Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida State Seminoles
Florida Rivals Meet in Sept. 7 Football Opener at Tallahassee
The Hurricanes face the No. 18-ranked Seminoles on Monday, Sept. 7, at Tallahassee, Fla. The Labor Day matchup, which is scheduled for an 8 p.m. (EST) telecast by ESPN, will mark the 54th meeting between the schools.
Miami holds a 30-23 series lead. But the Hurricanes will be looking to avenge a heartbreaking 41-39 loss at home to the Seminoles last season.
More importantly, Miami would like to start the season -- and Atlantic Coast Conference play -- on a winning note. A remarkably young Hurricanes team started 7-3 in 2008 but lost its final three, including a 24-17 decision to California in the Emerald Bowl.
The Hurricanes, who were 35th in voting for The Associated Press preseason poll, made a rather surprising run in 2008. But more will be expected from a team that's not quite so young any more. An ACC championship would be a nice prize for coach Randy Shannon's team.
Ditto for Florida State, which is coming off a 9-4 season capped by a 42-13 thrashing of Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl. It was an important step forward for the Seminoles, who barely cracked the .500 barrier the previous two seasons.
Florida State Offense
If the Seminoles want to reach double-digit wins in coach Bobby Bowden's 34th season, they’ll likely need more consistency out of quarterback Christian Ponder.
The junior was impressive last year, completing 55.7 percent of his passes for 2,006 yards, and scrambling for 423 yards and three touchdowns. But his 14 TD passes were almost offset by his 13 interceptions.
Ponder will have to succeed without his leading rusher from last year, as Antone Smith departed after a 15-touchdown season. But the Seminoles have a talented back in Jermaine Thomas. As a freshman in 2008, Thomas ran for 482 yards and three TDs, averaging seven yards per carry.
The Seminoles also lost their top two receivers, Greg Carr and Preston Parker. And leading returnee Taiwan Easterling (30 catches, 322 yards, 1 TD) missed spring workouts because of a ruptured Achilles’ tendon. But returnee Bert Reed showed some dazzling moves as a freshman last year, when he had 23 receptions and three touchdowns.
Also back is Richard Goodman, who had 20 catches for 184 yards in eight games two seasons ago before suffering a fractured fibula. That wiped out the remainder of his 2007 campaign, and all of his 2008 season.
The Seminoles should be sturdy up front, as the entire starting offensive line of Andrew Datko, Rodney Hudson, Ryan McMahon, Zebrie Sanders and David Spurlock returns. So does tight end Caz Piurowski.
State Defense
Florida
Florida State’s defense sparkled last season, allowing just 294.9 yards per game to rank 15th in the nation. But there are some holes to fill – perhaps the most notable being the one left by defensive end Everette Brown (13.5 sacks).
Still, the Seminoles have a potential superstar in speedy linebacker Dekoda Watson (46 tackles, 8 for losses in 2008).
There are also three returnees in the secondary, with Jamie Robinson, Patrick Robinson and Korey Magnum. Up front, the Seminoles have a pair of experienced tackles in Kendrick Stewart and Budd Thacker.
Kevin McNeil and Markus White will try to compensate for the loss of Brown with strong efforts at end.
Miami Offense
If Florida State was stricken by the interception bug in 2008, Miami faced an epidemic. Hurricanes quarterbacks threw 20 interceptions – a stat made more damaging by the fact that the Miami defense made only four picks all season.
Well, the guy who threw 13 of those interceptions – Robert Marve – has transferred to Purdue. So the job of running new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple’s pro-style attack will go to Jacory Harris.
In 2008, Harris passed for 1,195 yards while sharing time with Marve. He completed 60.8 of his passes, with 12 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
Miami brings back almost its entire receiving corps, and it’s a deep one. It includes 2008 receptions leader Aldarius Johnson (31 catches, 332 yards, 3 TDs), Thearon Collier, LaRon Byrd, Travis Benjamin, Leonard Hankerson and tight end Dedrick Epps.
The running back situation appears solid with the return of leading rusher Graig Cooper (841 yards, 4 TDs). The Hurricanes also have a capable backup in Javarris James.
Tackle Jason Fox heads an offensive line that also brings back starting guard Orlando Franklin and a part-time 2008 starter in guard Joel Figueroa.
The kicking game shouldn’t be a problem. Junior Matt Bosher is a candidate for both the Lou Groza Award (nation’s top kicker) nation) and the Ray Guy Award (top punter).
Miami Defense
The Hurricanes defense turned in a respectable performance in 2008, yielding 317.8 yards per game to rank 28th in the nation. And as is the case with the offense, most of the unit's back.
Linebacker Sean Spence, who made 65 tackles en route to ACC Rookie of the Year honors, will be counted on for a big season, as will end Marcus Robinson (35 tackles, 9 tackles for losses, 4 sacks), linebacker Darryl Sharpton (58 tackles), and tackle Allen Bailey (5 sacks).
Other key players include cornerbacks Brandon Harris and Chavez Grant, safety JoJo Nicolas, and tackle Joe Joseph. Eric Moncur, who started early in 2008 before being sidelined by injury, could also be a factor.
Another possible contributor is senior defensive back Sam Shields, who with a 4.2-second 40-yard dash time is the fastest player on the team.
Shields has been converted to defense from wide receiver, where he was a part-time starter for three seasons. He was Miami’s Special Teams Player of the Year in 2008.
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