Paul Austria
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- Feb 21, 2018
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Wide Right I. Wide Right II. Wide Right III. Wide Left. The turnover chain vs. the turnover backpack, or turnover purse according to UM offensive lineman Venzell Boulware. The prestige and notoriety of this rivalry needs no explanation, especially to the fans of both teams. Miami and Florida State have produced a number of legendary games, as well as a ton of future NFL stars and hall of famers.
This game also cuts deeper for a number of players on each team every year because both teams do most of their damage recruiting from the South Florida area, so a lot of the players are already familiar with each other. Heck, Hurricanes coach Mark Richt might have the best understanding of it all because he’s experienced this rivalry from both sides as a former UM QB and carrying a 1-1 record against FSU as UM’s head coach, while also serving as a coach on FSU’s staff in the 1990’s.
“There were a few heartbreakers when I was at Florida State, going against Miami. I guess the first Wide Right. That hurt,” Richt said to the Sun-Sentinel. “And then, the year after the Seminole Rap. That was painful. I was at Florida State at the time and I don’t know, we got whacked 31-0 or something crazy like that. Those stick out.”
The last two matchups both went down to the wire, with FSU winning 20-19 in 2016 off a blocked extra point, while Miami prevailed last year 24-19 off a Malik Rosier touchdown pass to Darrell Langham with :06 left. This year, both teams are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Miami is currently ranked 17th while playing lights out following their opening week loss to 5th-ranked LSU, while Willie Taggart has had a very subpar start to his FSU coaching career.
FSU is currently 3-2, just narrowly earning victories over Louisville on the road and Samford at home. Before 2017, FSU had beaten Miami seven consecutive times and the Seminoles were the better team overall, consistently finding themselves in the national championship conversation while Miami seemed to never to find the right formula under Randy Shannon and Al Golden. In addition, Miami has not beaten Florida State at home since 2004, when now 35 year old Frank Gore scored the game winning touchdown in overtime.
Following yet another dominant performance against North Carolina last week, the Miami Hurricanes are still playing on a high note going into Saturday. The Canes currently have the 2nd-ranked defense in the nation, the #1 pass defense in the nation, and the most tackles for loss in the nation. Gerald Willis has played like nothing less than an animal on the defensive line for the Canes, as he’s already accumulated 10.5 tackles for loss through five games.
Then you have sophomore defensive end Jonathan Garvin with 8.5 tackles for loss, while linebacker Shaquille Quarterman has 6.5 of his own; that should probably give you a rough idea of how dangerous Miami’s defense is. Quarterman practiced this week after leaving the UNC game early and should be good to go. At the other end spot, Joe Jackson has also been a terror for opponents to contain.
Despite star safety Jaquan Johnson missing the last two games to recover from a hamstring injury, Miami’s pass defense has been nothing short of stellar, holding teams to 138.8 yards/game. Senior CB Michael Jackson has been using all of his wide 6’1” 200 lb. frame to shut down the top receiver on each team Miami has faced this season.
QB N’Kosi Perry will be making his second career start, but this will be his first in this historic rivalry. Even he knows that this is not your regular, middle of the season matchup.
“I expect them to play harder than they play against anybody else,” Perry told the Miami Herald. “They have great players on their team. No matter what their record is, I know they’re going to play hard.”
In last week’s game against UNC, he threw 12 passes only because Miami’s defense did most of the dirty work putting up points on the board. One big factor that led coach Mark Richt to make the switch from Malik Rosier to Perry was accuracy, as Rosier had a habit of overthrowing a lot of his receivers, which was a precursor to his low completion percentage. So far this season, Perry has completed 66.7% of his passes, which is a huge improvement and upgrade from Rosier’s 52.1% completion rate. The running game also made his job a bit easier as Deejay Dallas and Travis Homer combined for over 200 yards on the ground last week for the 4th straight game.
Despite having only two catches in the past two games, the electrifying Jeff Thomas still remains the top receiver on the team and tops in the nation with a 24.62 yards/catch average. In his “absence”, N’Kosi Perry has found refuge in another breakout sophomore by the name of Mike Harley; Harley has 70+ receiving yards in each of the past two games and leads the team with 15 receptions this season.
Junior WR Ahmmon Richards is still hampered by a bone bruise in his knee and coach Richt reiterated this week that it could be a while before he sees the field again. There is a possibility that he gets the redshirt this year, saving himself a year of eligibility.
In his first year calling the shots for the Seminoles, Willie Taggart has been the victim of a lot of criticism from the media and fans alike for the Seminoles’ lackluster start. Taggart came over after one season at Oregon and the team turned their attention to him once Jimbo Fisher decided to take the opening at Texas A&M. As for any big program, expectations for Taggart are very high, given his uplifting personality and his player-coach persona, and he even knows what this game means to the program.
“I’m excited about it,” Taggart exclaimed to Seminoles.com. “This is why you signed up to come to a place like Florida State, to play in games like this.”
FSU DE Brian Burns is projected to hear his name called in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft and he’s continued to be one of the bright stars on this team. Burns and the 6’5” 320 pound mammoth Marvin Wilson at defensive tackle are part of a pressuring defense that is in the top-30 in the nation in sacks with 14 total.
However, two big problems they have been dealing with is recovering fumbles and overall pass defense. The Seminoles have forced 13 fumbles this season but have only recovered two. And while players like safeties A.J. Westbrook and Stanford Samuels have been doing their best to hold it down, FSU has the 112th-best pass defense in the nation.
"It’s on the coaches a little bit," FSU defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett told Warchant.com. "Maybe giving (the secondary) a little too much. Lethal simplicity...we'll get back to doing the basics of what we do. Let everybody, let their natural abilities come out and play. Not try to complicate things."
After a disappointing opening loss to Virginia Tech in which he threw three interceptions, Seminoles QB Deondre Francois has rebounded quite nicely. Since that game, he’s compiled nine touchdowns with only two interceptions, with four of those TD’s coming last week against Louisville. Francois missed last year’s meeting due to injury and this year, he faces a tough test against the top secondary in the nation statistically speaking.
In addition, it will be imperative that Francois establishes a rhythm with the passing game because despite how weird it sounds, the running game has been both an asset and a liability. It’s been an asset because the team does not lack talent at the position with sophomore phenom Cam Akers and senior Jacques Patrick. The liability comes from overall production. Despite the talent, at 97.4 yards/game, the Seminoles have the 120th best rushing offense in the nation.
At wide receiver, senior Nyqwan Murray leads a relatively inexperienced unit with 25 catches for 345 yards this season, but this unit is slowly gaining confidence as the season progresses. 4 of Tamorrion Terry’s 11 catches have gone for touchdowns and he’s averaging a team-high 22.5 yards/catch. 6’3” junior WR Keith Gavin is also in the fold with 265 yards on the season.
The offensive line has had its struggles with protecting Francois in the pocket and paving holes for the running backs. Two weeks ago, Francois was sacked four time against Syracuse, and following one of those sacks, lineman Abdul Bello offered to help Francois up off the ground, but the disgusted Francois threw his arms up and was not receptive to Bello’s offer.
As a result, coach Taggart has made two changes to the line. At left tackle, Bello originally shared first-team duties with Jauan Williams, but both have been replaced by Landon ****erson. At right tackle, Brady Scott and Bello shared first-team duties, but now Scott has that title to himself. Bello may be needed regardless, as ****erson has not practiced this week and remains questionable for Saturday’s game.
Saturday’s matchup marks meeting #63 between these two teams (UM leads the series 32-30) and this is sure to be another classic with its fair share of storylines. This legendary rivalry will continue this Saturday, October 6th at Hard Rock Stadium at 3:30 PM, and if you can’t make it to the game, ABC will have all the coverage for you.
This game also cuts deeper for a number of players on each team every year because both teams do most of their damage recruiting from the South Florida area, so a lot of the players are already familiar with each other. Heck, Hurricanes coach Mark Richt might have the best understanding of it all because he’s experienced this rivalry from both sides as a former UM QB and carrying a 1-1 record against FSU as UM’s head coach, while also serving as a coach on FSU’s staff in the 1990’s.
“There were a few heartbreakers when I was at Florida State, going against Miami. I guess the first Wide Right. That hurt,” Richt said to the Sun-Sentinel. “And then, the year after the Seminole Rap. That was painful. I was at Florida State at the time and I don’t know, we got whacked 31-0 or something crazy like that. Those stick out.”
The last two matchups both went down to the wire, with FSU winning 20-19 in 2016 off a blocked extra point, while Miami prevailed last year 24-19 off a Malik Rosier touchdown pass to Darrell Langham with :06 left. This year, both teams are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Miami is currently ranked 17th while playing lights out following their opening week loss to 5th-ranked LSU, while Willie Taggart has had a very subpar start to his FSU coaching career.
FSU is currently 3-2, just narrowly earning victories over Louisville on the road and Samford at home. Before 2017, FSU had beaten Miami seven consecutive times and the Seminoles were the better team overall, consistently finding themselves in the national championship conversation while Miami seemed to never to find the right formula under Randy Shannon and Al Golden. In addition, Miami has not beaten Florida State at home since 2004, when now 35 year old Frank Gore scored the game winning touchdown in overtime.
Following yet another dominant performance against North Carolina last week, the Miami Hurricanes are still playing on a high note going into Saturday. The Canes currently have the 2nd-ranked defense in the nation, the #1 pass defense in the nation, and the most tackles for loss in the nation. Gerald Willis has played like nothing less than an animal on the defensive line for the Canes, as he’s already accumulated 10.5 tackles for loss through five games.
Then you have sophomore defensive end Jonathan Garvin with 8.5 tackles for loss, while linebacker Shaquille Quarterman has 6.5 of his own; that should probably give you a rough idea of how dangerous Miami’s defense is. Quarterman practiced this week after leaving the UNC game early and should be good to go. At the other end spot, Joe Jackson has also been a terror for opponents to contain.
Despite star safety Jaquan Johnson missing the last two games to recover from a hamstring injury, Miami’s pass defense has been nothing short of stellar, holding teams to 138.8 yards/game. Senior CB Michael Jackson has been using all of his wide 6’1” 200 lb. frame to shut down the top receiver on each team Miami has faced this season.
QB N’Kosi Perry will be making his second career start, but this will be his first in this historic rivalry. Even he knows that this is not your regular, middle of the season matchup.
“I expect them to play harder than they play against anybody else,” Perry told the Miami Herald. “They have great players on their team. No matter what their record is, I know they’re going to play hard.”
In last week’s game against UNC, he threw 12 passes only because Miami’s defense did most of the dirty work putting up points on the board. One big factor that led coach Mark Richt to make the switch from Malik Rosier to Perry was accuracy, as Rosier had a habit of overthrowing a lot of his receivers, which was a precursor to his low completion percentage. So far this season, Perry has completed 66.7% of his passes, which is a huge improvement and upgrade from Rosier’s 52.1% completion rate. The running game also made his job a bit easier as Deejay Dallas and Travis Homer combined for over 200 yards on the ground last week for the 4th straight game.
Despite having only two catches in the past two games, the electrifying Jeff Thomas still remains the top receiver on the team and tops in the nation with a 24.62 yards/catch average. In his “absence”, N’Kosi Perry has found refuge in another breakout sophomore by the name of Mike Harley; Harley has 70+ receiving yards in each of the past two games and leads the team with 15 receptions this season.
Junior WR Ahmmon Richards is still hampered by a bone bruise in his knee and coach Richt reiterated this week that it could be a while before he sees the field again. There is a possibility that he gets the redshirt this year, saving himself a year of eligibility.
In his first year calling the shots for the Seminoles, Willie Taggart has been the victim of a lot of criticism from the media and fans alike for the Seminoles’ lackluster start. Taggart came over after one season at Oregon and the team turned their attention to him once Jimbo Fisher decided to take the opening at Texas A&M. As for any big program, expectations for Taggart are very high, given his uplifting personality and his player-coach persona, and he even knows what this game means to the program.
“I’m excited about it,” Taggart exclaimed to Seminoles.com. “This is why you signed up to come to a place like Florida State, to play in games like this.”
FSU DE Brian Burns is projected to hear his name called in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft and he’s continued to be one of the bright stars on this team. Burns and the 6’5” 320 pound mammoth Marvin Wilson at defensive tackle are part of a pressuring defense that is in the top-30 in the nation in sacks with 14 total.
However, two big problems they have been dealing with is recovering fumbles and overall pass defense. The Seminoles have forced 13 fumbles this season but have only recovered two. And while players like safeties A.J. Westbrook and Stanford Samuels have been doing their best to hold it down, FSU has the 112th-best pass defense in the nation.
"It’s on the coaches a little bit," FSU defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett told Warchant.com. "Maybe giving (the secondary) a little too much. Lethal simplicity...we'll get back to doing the basics of what we do. Let everybody, let their natural abilities come out and play. Not try to complicate things."
After a disappointing opening loss to Virginia Tech in which he threw three interceptions, Seminoles QB Deondre Francois has rebounded quite nicely. Since that game, he’s compiled nine touchdowns with only two interceptions, with four of those TD’s coming last week against Louisville. Francois missed last year’s meeting due to injury and this year, he faces a tough test against the top secondary in the nation statistically speaking.
In addition, it will be imperative that Francois establishes a rhythm with the passing game because despite how weird it sounds, the running game has been both an asset and a liability. It’s been an asset because the team does not lack talent at the position with sophomore phenom Cam Akers and senior Jacques Patrick. The liability comes from overall production. Despite the talent, at 97.4 yards/game, the Seminoles have the 120th best rushing offense in the nation.
At wide receiver, senior Nyqwan Murray leads a relatively inexperienced unit with 25 catches for 345 yards this season, but this unit is slowly gaining confidence as the season progresses. 4 of Tamorrion Terry’s 11 catches have gone for touchdowns and he’s averaging a team-high 22.5 yards/catch. 6’3” junior WR Keith Gavin is also in the fold with 265 yards on the season.
The offensive line has had its struggles with protecting Francois in the pocket and paving holes for the running backs. Two weeks ago, Francois was sacked four time against Syracuse, and following one of those sacks, lineman Abdul Bello offered to help Francois up off the ground, but the disgusted Francois threw his arms up and was not receptive to Bello’s offer.
As a result, coach Taggart has made two changes to the line. At left tackle, Bello originally shared first-team duties with Jauan Williams, but both have been replaced by Landon ****erson. At right tackle, Brady Scott and Bello shared first-team duties, but now Scott has that title to himself. Bello may be needed regardless, as ****erson has not practiced this week and remains questionable for Saturday’s game.
Saturday’s matchup marks meeting #63 between these two teams (UM leads the series 32-30) and this is sure to be another classic with its fair share of storylines. This legendary rivalry will continue this Saturday, October 6th at Hard Rock Stadium at 3:30 PM, and if you can’t make it to the game, ABC will have all the coverage for you.
