2015 Miami Hurricanes Opponent Preview - Week 6 (at FSU 10/10)

Miami Hurricanes 2015 Opponent Preview

Week 6

At FSU (October 10^th)

The 2015 Miami Hurricanes Opponent Preview continues with the preview of the Florida State Seminoles whom The U visits up at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on October 10th.

About FSU, They won the ACC title again, going 13-1, and getting thrashed by Oregon in Pasadena in the 1^st College Football Playoff.  Jimbo Fisher comes into season 5 in Florida’s capital city. You know what you’re getting from the Noles. There are some question marks this year. We all know the deal with the off the field issues that are well-documented.

Let’s talk about the Seminoles, on the field.

First, the offense. They were one of the schools that Braxton Miller was considering before ultimately deciding to stay in Columbus. They did add a “high profile transfer” in Everett Golson.  While in South Bend, with Notre Dame, he was a highly productive player for three seasons, however, Seminole fans should cringe at this fact: He turned the ball over 22 times last year. However, Golson has big game experience and when you consider that he is one of only two active FBS quarterbacks to have started a national championship game and that Sean Maguire and J.J. Consentino don’t have much experience and Maguire being very inconsistent, this is Golson’s job to lose here. Year 1 in the Post-Jameis era should be very interesting to watch.

The running game is led by Sophomore Dalvin Cook. However, he is one of their players that is facing potential discipline for “off-field issues”, but even if he does end up suspended or worse,  this is still a top-level unit to be reckoned with.  Should they lose Cook, it would be a HUGE loss for them. You don’t easily replace a guy who rushed for 1,000+ yards in 2014.  Should it be necessary to do so, Mario Pender is going to have to step up and carry the load left behind by a potential Cook suspension, and also possibly getting more work would be true freshman Jacques Patrick, a five-star recruit out of Orlando.  Pender rushed for roughly 200 yards and four touchdowns as their third running back in 2014.

As for the receiving corps, it won’t be easy to replace guys like Rashad Greene (drafted in 5^th round as the 3^rd pick to Jacksonville) and Nick O’Leary (drafted in 6^th round as the 18^th pick to Buffalo), however, when you look at FSU, they have the talent to reload.  Returning to Tallahassee in 2015, are Jesus Wilson and Travis Rudolph, both of whom had 500 yards receiving in 2014, and Ermon Lane, whom the coaches there are very high on, and as a Freshman, he showed flashes of why he was one of the top receivers in the country coming out of high school snaring 13 passes for 267 yards.  Another WR who could have more chances to get passes his way this year is Kermit Whitfield is Whitfield caught 11 passes for 145 yards in 2014.

As much talent as they have at the skill positions, there will be a new Offensive Line in 2015. If there’s a ? with the O, its here. Gone are two All-Americans.  The only one back with experience is LT Roderick Johnson, whose being asked to step up and be the leader of the offensive line. He only has five career starts.  The only other lineman that has started a game is Ryan Hoefield, who has four career starts at left guard, but he’s not listed as a starter right now. Look for him though to end up being the Center. Make no mistake, the talent is there, if they can step up and produce a solid season, then they’ll be ok.

Now, let’s move over to the other side of the ball on Defense.  

Their back seven is very very good, especially the Linebackers. They have back Reggie Northrup, Terrance Smith and DeMarcus Walker, as well as their top reserve in Matthew Thomas.  In 2014, Northrup led the team with 91.5 tackles.  Smith was their best LB in coverage, picking off two passes, breaking up a pass, and forcing a fumble.  As for DeMarcus Walker, he led their LB’ers in tackles for loss with six.

They will have to play a bigger role this year because the D-Line will have some new faces this year. Gone are  Mario Edwards, Jr. (drafted in the 2^nd round by the Oakland Raiders), Eddie Goldman (drafted in the 2^nd round by the Chicago Bears and the pick was endorsed by Dick Butkus) and Desmond Hollin (signed as UFA by the Denver Broncos). Combined, those three players had 23 tackles for loss and seven sacks.  Its going to be up to Chris Casher to step up and be their top pass rusher in 2015.  Derrick² (Nnadi and Mitchell, Jr.) need to be the guys on the interior that step up, and really make a difference vs the run and be effective pass rushers next to Nile Lawrence-Stample, their DT.

As for their Secondary, the best player there is Jalen Ramsey, who will likely, barring injury and doesn’t get in trouble off the field, will be a Top 5 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.  This guy is the real deal.  In 2014, he had 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, twelve pass break-ups and three forced fumbles.  Ramsey by himself, changes a gameplan for opposing Head Coaches and Offensive coordinators. However, Ramsey isn’t the only game in town. He will have with him coming back, Safeties Nate Andrews and Tyler Hunter.  Andrews, last year, was second on their team with 79.5 tackles and also picked off three passes.  As for Hunter, he had an interception, but where he did his damage was breaking up 7 passes. Also back for them is Sophomore Tyler Marshall.

As for their special teams, they don’t get any better than Junior Roberto Aguayo, who, unlike FSU kickers of the past, has been money when it matters most, and punter Carson Beatty. While their coverage units are excellent, the kickoff return team must be better, when you consider the fact they averaged just 20 yards per return in 2014.

What to expect from FSU

Looking at them on tape, you know what to expect from them. They are explosive Offensively, and ball-hawks on the defensive end, especially Ramsey.  They will hit big plays, and if Golson can limit the turnovers and come up big like he has in his career, this will be like if Jameis weren’t even there. If their D up front steps up early to replace the losses they suffered there, you know their back seven is very good, and if they stay healthy, they have another 10-11 win team there again in 2015.

The video you see below is highlights of Everett Golson from last year. 

This video is FSU from last season

This video is of last year's heartbreaker at Sun Life

Well, this is the ACC opener for The U. They’ve lost 5 straight times on (4 on Al’s watch). This will be a game that comes down to the end, whoever executes when it matters most will win. Being that this game is in Tallahassee, I want to believe this is finally the game where Al gets his signature win, but I just believe in the end, FSU will make enough plays late, to get the win over The U.

FSU by 3-7 points here over the CANES. 

Take on the future of CANES Football

A very good take from themirabeau on Canestime on the future of CANES football and the search for new president.

Here's his take in entirety and then my thoughts:
I know that our NEW President will have his hands full with learning the lay of the land and other important University issues. But a decision on the direction of our football team must among them soon or it will become increasing more difficult for Miami football. Few other problems he (she) will face may have the long term impact of finally solving that problem.

Hopefully, the new President will be a confident outsider with strong academic and sports roots.  You CAN have both. Stanford and Duke are prime examples. If not, and we select a "dandy" who doesn't see the positive impact and value of sports, and how we can take advantage of our sports roots, then we can write this program off.

Its hard to assess the psychology of any group, especially a group as large as the BOT's. BUT it seems to me that ever since a strong personality like JJ was able to succeed here without /despite lack of BOT, Admin support, Foote felt upstaged and resented it.

That fear and resentment seems to have found its way down to Shalala. Shalala has the program exactly where she wants it. If not, she would have insisted on changes like she has done elsewhere within the University.

Whatever we do must be done quickly. Not only do we have FSU and the SEC cherry picking S. Florida athletes,  PAC 12 and the Big 10 now with the addition of Harbaugh will be making much stronger inroads. That will be hard to reverse. It will become impossible to reverse if we continue being mediocre in football.

Now the way I see it is that I agree with many of his points here.

I'm told by my contact in the BOT that the leading candidate to be the next UM president is James Starvidis, the current dean of the Fletcher Law School at Tufts university in Mass. He's a native of West Palm Beach, he's 59, and was a Navy Admiral who headed Southern Command in Miami before becoming Supreme Allied Commander for NATO in Europe.

This is the kind of guy that's no-nonsense and you could tell, this guy knows what it takes to turn something around and quick.

Here's something he said back in November to the Miami Hurricane student newspaper that I found real interesting.

On Donna:
"On President Shalala, her advice was absolutely pivotal to me entering academe after a long career in the Navy.  She encouraged me by pointing out how higher education is a way to continue a life of service, by extolling the joy of being around wonderful students and brilliant faculty, and clarifying a sense that what I had learned in the military – leadership, execution of complex strategies, advocacy and the challenge of leading big organizations – would translate to the academic world.  She also recommended me for my current position as Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts, and has helped me with advice about listening, building consensus, and strategic planning as I have taken up duties there.  I owe her a great deal, and will always be grateful."

"President Shalala has been a high visibility national-level leader for U of M, and her loss will be felt strongly in many dimensions – particularly her deep knowledge of the University after over a decade in office.  She brings broad experience in leading complex organizations, a deep love of higher education, and a brilliant mind to any challenge – very hard attributes to replace."

On his possible interest in being next UM President:
"In terms of the university’s next president, I know there will be a vibrant search that will surface a superb array of candidates.  Whoever comes next to the U will be a lucky university president indeed."

Now, the way I read into that is Richard Fain (head of Royal Caribbean) is leading that search right now. There are many great candidates as Stavridis said, but according to my BOT contact, he's the leader right now to succeed Donna as the next boss at UM.

If it is Stavridis that takes over, one of the first things he'll do from what I'm told, is do a top to bottom review of the entire university. However, when I asked about the Athletics department and football specifically, I was told nothing will be done on that until the 2nd half of the year (i.e., evaluation of Blake and Al).

That's a dangerous sign if that comes to pass in reference to waiting until 2nd half of the year, because you're looking at the 2015 season already being a lost season, you put the danger of losing the 2016 class in play. If I'm Stavridis, and I get this job, one of the first things I'm doing is fixing the football program very quickly and getting it back to national prominence fast and to do that, one of the first things I'm doing is cleaning house in the Football offices in the Hecht Center and also showing Blake the door. You have to factor in Adidas wanting us to be their version of Oregon. Adidas is not going to want to see a mediocre product on the field. Another reason why next year, Al MUST get to Charlotte and win 10 games minimum to survive.

If we get off to a slow start next year (i.e. 1-3 or 1-4), it would not surprise me for Al to get the boot and not finish the season, with a new president (Stavridis?) in charge and Adidas wanting results on the field. They will not stand for mediocrity and neither will the fans, which is already wanting Al's head as well as Blake's and you can hear it at the BUC with the Fire Al chants.

CANES football is at a crossroads right now. What direction will it go in? That will be the big question going forward.

Take on last night's loss to FSU

My take on last night's loss to FSU with a report card. One of the toughest losses I've seen from us since 1999 vs Penn State at home.

CANES vs FSU preview

Part 10 of the 12 part 2014 Miami Hurricane Opponent Video Series - FSU 11/15

2014 Florida State Football Preview

In Part 10 of the 2014 12 part opponent video series, I’m going to talk a little about the defending National Champion Florida State Seminoles, our opponent on Nov 15^th at Sun Life Stadium   

Lets first look at their Talent:

Where do you begin? I’ll make no bones about it. The Seminoles are very good. They are reloading again. The talent is there to win it again. The only thing that they have to guard against is being satisified and complacent. They lost a lot to graduation/early entry into the NFL Draft. They could lose guys like Lamarcus Joyner, Devonta Freeman, Timmy Jernigan and Kelvin Benjamin and still reload with top level talent. This is Jameis Winston’s team and they’ll be dangerous again.

Next, I want to talk about the Coaching:

You know that Jimbo Fisher will make sure the Noles realize that they are now the hunted, and they will get their opponents best effort (See Auburn in the BCS title game). The guy is one hellva a recruiter and another top class this year proved that.

Now, to their 2014 Schedule:

These guys won it all last year, and let me predict their schedule for 2014:

In their opener, 8/30 vs. Oklahoma State (neutral – Jerry’s House in Arlington, TX): W 34-10

It’ll be a game for about a half, but in the 2^nd half, look for FSU to show why many people have them winning it all again. The D makes big plays, the O will make big plays in this one. Noles win going away here.

In Week 2, 9/6 vs. The Citadel: 77-0

No contest. You can name the score on this one. They’ll be looking ahead to the big one with Clemson by halftime. Jameis plays just a half in this one and the 2^nd and 3^rd units will play the rest of this one.

In week 3 they have a BYE
 
In week 4, 9/20 vs. Clemson: 30-17

Off the BYE week, Clemson comes to Tallahassee, and while Clemson will be out to avenge the beatdown last year in their own house, look for Jameis and Co., to get it going and neutralize Beasley and the rest of the Clemson D come midway through the 3^rd, and the Noles win going away, the Tigers will score late to make it more respectable, but the Noles will have this one in hand.

In week 5, 9/27 at North Carolina State: 59-10

Uh oh, Mr Brissett, you only get to fact an old rival. You can bet Jimbo will remind his team about the last visit to Raleigh, which ended in an upset loss. That will not happen here. Another big game from Winston and Co here. FSU wins easily here.  

In Week 6 , 10/4 vs. Wake Forest: 70-3

Guess what Wake Forest, you get to be the sacrificial lamb for the FSU machine. Look for the starters to be out by halftime and the 2^nd and 3^rd units playing the 2^nd half.

In Week 7, 10/11 at Syracuse: 42-17

It’ll be a fight here, for maybe a 1 ½ quarters, but by halftime, this one will be well in hand, and the Noles will be looking to the showdown with the Irish.

In Week 8, 10/18 vs. Notre Dame: 48-14

On paper, this is a marquee matchup. However, given the troubles in South Bend, and the game being in Tallahassee, the Noles will have their way with the Irish here.

In Week 9, they have a BYE

In Week 10, 10/30 at Louisville: 41-21

The Cardinals will be jacked up to play this one on a Thursday Night at home. This will be close for a half, but in the 2^nd half, look for a Noles to start getting it together and pull away from Louisville and win comfortably. 

In Week 11, 11/8 vs. Virginia: 45-3

My god, if it hasn’t gotten any worse for the Cavs, they get to face the monster that is FSU. Mike London’s seat is blistering at this point, and it only gets hotter after this one. Noles BIG in this one.

In Week 12, 11/15 at Miami (FL): 38-28

The CANES gave FSU a game last year for a half, in the end, just too much talent and depth for UM to overcome.  This rivalry is getting close to what it used to be, however Miami still has a little ways to go, but not too much though. Jameis makes enough plays for the Noles to escape Miami Gardens with the victory.

In Week 13, 11/22 vs. Boston College: 49-7
 
BC gave the Noles all it could handle up in Chestnut Hill last year. This year, this game being in Tallahassee, you can be sure, Jimbo will not allow a repeat of what BC did to that Defense last year. Noles BIG in this one.

In the season finale, 11/29 vs. Florida: 34-21

This is a rivalry game, so you never know. You can be sure of this, Florida will come ready to play this one, especially A) after the stinker of a season they had last year, and B) they’ll be healthy, much more so than last year. Jameis had better be ready to take on a very aggressive UF defense. This game will be close for 3 quarters, but come the 4^th quarter, Jameis and Co will make the plays needed to be made to win this one. What I do know is that the Gators better throw out every offensive play they had in 2013, because it was god awful. But you can expect the Florida defense to show up for this one. Winston struggled a bit last year in this matchup, he’ll be better prepared during his second go around.

My prediction on the Game vs. CANES:
We gave them a game for a half, and we had the ball to start the 3^rd quarter. In the end, FSU had too much depth and firepower for us to overcome in that one up there. We’ll be ready to play this game, and we’ll be close for a while, but in the 4^th quarter, as painful as it is for me to say, I think Jameis will make plays for them and they’ll leave our place with a victory. I think we’ll give them the toughest game they play all year.

In Part 11 of the 2014 series, I will talk about the Virginia Cavaliers, our opponent on November 22^nd at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, VA in the regular season road finale.

Report Card @FSU

Going into last night's game, we were a 21 point underdog. Most of the experts predicted an FSU blowout and that's eventually what happened. I thought we had a pretty good chance to win up there, but tip your hat to FSU, they made the adjustments and we didn't, and in the 2nd half, they took over and we had no answers for it. We did get banged up, with the biggest one being Duke with a severe ankle injury and according to his mom, is done for the year, which is a very tough blow. Which means, guys like Dallas Crawford, Eduardo Clements, and Freshman Gus Edwards are going to have to step up and carry the load going forward. Going in, here were my keys to a CANES victory at Doak and the end results from last night:

1. No Turnovers - Absolutely under no circumstances can we turn the ball over because that's asking for big trouble in a hostile environment like we're going to face. FSU is 11th in the country in Turnover Margin at +8 (1.1 per game). Ball security is going to be critical in this game. Stephen Morris cannot have a 4 INT game up there like he did in Chapel Hill and expect to win. That cannot happen. Most of their turnovers they force is via the Pick. (End Result: Even in TO margin, and FSU 10 pts off 2 INTs, not going to beat a great team like FSU when you don't win the TO battle for 4 quarters and we did not last night in the 2nd half). Grade: F
2. Morris has to be at a minimum 65% completion rate - Morris' completion rate this year is 60% (.599). He needs to manage the game properly and on occasion, take shots downfield when they are there. He's going to be facing the best pass defense in the country in FSU, which allows just 153.7 ypg passing on the season. FSU opp pass completion rate is 52%. Their opponents pass efficiency rate is 95.92, which is 5th in the country. He must make very good decisions on Saturday Night. (End Result: 16-28 (57%), 192 yards, 2 TD, 2 INTs, Sacked Twice) - Grade: D
3. Run the football effectively - If there's a weakness in the FSU defense, its vs the Run, which is 29th in the country allowing 135.7 ypg on the season. The magic number, IMO, is 175 yards rushing combined from Duke, Dallas, Clements, et al. I feel if we're close to that or exceed it, I think we have a very good chance to leave Doak a winner. No fumbles at all. I go back to ball security because at times this year, it has been an issue and up there, we cannot have fumbles lost here by the backs in this game. We have to do what BC did on the ground and they were very effective at it too. (End Result: 29 carries, 115 yards combined and like BC, in the 2nd half, we could not run the ball effectively, especially after Duke got hurt) - Grade: D
4. TDs, not FGs - FSU's RZ Defense isn't as good as in years past (this year, they are tied for 33rd with Wisconsin in that department with opponents converting 76.5% of the time. We have to finish drives with TDs, not FGs. We cannot leave any important points on the field in a game like this. (End result: Matty misses a FG, left at least 3 on that first drive and against a great team like the Noles, you cannot leave any points on the field when you have a chance to cash in). - Grade: F 
5. Pressure Winston - Our defense is 11th in the nation in Sacks, averaging 3.14 per game. Its going to be imperative to get to Winston early and we must rattle him early and often because if we give him time to throw, he's going to pick us apart. You can force Winston into mistakes. Make him have to beat our defense throwing. That's a risk because FSU is 11th in the country in Passing offense, averaging 341.4 ypg. They're 3rd in the nation in yards per completion averaging 16.83 ypc. Our Defense is 10th in the country in Pass Efficiency with a 104.77 rate. (End Result: Winston 21-29, 325 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs (both turned into 14 points for us), 6 carries, 27 yards, sacked once. The D was picked apart by Winston of the game but especially in the 2nd half, where Winston was 12-14, 161 yards. When you allow a great player like that to take over a game, our D had no answers in the 2nd half for him). - Grade: D
6. Stop FSU on 3rd Downs - FSU hasn't been in many 3rd down situations this year, in fact, they have the fewest attempts in the country (69), but when they are in these situations, they convert 52% of the time. The last two weeks vs Carolina and Wake, our defense has allowed opponents to convert 13 out of 31 attempts (42%). Its vital, the D makes stops on 3rd downs and gets off the field. We have to make FSU have to convert the long yardage situations on 3rd down. (End Result: Here's where I give FSU credit, on 3rd and long situations, they made the plays. They were overall 11-15 (73%) on 3rd downs. Against a great team like this, you have to get the D off the field in these situations and we could not make the big plays on 3rd down to get the D off the field, after the Deon pick). - Grade: F
7. Field position - This is a battle we have GOT to win. FSU starts their drives on average from their own 31. Their opponents have started their drives from an average of their own 26. We cannot expect our offense to have to go 80+ yards per drive. We have to have short fields to work with. Make FSU have to go 80+ yards per drive and not allow the big play. FSU's PR Defense is next to last in the country with opponents allowing 26 ypr on Punts, while our PR Defense is 101st allowing 11.5 ypr. On KRs, they are 28th allowing 740 yards in Kick Return Yards. We lead the nation in KR yardage averaging almost 30 yards a return (29.62). FSU is 17th averaging 25.13 per return. Our KR Defense is tied with UCLA for 22nd allowing 466 yards in Kick Returns. FSU is 29th in PR yards averaging 11.8 per return, while we're tied with W. Michigan for 62nd averaging 8.1 ypr. We have to play a clean game here and no penalties because in a game like this, field position is going to be crucial. (End Result: This is more of a wash from a field position standpoint. Tip my hat, we made them had to go 80+ yards on a few drives there, and they got the job done. Matty misses a FG, We made FSU just punt only once, and that's not acceptable at all. Patty had one of three punts be a touchback and another inside the 20. We did what we had to do here for the most part, but again, tip your hat to the Noles, they made the most of the poor field position they started with). - Grade: C-

Those were my keys to a CANES win up in Tallahassee, but unfortunately, that did not happen. Way too many mistakes with poor tackling and where FSU really did the damage was in the running game. 4 of their TDs were on the ground, and this was another key coming in, we had to stop the run first, and we did not do that at all. Very poor performance by the D and last night, the D broke. We allowed 192 yards rushing and 4 TDs, and 517 overall. Not going to beat a great team like FSU when you allow that many yards, especially in big spots. 20 points allowed in the 2nd half, not going to get it done. Defense Grade: F

For the O, in the 2nd half, we had six drives. They ended as follows: Punt, Pick, Downs, Pick, Downs, End of Game. Against a great team like FSU is, you have to try and get points whatever way possible. Tip your hat to FSU's D coordinator Pruitt. He made the adjustments in the 2nd half, and Coley didn't. I like Coley, but in the 2nd half last night, Pruitt outcoached Coley badly. Grade: D (only because of the good 1st half).

Bottom line, we need to shake this off, and get ready for VT at home on Saturday. We have to learn from last night and if there was anything we did learn after last night, its that to beat a great team like FSU, you have to be efficient for 4 quarters, not 2 like we were last night. We'll see the Noles again in Charlotte in 5 weeks and we'll have to play a whole lot better, especially in the 2nd half, if we're going to beat a great team like this. We let it get away from us, hopefully, we learn from this loss, and I'm very confident we will and hopefully, the next time we play FSU in Charlotte, the result will be much different and in our favor.

Win or Lose, I will always stand with the []_[]. See you next week and as always, GO CANES! 

Report Card and Game Balls vs Wake Forest

Here's my report card and Game Balls to give out vs Wake Forest. 

Gotta give Wake Forest credit, they killed us on 3rd downs, and on the first drive, they just pound it down our throats. I felt we played a clean game from a turnover perspective and when we needed a play from the D late, we came up with the big pick to clinch the win. We were again out of sync for most of the game and this is still a big problem that almost cost us again yesterday. The good part here was that we didn't turn the ball over in this game and was a +1 in turnover margin. We still have to get the ME's fixed. For the most part though, we again found a way to win late. We did commit 6 penalties for 56 yards, which was a big problem vs a team that doesn't beat itself. However, we still have to clean the mistakes.  

Offensively, we had 391 yards of total offense. 200 yards rushing and 191 passing. Duke had another big game yesterday, with 30 carries for 168 yards and 2 TD (including the GW with :53 left). Dallas Crawford had a poor game with just 35 yards on 7 carries. We had some decent games out of Herbie here having 47 yards on 4 catches, with 1 TD. Clive had a good game as well with 33 yards receiving on 4 catches.  Decent game from Stephen here going 17-28 191 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs. Again yesterday, on the last drive, he stepped up and was a leader with two big completions that led to Duke's GW TD. Duke was the man on the final drive, having 7 carries for 42 yards. However, that said, we still need to be better and clean up those silly mistakes. Of the 6 penalties yesterday, 2 were on the offense (One was a false start on Brandon and the other was an illegal procedure on Shane). The OL did allow another sack in this game. Bottom line, this type of performance won't cut it in Tallahassee. This unit, especially Stephen, has to play a whole lot better and start much faster in Tallahassee if we are to win up there. Grade: C

Defensively, we forced the pick late to seal the win. We allowed 361 yards of total offense last night, however, just 59 of those yards were rushing, and again, we didn't allow a 100 yard rushing game from an individual standpoint. In the 1st half, we allowed 66 yards rushing, but 132 passing and Price had his way with our defense most of the day. However, In the 2nd half, we allowed just 3 yards rushing (-10 yards rushing in the 4th quarter), but 132 yards passing. The rush defense did a pretty good job, however, the tackling is still an issue. and the pass defense was sloppy in the 1st half, but in the 2nd half, it stepped up and made the plays that had to be made, especially at the end with the Antonio Crawford pick. We sacked Price twice, however that Campanero kid from Wake killed us. We allowed him to have 88 yards on 10 receptions and 1 TD. Still, we need to have a complete game from the Defense. To emphasize this point, Wake on 3rd downs were 8-16 (50%) and only forced 2 three and outs. Of the 6 penalties we had in this game, just 1 was on the D (The PI call on Antonio). We did allow 2 X-Plays yesterday, and one of them almost cost us yesterday, and that was the TD in the 4th on a Wheel route. The D came up big again when it had to, but still, there were some ME's here as well that need to get fixed because mistake like that will kill us up there if we don't fix them. Grade: C

Special Teams wise, of our 6 penalties yesterday, half were on this unit, and two on Jamal Carter alone (one for holding and another for an illegal block in the back). Matty did miss a long FG from 40 in the 3rd, but made one from 34 earlier in the game. Another solid return game with 126 yards of total return, 37 on PR's from Stacy, and the 3 KR's from Duke for 75 yards. Solid game from Patty overall. The Punting game was very solid with two of his 4 punts being inside the 20. On Kickoffs, he was rock solid with all four KO's being Touchbacks. The Return Defense was pretty good. Wake had just 20 yards of returns (19 on KR's, but just 1 on one PR). We started drives on Average from our own 32 and Wake started drives from their own 20, which is excellent. We have to fix the penalties, because those type of penalties give up hidden yards and field position, which against FSU up there, that's asking for trouble. Overall, very good, but need to clean up the penalties here. Grade: C

Now, to Game Balls. This week, I'm going to give out three game balls. 

1. Duke Johnson - 30 carries, 168 yards rushing, 2 TDs (including GW with :53 left), 3 ret., 75 yards (213 all-purpose yards). 
2. Antonio Crawford - 1 Game-clinching INT. 
3. Stacy Coley - 2 receptions, 52 yards, including a big catch, that would ultimately change the game from a field position standpoint.  

Overall, I felt we were sloppy, however, we again kept grinding and found a way to win late. That being said, there were still some ME's (Mental Errors), that still need to be fixed, namely the penalties, which are still issues that have to be fixed. The penalties are still a problem, and still a little bit too many of those for my liking. Close games like this build character, and it felt like we were going through the motions again yesterday. Efforts like we had the last two weeks will not cut it vs FSU, because if we play like we did yesterday and in Chapel Hill, we'll get beat and beat badly. Bottom line, we gotta clean up the mistakes before the trip to Tallahassee Next Saturday Night in Primetime on ABC at 8 p.m. (with Gameday up there too). 7-0 is a good feeling right now, but we could still get better and cut the ME's out. Take care and GO CANES! BEAT FSU!

2013 Miami Hurricanes 12 part Opponent Series - Part 8 (@FSU - Nov 2nd)

Nov 2nd - @FSU 

In Part 8 of the 12 Part 2013 Miami Hurricanes Opponent Series, I will preview a team that some think is a darkhorse to win the whole thing and that’s the Florida State Seminoles, our opponent in Tallahassee on Nov 2nd.

Here’s what you need to know about FSU: They are led by Jimbo Fisher, who enters his 4th season as the boss in Tallahassee. They come off their first ACC title in 8 years, beating GT 21-15. He comes off a 12-win campaign and has 10 starters back from 2012. (6 starters on offense, and 4 on defense). Say what you will about FSU, but their defense was very very good in 2012. They were sixth in the nation in PPG allowed (14.7 points per game), while their offense averaged almost 40 PPG (39.3 to be exact), 206 yards rushing and 265 yards passing. They have two tough road games, at Clemson (Oct 19th, likely for the ACC Atlantic) and Florida (Nov 30th). When you look at the job Jimbo has done up there, I have to admit, he’s done a hellva job, especially in recruiting. They don’t get VT or Carolina on the other side this year.

Let’s break down the Noles:

Offensively: EJ Manual, who led them to an Orange Bowl Classic win over Northern Illinois, has graduated and was the 9th overall pick to the Buffalo Bills. They had a very intense QB battle this spring, and most likely RS freshman Jameis Winston wins that job, though Jimbo hasn’t confirmed that yet. To show how good Winston was this spring, Clint Trickett, who was the leader going into the spring said he was going to leave and transfer just four days after their Spring game. Now, Winston, who was the #1 rated QB in the nation coming out of Alabama, will have to hold off a challenge from Sophomore Jacob Coker and RS freshman Sean Maguire. They do have two Junior RBs back with a lot of experience. Devonta Freeman, who finished with 660 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2012, and James Wilder Jr., who had 635 yards and 11 touchdowns. At WR, this core is deep depthwise and very talented to boot. They are led by Junior Rashad Greene. He has great breakaway speed and was their leader in catches and yards in 2012 with 57 catches for 741 yards. Also back are Kenny Shaw and Kelvin Benjamin, who both caught at least 27 passes. Their OL, is very good and very sound, with four starters back, and even the new starter, Bobby Hart, has a lot of experience. The down side with the OL, they are not very deep, so the key here is to stay healthy all year, because if anyone gets hurt, this could be a big issue in Tallahassee.

Defensively: This area took a beating to Graduation/Defections. All-American DE Bjoern Werner, left a year early to enter the League (drafted 20th overall by the Indianapolis Colts) and DC Mark Stoops bolted for Lexington to be the New HC at Kentucky. Replacing Stoops as DC is Jeremy Pruitt, who was Alabama’s defensive backs coach for the last two years under Saban. What Pruitt brings to the table is strong recruiting in the Deep South region, however, he has limited coaching experience. Their D-Line line needs some work here, however, when you look at their back seven, it is very talented and very good too. That doesn’t mean Junior DT Timmy Jernigan should not be taken lightly. He’s still a force to dealt with here because he uses his strength and quickness to be a major disruptive force on the interior of their line. In the secondary, you have Senior CB Lamarcus Joyner, who’s an excellent athlete, who can also shutdown one side of the field. Think of a young Ronde Barber here, when you think of Joyner. Like Barber was used with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for all those years, look for him to be used in blitz packages this season.

Special Teams: Their staff is very high on RS freshman placekicker Roberto Aguayo. They believe he could be even better than departing All-American Dustin Hopkins (Drafted in the 6th Round by the Buffalo Bills), and that’s saying something when you consider how clutch he was. At the Punter spot, they have Cason Beatty back after a pretty good freshman season of 2012. An issue here is that their return game needs much work, when you consider the fact, they had a case of fumblitis last year.

In closing, this hasn’t been an offseason to remember for Jimbo. They lost, not only a lot of starters from the 2012 team, but also 6 of the 9 assistants bolted elsewhere, from a CANES perspective, the biggest one being James Coley. Yet still, this is still a very good team to be dealt with. If they have have Winston be the 2nd coming of Johnny Football and their O-Line stays healthy, and their D, which should be very good again in 2013, winning 10 games shouldn’t be a problem for them. If they won 10 games again this season, it would be the third time in Fisher’s first four years, and that’s saying something about the success they’ve had up there. Barring a catastrophic injury or two, the ACC Atlantic is pretty much theirs to lose. The game that decides that is October 19th at Clemson. There are three tough games on their schedule, and two of them are on the road. The aforementioned game @Clemson (October 19th), CANES (November 2nd) and @Florida (November 30th). Those three games will tell us a lot about FSU. My prediction for the 2013 Florida State Seminoles is 11-1 (Only Loss to Miami).

In Part 9 of the series, I will talk a team that is a perennial contender every year, and that’s the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Report Card vs FSU

My take on last night's game. We showed some fight, we battled out there. Defensively, I thought we did pretty well for the most part. However, offensively, the protection for Stephen wasn't as sharp as it usually is. Credit the FSU D for that. FSU made the plays they needed to make and they left with the win. The game went pretty much as I suspected it would. It was like the '98 game. We just couldn't make that one game changing play and they did. Tip your cap to the Noles, again, they made the plays they needed to make and that's what it came down to. I feel from a recruiting perspective, we're still in play for a lot of the recruits that are on the fence after our gallant effort last night.

 

That out of the way, time for the Report Card.

 

Offense: D:  O-Line allows 4 sacks. Running game was ineffective. We had -12 yards rushing in the 2nd half on 7 carries. 137 yards of offense in the 2nd half, against that vaunted FSU D isn't cutting the mustard. The blocking was little to non-existent there. We had 5 three and outs. The pass protection was just terrible. Stephen Morris played his ass off last night with a bum ankle. We had our chances in the passing game, we just didn't execute that one big game changing play. 4-16 on 3rd Downs isn't going to get the job done, especially when you're in long yardage as the O seemed to be most of the night, and especially when you're 1-8 in the 2nd half on 3rd downs. Very poor all around here.

Defense: C-:  This is a game where I'm not going to place total blame on the D. I thought this was Coach D's better called games. We didn't allow FSU to convert in the 2nd half on 3rd down (0-4), However, when you're out there for 18:35 of the 2nd half, trying to make plays and getting right back on the field after the O goes three and out, you're going to be tired and FSU's O-Line took control of the game. We did force two turnovers early on, however, we couldn't make the plays in key spots that we needed to make. We allowed FSU to go for 129 yards rushing in the 2nd half and 218 overall. In the 1st half, I felt the D did a pretty good job. We did sack EJ Manuel twice. We broke up 6 passes and hurried Manuel once. They played with heart, and brought the heat, but in the end, FSU's O made the plays needed to make to win. Hopefully, we can get better here, but still much to do on this side of the ball. 

Special Teams: C-: Another solid game from Dalton in the Punt game. The Special Teams D did a very good job. Jake had a solid game with two FGs. We didn't have a kick return at all last night, there, you have to tip your hat to their Kicker Hopkins. That guy is money, he's not the typical FSU kicker that we've seen in the past. We did allow the big kick return to Joyner. Overall, I felt we did very well here. Though the field position in the 2nd half was an issue. FSU started overall from their own 34, but in the 2nd half, they started drives from their own 40. We started our drives from an average of our own 32, but our own 27 in the 2nd half. In the 1st half, we started from our own 35 on average while FSU started from their own 28. We could be better here, however, overall, not too bad. 

 

In closing, we could use the BYE week to rest some key guys, especially Morris and get ready for VT on the Thursday Night after the BYE. Hopefully, we can build off the strong points of last night's game and correct some weaknesses. I get the feeling we're going to see the Noles again on December 1st in Charlotte for the ACC title.
 

 

Florida State Preview

Its finally here. Gameday vs FSU. Folks, I'm going to make no delusions here. This is an outstanding football team we're facing tonight. When you look at the numbers, you'll see why.

National Ranks in parenthesis, some, of not most of them is ugly to look at.

Total Offense vs Total Defense
CANES 437.6 ypg (42nd) vs FSU 222 ypg allowed (3rd)
FSU 530.6 ypg (12th) vs CANES 506.6 ypg allowed (117th)

Scoring Offense vs Scoring Defense
CANES 27.9 ppg (T-62nd {Rice}) vs FSU 11.6 ppg allowed (4th)
FSU 46 ppg (6th) vs CANES 32.3 ppg allowed (93rd)

Rushing Offense vs Rushing Defense
CANES 140.8 ypg (86th) vs FSU 74.9 ypg allowed (5th)
FSU 233.1 ypg (16th) vs CANES 253.7 ypg allowed (118th)

Passing Offense vs Passing Defense
CANES 296.7 ypg (24th) vs FSU 147.1 ypg allowed (6th)
FSU 297.4 ypg (23rd) vs CANES 252.9 ypg allowed (86th)

Pass Efficiency vs Pass Efficiency Defense 
CANES 127.4 (81st) vs FSU 90.9 (3rd)
FSU 173.4 (5th) vs CANES 138.1 (82nd)

TFLs Allowed vs TFLs
CANES 4.6 (T-24th {Michigan St.}) vs FSU 6.3 (T-45th {Fresno St., Ohio})
FSU 5 (T-41st {Northern Illinois, Toledo, TCU, BC, South Carolina}) vs CANES 4.9 (T-97th {Ohio St.})

Sacks Allowed vs Sacks
CANES 1.14 pg (T-22nd {Northern Illinois}) vs FSU 2.4 pg (T-34th {Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin})
FSU 1.57 pg (T-48th {Utah St., Vegas, Wisconsin, NW}) vs CANES 1 pg (T-107th {Arizona, Kansas, Troy})

3rd Down O vs 3rd Down D
CANES 44.4% (45th) vs FSU 23% (Leads Nation)
FSU 44.3% (46th) vs CANES 44.2% (89th)

Time of Possession
CANES 25:40 pg (117th)
FSU 29:37 pg (66th)

Turnover Margin
CANES +2 (.29 pg) (T-44th {Cal, Michigan St., South Carolina, UCLA})
FSU +1 (.14 pg) (T-55th {Northern Illinois, Rice, VT, Ole Miss})

Net Punting
CANES 34.35 avg (101st)
FSU 34.7 avg (96th)

Punt Returns vs Punt Return D
CANES 7 ypg (T-77th {Fresno St., Arizona St.}) vs FSU 6.67 ypg allowed (51st)
FSU 14.8 ypg (14th) vs CANES 18 ypg allowed (116th)

Kick Returns vs Kick Return D
CANES 24.4 (29th) vs FSU 15.9 allowed (6th)
FSU 29.6 (3rd) vs CANES 14.3 allowed (2nd)

For us to win tonight, it's going to take a near perfect game to do it. In that, I mean, no turnovers, finish drives with 7s instead of 3s. Taking advantage of short fields and making FSU have to go 80+ yards per drive. We have to stay out of 3rd and long situations, especially against a defense that leads the nation in 3rd down Defense. We have to get the crowd in the game early and often and the way you do that is with big plays. It wouldn't shock me if we try to hit a big play early if its there.

This will not be the blowout many CANE fans suspect. This is a big game from a recruiting perspective. There will a lot of recruits at this game tonight. If this is a replay of the 2010 game in which we got blown out 45-17 by the Noles, recruiting in South Florida would be set back 2-3 years if not more, that's how devastating it would be if a replay of 2010 happens tonight. Matthew Thomas from Booker T would be gone to FSU for sure. Denver Kirkland would be gone to FSU as well.

In fact, here is a list of players that will be at the game tonight:
CANES Commits in Bold
2013:
ATH Ray Lewis, 5-10, 190, Lake Mary Prep (Fla.),–Commit/Official Visit
LB Jermaine Grace, 6-1, 205, Miramar (Fla.)
OL Denver Kirkland, 6-5, 335, Miami (Fla.) Booker T.
LB, Matthew Thomas, 6-3, 205, Miami (Fla.) Booker T.
TE Jeremy Kerr, 6-6, 255, St. Petersburg (Fla.)–Commit

2014:
WR Ermon Lane, 6-2, 172, Homestead (Fla.)
LB Richard Yeargin III, 6-3, 210, Hollywood (Fla) Chaminade-Madonna
RB Sony Michel, 5-11, 195, Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage
K Christian Pereira, 6-2, 185, Orlando (Fla.) Timber Creek
DE Chad Thomas, 6-4. 225, Miami (Fla.) Booker T.
ATH Travis Rudolph, 6-0, 175, West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman–Commit
CB Nigel Patten, 5-9, 165, Miami (Fla.) Booker T.

2015:
ATH Jordan Cronkrite, 5-11, 185, Miami (Fla.) Westminster
ATH Tim Irvin, 5-9, 182, Miami (Fla.) Westminster
RB Jacques Patrick, 6-2, 215, Orlando (Fla.) Timber Creek

That's why the importance of keeping it close tonight is vital. Look at the talent here, we can ill afford to get blown out tonight at home to FSU for the 2nd time in 3 years because most of that talent would bolt to FSU or UF. 

Realistically though, I see this game being like 1998 in the Orange Bowl (RIP). FSU gets a nice sized lead, only to have us come back and make a game of it. However, I think FSU will make more key plays than we do and they come out with the victory.

My prediction: FSU 31 CANES 20.

Report Card vs North Carolina

Highlights: Miami vs. North Carolina

Looking at yesterday's game, once again, the D gives up almost 500 yards to Carolina (177 to Gio Bernard alone on 27 carries, with 1 TD). The 3rd down conversion rates were the same for both teams (6-15). The reason we lost this one yesterday was because we lost the turnover battle (-1). You rarely win games when you lose the turnover battle. We wasted a near 100 yard rushing game out of MJ. We did win the field position battle (Average drive starts: Carolina from their own 21, us from our own 22).

This was one of those games where you have a chance to win, but don't make the plays needed late to win.

That said, time for the Report Card.

Offense: C:  Offense did so-so. First possession, the penalty on Malcolm on 4th and 1, was a momentum killer because it pushed us back 5 yards and we ultimately had to punt. Two picks in the 1st half, the first one near the red zone on our next possession, was another killer right there because that's points we left on the field (7, and that ultimately would come back to bite us late). We turned the ball over on downs on the next possession on 4th and 3 when Hurns couldn't make a play. Later the 2nd Morris pick was at the 7 of Carolina. We allow a sack on the final drive that was a back-breaker for us. There were some bright spots, but we have to get rid of the dropsie disease because once again yesterday, it reared its ugly head in key moments.

Defense: D-: Once again, the D allows almost 500 yards of total offense to Carolina (486 to be exact), and we had little to no answer for Bernard, who went for 177 on 27 carries and 1 TD. We gave Renner almost all day to throw. Though EJ did get the pick early in the game (and had 4 tackles, 2 TFLs) we made Renner look too comfortable in the pocket. We did break up 5 passes yesterday. Denzel had an 11 tackle game (3 TFLs). Carolina was 6-15 (40%) on 3rd down and of those, 3 of those conversions were from 5 yards or less, but what was really disheartening there was the fact that twice, we allowed them to convert on plays more than 6 yards and in big spots too. We killed ourselves here with bad penalties. The PF on Brandon after the run by Romar of Carolina on their 2nd possession. We have another penalty where we have 12 on the field. However, the missed by Barth bailed them out there. On their 2nd possession of the 3rd quarter, the D makes a stop, only to have a PI call on Brandon keep their drive alive, but once again, the D rose up to make a key play and get off the field. Overall here, still needs work to get better. There was some, but not by much from last week.

Special Teams: C: I could tell that this staff had little to no confidence in Jake making kicks in pressure spots, hence, that's why we went for it a lot on 4th downs. Another solid game out of Dalton Botts. 2 of his 3 punts were downed, one of which inside the 1. We did win the field position battle (Carolina started from their own 21, CANES from their own 22). There's still some work to do here. Jake needs to get his confidence back before Saturday Night vs FSU.

In closing, overall, this is one of those games where you have a chance to win late, but we don't make the plays needed to be made in key situations. Tip your cap to Carolina, they made the plays they needed to make and we didn't. That's all there is to it. We know the challenge ahead of us on Saturday Night vs FSU in Primetime on ABC. Gotta get back up and play an outstanding Seminole team.

Part 8 of 12 part CANE 2012 opponent series

In Part 8 of the 12 part 2012 CANE opponent series, we're going to preview a team that can make a lot of noise this year, and that's the Florida State Seminoles.

Jimbo Fisher is back for his 3rd season in Tallahassee, and some think this might be the year they put everything together and possibly win the whole thing. They were 9-4 in 2011, winning the Champs Sports Bowl over Notre Dame 18-14.

As is usually the case in Tallahassee, the expectations to win a BCS title are still very high for the Noles. They open #7 in the pre-season coaches poll. We'll see if this year, they can finally live up to those expectations.

Let's start with the Offense: In 2011, then RS Junior E.J. Manuel (6'5" 240) took over for Christian Ponder, who was drafted 12 overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2011 NFL Draft. Their fans really thought Manuel was going to be a QB on the level of Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke. Both those QBs won not only the Heisman Trophy, but a National title as well (Ward in 1993, and Weinke in 1999).

Those are impossible shoes to fill and the high expectations got to Manuel as he suffered a shoulder injury in the OU game and would miss a few games. When October rolled around, their offense turned out to be one of the better ones in the country, however, when Manuel aggravated that shoulder injury, it was over for the Noles and their offense suffered. In the four games from October 15th to November 3rd, They averaged 38.5 points a game and they won each game by at least 25 points. (Now lets consider who their opposition was, which is the murderer's row of: Duke, Maryland, NC State, and Boston College).  They would lose Manuel to that shoulder injury against us and their O didn't go North of 23 points the rest of the way. However, they won games last year because of their D. 

He did end up completing almost 2/3 of his passes (65.5%) for 2,666 yards and 18 TDs to 8 picks. He scored using his legs as well, adding 4 rushing TDs, but, this is a number that stands out, he was sacked 33 times. If the Noles want to compete for a BCS title, that sack number must come down. If Manuel struggles or gets hurt again and is out for an extended period, they will be in major trouble. Yes, RS Sophomore Clint Trickett (6'3" 180) will come in and he did throw for 675 yards and 7 TDs to 4 picks in 2011. He did start against Clemson, and threw for 336 yards, 3 TDs to just 1 pick in a 35-30 loss. However, Trickett doesn't hurt you with his legs the way Manuel does.

Their OC James Coley has gone with the spread offense in the past, however, in 2012, you're going to see more of the pro style offense, like we saw in the days of Bobby Bowden.

Last season, their receivers had at least 26 catches but no more than 38. They get four of those five back in 2012, except for Bert Reed (undrafted FA who's with the Cleveland Browns). Rashad Greene (6' 170) had 38 receptions for 596 yards, and 7 TDs in just 8 games. He missed four games with an Achilles’ injury. In the spring, he suffered a concussion, but he will be a go for their opener on 9/1 vs Murray State. Also back is Senior Rodney Smith (6'6" 219). He had 36 receptions for 561 yards, and 4 TDs in 2011. Junior Kenny Shaw (6' 170) had 34 receptions for 418 yards and 4 TDs last season.  RS Sophomore Christian Green (6'2" 205) also returns in the Receiving core. In 2011, he had 26 receptions for 450 yards, however, he didn't score a TD. RS Junior Willie Haulstead (6'2" 230) comes back after missing all of last year with a concussion. In 2010, this guy had 38 receptions for 587 yards, and 6 TDs. TE Nick O’Leary (6'3" 238) is also a dangerous weapon and now have added Penn State transfer Kevin Haplea (6'4" 252) and it just give Jimbo another big target to utilize in his offense and he's a blocking machine, especially in the running game.

That should benefit guys like Sophomore Davonta Freeman (5'9" 209) who led their team in rushing with 120 rushes for 579 yards and 8 TDs. However, he suffered a back injury which forced him to miss spring practice. Senior Chris Thompson (5'8" 187) who went for 846 yards in 2010, however, because of a back injury, was limited to just 29 carries in 2011. When healthy, those two guys will be very tough to stop. However, expect to see Sophomore James Wilder, Jr. (6'2" 226) and freshman Mario Pender (6' 190) to get some work in the backfield in 2012. Depth here isn't an issue because they are very deep here.

The offensive line in 2011, took a beating because of injuries and that's why Manuel was sacked as often as he was. Think about this, 10 players started at least one game for them on the O-Line, including 3 true freshman. On the bright side, the more playing time they get, the more experience they'll have in the long term. If their line returns to the form of 2010, their O will be a lot better in every aspect.

On the other side of the ball, defensively, when you look at the Noles, their D was #6 in the nation under DC (and former CANE secondary coach) Mark Stoops, who's the younger brother of OU coach Bob Stoops. When it came to stopping the run, they were #9 nationally in that category, and vs the pass, they were #12. The down side was that they were #88 in Red Zone D and in the 4th quarter, when the games were on the line, they were #55. Early in the season, that wasn't an issue, however, later in the year, this stat would carry more weight.

This is going to be a force to deal with again in 2012. All their D-Linemen are back and they have tons of depth here and guys who will be playing on Sundays in 2013.  Just to show how deep the D is, two of their players moved to the other side of the ball just to get in games. Their DEs are led by Senior Brandon Jenkins (6'3" 260), Junior Bjoern Werner (6'4" 255), and Senior Cornelius Carradine (6'5" 255). These three ends combined to have  31 TFLs and 20.5 sacks in 2011. On the interior of their line, they're loaded here as well, and they have one of the best units in the nation, who are led by The tackles are also some of the best in the country led by Sophomore Timmy Jernigan (6'2" 298), 5th year Seniors Everett Dawkins (6'3" 304), and Anthony McCloud (6'2" 322).

At LB, Nigel Bradham is now in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, drafted in the 4th round, and Jeff Luc who transferred. However, this is still a very good group coming back. Returning are 5th year Senior Vince Williams (6'1" 250), Senior Nick Moody (6'2" 237), Juniors Christian Jones (6'4" 232), and Telvin Smith (6'3" 237). They're not going to have as much depth as they've had in the past, but this is still, again, a unit that is very dangerous.

In the secondary, there will be a some dropoff from an experience perspective, however, this is still a force to be reckoned with. CB Mike Harris (6th round pick by Jacksonville) and strong safety Terrance Parks (undrafted FA to Kansas City) are gone. However, Junior safeties Lamarcus Joyner (5'8" 195) and Terrance Brooks (5'11" 197) are back and to complement them is RS Junior CB Xavier Rhodes (6'2" 217). They will miss Greg Reid, who was kicked off the team because of arrests for drugs (marajuana possession) and driving with a suspended license in Georgia back in July (Trial for those charges will be in September). Bottom line is that Reid was being a knucklehead and he got what he deserved here. They are deep here, but very young.

Now to Special Teams: They'll have Senior Dustin Hopkins back. In 2011, he was 22-27 on field goals last year including a 53 yarder. This is one of the better kickers in America and a Groza candidate. Oh, and he's pretty good on kickoffs too. They lose All-ACC punter Shawn Powell to graduation (undrafted FA who signed with the Buffalo Bills). Now it'll be up to true freshman Cason Beatty to fill those shoes left by Powell. How big were the shoes, in 2011, Powell averaged 47 yards a punt. That's a big weapon they lost from a field position perspective.

Let's start with punt returns, Greene will have some monster shoes to fill. You don't replace a stud like Reid that easily. This guy, had he stayed, had a chance to break Deion's school record for punt return yardage. That's how big a weapon Reid was. His loss is going to be huge from a field position perspective. As for Kickoffs, they will be led by Sophomore Karlos Williams (6'1" 230) and Joyner. Joyner averaged 30 yards per kick return in 2011.

Looking at their Schedule: Their first 4 games are all in Tallahassee and all winnable, especially the first three (Murray St, Savannah St [who replaces WVU on the schedule], Wake). Their first big test will be on 9/22 when Clemson pays a visit to Doak. Then five of final eight are on the road, but leave the state of Florida just three times in that stretch. They go down to Raymond James Stadium to take on USF, which beat the Noles the last time they met in 2009 (Bowden's final season in Tallahassee). Then they go to Raleigh to take on NC State before coming back to Tallahaseee to host BC. After that, its the big one vs The U, before going back to Doak to face Duke. After the BYE week, they go up to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech on a Thursday Night and in College Park nine days later to take on Maryland before ending the regular season at home against hated rival Florida.

My prediction: If their line can stay healthy all year, their O is going to be very dangerous. You don't replace Reid that easily and they will suffer a bit because of it. However, that D of theirs has more than enough depth to overcome his absence. With a favorable schedule, remember, they have to go to USF, CANES, and VT, and a home game against Clemson on 9/22. There's no reason why they won't win 10 this year. I see them going 10-2, winning the Atlantic and facing Miami in a rematch for the ACC title in Charlotte on December 1st.

In part 9 of the series, I'll preview the 2012 Virginia Tech Hokies.

2010 CANE opponent preview -Florida State Oct 9th

2009 CANE Opponents - @FSU Sept 7th

This will be the first of a 12 part series of our 2009 opponent previews. This first one is our opponent on Labor Day, the FSU Seminoles in Tallahassee.