Miami football is Cinderella in ESPN Virtual 64-team playoff

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - DECEMBER 30: Troy Fumagalli
MIAMI GARDENS, FL - DECEMBER 30: Troy Fumagalli
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The irony is that the majority of the nine sacks Miami had against Florida State last season came against former Wisconsin QB

Alex Hornibrook

who was the QB for the Badgers when they defeated the Hurricanes 34-24 in the 2017 Orange Bowl. Rousseau had eight tackles, five tackles for loss and four sacks against FSU in 2019.

Phillips, Roche and Rousseau are all potential 2021 first-round draft NFL Draft picks. Miami had 46 sacks as a team in 2019 led by Rousseau with 15.5. Rousseau leads the nation’s returnees in sacks in 2020. The Hurricanes will have a chance to break the program record of 52 set by the 1989 national champions.

"3) Georgia 28, (10) Miami 14: It’s not all that uncommon for a double-digit upstart in the NCAA tournament to run out of gas when it reaches the round of 16. That’s what happens to the Hurricanes, who simply don’t have any answers for Georgia’s speed, explosiveness and athleticism on defense. The Dawgs hold the Hurricanes to 2-of-13 on third-down conversions."

It is not surprising that the inability to convert on third-down frequently in the simulated game that would be dubbed the Richt bowl, after former Miami and Georgia head coach Mark Richt, cost Miami against the Bulldogs. The Hurricanes finished 129th out of 130 FBS teams converting 27.6 percent on third down in 2019.

Miami managed to be worse against Georgia. King was unable to keep the Hurricanes offense rolling. The defense surrendered its highest output against the eventual virtual national champion in the ESPN simulation. For 2020, a realistic goal for Miami would be to win the ACC Coastal and make their second ACC Championship game.

Schedule

Schedule