 20 yards on fourth and 17. If Miami had stopped the long pass they would likely have left Chapel Hill with a win. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech also used big plays against Miami in wins.
Miami Hurricanes Football
It is imperative that the Hurricanes limit Akers and Terry making from too many big plays on Saturday. Akers is 11th in FBS with 32 plays from scrimmage of 10 yards or more. Terry is fifth nationally with four plays of 50 or more yards this season. Akers is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and Terry 20.9 yards per reception.
Akers has 12 rushing TDs and three receiving to pace the Seminoles with 15 total. Terry leads FSU with six receiving TDs. Florida State has had the same inconsistency at quarterback and on the offensive line that Miami has had.
Alex Hornibrook was the QB for Wisconsin when they defeated Miami in the 2017 Orange Bowl is expected to start for Florida State. Hornibrook gives the Seminoles a more consistent QB that takes care of the football. He has completed 68.4 percent of his passes this season for 851 yards with six TDs and one interception.
Florida State has had a lot of trouble protecting Hornibrook and James Blackman in pass protection. The Seminoles 118th in FBS allowing 3.25 sacks per game. If Miami can get pressure Hornibrook putting the Seminoles in third and long should make a huge difference. Miami is 19th nationally averaging 3.13 sacks per game.
Miami has had trouble stopping the run in
. Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh all ran for over 150 yards against the Hurricanes. In spite of that Miami was able to limit big runs against the Hokies, Yellow Jackets and Panthers. Miami is 13th nationally allowing only five runs of
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The big pass plays allowed on defense have been the bigger issue. The Hurricanes are 124th in FBS allowing four pass plays of 60 or more yards. Three of those plays came in the first two weeks of the season. Miami was without redshirt sophomore safety Bubba Bolden then and has a young secondary.
Sophomore safety Gurvan Hall is second on Miami in tackles, Robert Knowles is having his best season as a senior and Amari Carter has been ejected twice because of targeting calls. The one at North Carolina was questionable. While getting ejected was obviously bad it might make opponents think twice going over the middle.