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Written by Jason Macor
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Sunday, 08 October 2006 |
 Going into this game, most polls agree that once again the Miami-FSU game is going to be too close to call. At first glance it looks similar to last years match-up. UM's overpowering defense will smother an otherwise decent FSU offence, while FSU's defense will be just good enough to stop a young and inexperienced Miami offense. Even with returnees like Tyrone Moss at running back, Ryan Moore and Lance Leggett at receiver, and of course Kyle Wright at quarter back, the O-Line remains Miami's biggest concern.
Both teams face nagging questions, on opposite sides of the ball. First FSU's defense. They lost a lot of players to graduation/NFL, but what did they really lose? This is a defense that last year only held opponents under 15 points 3 times (Miami-7, The Cidatel-10, and Syracuse-14), this opposed to Miami who only allowed 4 opponents to score more then 15 points (Clemson-30, North Carolina-16, Wake Forest-17, Virginia-17).
So the real question coming into the new season is, are these new guys any better, because FSU’s defense can’t possibly be much worse (for a top 25 team), then last years group. The same goes for UM though, only one returning starter at O-Line, but can they possibly be any worse then last year? The answer for both, I think, is no. If there is one thing FSU and Miami have in common, that for some reason does not hold true for UF, it’s fast hard-hitting defenses, and I believe last year was just a blip for FSU. Miami, also, is known recently for producing high quality linemen, both offensive and defensive. So who will adjust faster? Will Miami’s O-Line handle FSU’s defense and lead UM to a big win, or can FSU’s defense find its rythym before Miami’s offense can get its bearings? Now I know the classic answer to this is that, this early in the season, defense will always hold sway over offense in a situation were both are on the same footing, but I honestly don’t think that’s how it is going to play out.
Let’s go to the other side of the ball for a minute, Miami’s defense and FSU’s offense. Both are coming in highly touted, but I would give the edge to Miami’s defense, just as it had last year, if not more so. Last year the mighty Drew Weatherford threw for a whooping 67 yards, and FSU totaled 118 yards rushing. Do some math there folks and that adds up to 185 total yards offense. In fact, from a purely statistical standpoint, Miami won last years games, stupid mistakes and turnovers costing us the game. I don’t believe Drew or the FSU offense as a whole has grown enough to face a defense of Miami’s caliber.
Back to the weak points, as I just said, Miami only lost to FSU last year because of stupid mental mistakes and turnovers. Despite being sacked 9 times, Kyle Wright still threw for 232 yards on 16-28 passing, the only blip being his 2 interceptions. Remember, this was the first start of his college career, against FSU, in Doak Campall Stadium. With the only question being the offensive line, I believe Kyle’s maturity and newfound experience will help him in avoiding some sacks, if they present themselves, and those silly interceptions, leading to Miami points. Not too many mind you, this is still FSU, and though there are questions, there defense will still be up there as far as talent and speed are concerned. So what’s the bottom line? Who’s my pick? Well you knew it would be Miami, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the result. My prediction:
Miami-28 FSU-7
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 April 2007 )
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