By the Numbers: Miami vs. FSU

By the Numbers: Miami vs. FSU

Stefan Adams

Comments (26)

U have to factor FSUs dline vs our OL which will affect the passing game big time.
Their dline isn’t good nor is their front 7 outside of the 2 dts(Marvin Wilson is elite).. They have a massive drop on edge pressure with Brian burns gone and former 5 star josh kaindoh being out for the season.
 
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Worst case scenario is FSU wins and Taggart still gets fired. I can live with a loss if it hastens the firing of Blake James and gets Taggart an extension. Hurts to root against the Canes but think about the Clemson loss with Golden. The Clemson beatdown was bitter medicine but the team was better for it.
 
It's Miami-FSU week. Ahead of one of college football's most storied rivalries, CIS took a deep-dive and compared the two programs. How do the teams match up in key areas of the game, what players were recruited by their rival school, and how does the series history shake out? Let's find out.


Head-to-Head

Miami Rush Offense vs. FSU Rush Defense


Led by DeeJay Dallas’ 487 yards and 6 TD’s, Miami is #114 in the country in the running game, rushing for 120.3 ypg. How Dallas’ return from injury this week is managed will determined how active Cam’Ron Harris (347 rushing yards, 3 TD’s) is against the Noles. The Canes being one of the worst teams in the country in sacks has really hurt their numbers here, but OC Dan Enos has also shown a propensity to abandon the run game at times through two-thirds of the season. In terms of run blocking, the OL has been up and down depending on the game, but this weekend they will have to contend with FSU DT Marvin Wilson (41 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 5 sacks), one of the nation’s most active interior linemen. Overall, though, FSU has been pedestrian against the run, coming in at #66 with 169 ypg allowed.

Advantage: FSU


FSU Rush Offense vs. Miami Rush Defense

While FSU running back Cam Akers has been one of the best running backs in the ACC thus far in running for 917 yards (2nd in ACC) and 12 TD’s (1st in ACC), FSU as a team has been underwhelming at #94 in the nation with just 139.9 ypg. FSU added a wrinkle to their rushing offense last week vs. Syracuse, featuring Akers in a wildcat package throughout the game with some success. On the other hand, Miami’s numbers look much better overall against the run at #17 with 106.1 ypg allowed, and it would seem they would have the advantage, but the past two weeks they’ve let up nearly 400 combined yards on the ground to Georgia Tech and Pitt, and really struggled with missed tackles vs. the Yellow Jackets. The return of senior LB Michael Pinckney, who missed most of those two games, should help some, but Akers is a true homerun threat that can break a game open, the type of player Miami’s D hasn’t really seen at RB so far this year. Miss tackles on Akers, and he’ll make you pay.

Advantage: Even


Miami Pass Offense vs. FSU Pass Defense

This is where the Canes could really make some hay and exploit a mismatch. While it’s unknown who will officially start at QB as of this writing, both Jarren Williams and N’Kosi Perry have shown they are capable of big games this season. The pair have combined for 16 passing TD’s (4th in the ACC) and Miami is #36 in passing offense (263.9 ypg) overall. Miami also does a good job spreading the ball around to their top 4 receivers in KJ Osborn (32 receptions), Brevin Jordan (29), Mike Harley (27), and Jeff Thomas (24). They’ll be going up against an FSU secondary that has been in flux all season and is led by Hamsah Nasirildeen (team-leading 58 tackles, 1 sack, 2 PBU’s, 3 FF). The Noles have been a sieve against pretty much every passing offense they’ve played this season, and are #118 in pass defense at 275.3 ypg. An average FSU pass rush missing Brian Burns hasn’t helped out much either. If edge rushers Janarius Robinson (3 sacks) and Amari Gainer (2 sacks) don’t get home against a suspect Miami OL, the Canes are sure to pick this weak FSU secondary apart.

Advantage: Miami


FSU Pass offense vs. Miami Pass Defense

With receiver Tamorrion Terry, the Noles have shown off an explosive passing game at times under new OC Kendall Briles. Terry is 4th in the ACC in receiving yards (606) and has shown he can take the top off the defense as well; Terry is 2nd in the ACC in yards per catch at 20.9. Similar to Miami, the Noles have switched back and forth between QB’s James Blackman and Alex Hornibrook, but the duo have done enough to put FSU at #29 in passing offense (277.1 ypg), and have combined to tie for 2nd in the ACC with 17 passing TD’s. UM’s pass defense is comparable, with the Canes at #32 and allowing 194.9 ypg, but Miami hasn’t faced very many strong passing offenses like FSU’s this season. However, FSU’s OL is one of the worst pass blocking lines in the country and is #118 in sacks allowed, which could be a problem when going up against a budding star off the edge such as UM’s Gregory Rousseau (ACC leading 8 sacks), as well as Trevon Hill and Jonathan Garvin, who each had 2 sacks against FSU in 2018 (Hill was with VT).

Advantage: Even


Miami Special Teams vs. FSU Special Teams

If there’s a school that can rival Miami’s special teams woes, it’s FSU. Seminoles K Ricky Aguayo actually has a worse FG% (4-9 at 44.4%) than Miami’s trio of kickers they’ve used this season (7-14 at 50%). Neither program has taken a kick back for a TD this year, but both Miami (Osborn, Thomas) and FSU (Keyshawn Helton, DJ Matthews) have explosive options in the return game. The difference here comes in the punting game, where Miami’s Louis Hedley has far outshined FSU’s Tommy Martin. Hedley is 4th in the ACC with a 45.5 ypp average, while Martin is dead last with a 40.4 ypp average.

Advantage: Miami


Roster Notes

FSU Players recruited by Miami (43):
QB James Blackman, TE Tre McKitty, RB Cam Akers, RB Khalan Laborn, WR DJ Matthews, DB Stanford Samuels, WR Warren Thompson, DT Marvin Wilson, DE Josh Kaindoh, DE Janarius Robinson, CB Travis Jay, CB Jarvis Brownlee, CB Levonta Taylor, LB Dontavious Jackson, LB Leonard Warner, DT Robert Cooper, DT Tru Thompson, DT Cory Durden, DB Cyrus ***an, LB Kalen DeLoach, DB Carlos Becker, DB Asante Samuel, DB Akeem Dent, DL Quashon Fuller, DL Malcolm Lamar, LB Amari Gainer, DB Renardo Green, DE Dennis Briggs, DB Isaiah Bolden, DB Brendan Gant, OL Abdul Bello, OL Cole Minshew, OL Jauan Williams, OL Andrew Boselli, OL Baveon Johnson, OL Dontae Lucas, OL Maurice Smith, OL Christian Meadows, LB Emmett Rice, OL Jalen Goss, OL Darius Washington, DL JaMarcus Chatman, WR Keith Gavin

Miami Players recruited by FSU (20): DE Scott Patchan, DT Pat Bethel, LB Zach McCloud, RB Robert Burns, WR Jeff Thomas, OL Navaughn Donaldson, DE Jonathan Garvin, DT Jonathan Ford, LB Bradley Jennings, RB DeeJay Dallas, QB Jarren Williams, RB Lorenzo Lingard, TE Brevin Jordan, TE Will Mallory, LB Patrick Joyner, CB Al Blades, STRK Gilbert Frierson, S Gurvan Hall, DE Cameron Williams, LB Avery Huff

FSU Players that were committed to Miami (3): TE Tre McKitty, CB Jarvis Brownlee, DB Akeem Dent

Miami Players that were committed to FSU (2):
LB Patrick Joyner, LB Bradley Jennings

FSU Players from South Florida (10): QB James Blackman (Glades Central), DB Stanford Samuels (Flanagan), QB Jordan Travis (The Benjamin School), DB Jarvis Brownlee (Carol City), DL Malcolm Ray (Carol City), DB Asante Samuel (St. Thomas), DB Akeem Dent (Palm Beach Central), OL Maurice Smith (Miami Central), LB Emmett Rice (Miami Norland), OL Dontae Lucas (Miami Senior/IMG Academy)


Series History

**
Miami leads the overall series with FSU, 33-30.

**The Canes are currently on a two game-winning streak vs. FSU; the longest ever winning streak in this series was 7 games, something FSU has done twice (1963-1972, 2010-2016).

**The largest margin of victory in this rivalry is 47 points, something both teams have done (47-0 Miami, 1976; 47-0 FSU, 1997).

**The series is known for its close games: Each of the last 5 meetings between Miami and FSU have been decided by 5 points or less. Among college football rivalries, only Alabama-Auburn and Army-Navy have had such streaks.


Last Time They Played

**
Miami overcame a 27-7 early third quarter deficit, scoring three consecutive TD’s in just over 8 minutes of game time to defeat FSU, 28-27.

**QB N’Kosi Perry threw for 4 TD’s in just his second career start.

**Miami held FSU RB Cam Akers to 46 yards rushing.

**Miami’s defense harassed FSU QB Deondre Francois, getting to him for 6 sacks along with 12 TFL. Both Joe Jackson and Jonathan Garvin had 2 sacks apiece.


Excellent work sir 👍
 
I don't know. FSU looked much improved vs. Cuse. And their DL terrorized the QB all game long. Meanwhile, Akers and Terry look like legit playmakers. Williams should be able to exploit their weakness over the middle. But I don't think we match up well against them this year.
Not discounting Akers and Terry but Syracuse is horrible...wouldn't put much stock in that game.
 
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Not discounting Akers and Terry but Syracuse is horrible...wouldn't put much stock in that game.

akers and terry are legit playmakers. terry averages like 20 ypc which is insane. that being said, cuse is awful and theyre going with a statue at Qb in hornibrook against us. not to mention, theyre starting a freshman LT (second game ever as a starter). we should be able to get to the QB, but we have to contain akers. cant have that gtech 29 missed tackle performance.
 
How can our run d and their run o b even if we are top 20 in that category and they barely crack the top 100?
 
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