Miami head coach Mario Cristobal isn’t buying into the narrative that the Hurricanes should win with ease on Saturday against Florida State.
Having this mindset, according to Cristobal, leads to losses.
“Football nowadays, everybody has really, really good talent,” Cristobal said to reporters. “If anyone is assuming that they should win or they’re entitled to winning, they’re out of their minds, and they’re gonna get beat. And we hammer that, drive that home.”
Florida State, sitting at 3-3 on the season, has shown the ability to jump out to quick leads, even if those leads eventually end in defeat. Against No. 6 Alabama, the Seminoles led 21-6 in the second quarter. Last Friday versus Louisville, FSU also held a two-touchdown advantage. This proves that FSU can challenge a more talented team like Miami if the Canes play with an “entitled to winning” mindset.
Here are three matchups that we’ll be monitoring.
Miami OC Shannon Dawson vs. FSU DC Tony White
Florida State runs an unorthodox style of defense that is led by defensive coordinator Tony White.
The strength of White’s 3-3-5 (three linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs) system is its versatility in the different alignments and coverages it can employ. Cristobal describes the defense as “very multiple.”
“They make it tough to zero in on what they’re doing, and the guys they have up front are really, really explosive football players,” he said.
Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson echoed a similar sentiment, calling the defensive scheme “complicated.”
“I watched their personnel pretty close, and they got really good players, and they move around. They’re built the right way. Their scheme is complicated,” Dawson said. "They can line up in a lot of different ways with a lot of different personnel groupings, and so that presents its own challenges.”
Florida State’s defense, however, has struggled at times this season, allowing 50 points to Alabama and 44 to Louisville. The Seminoles gave up an average of 322 rushing yards in these two games. Expect Dawson and the Hurricanes’ offense to lean on their ground game on Saturday.
Miami’s run defense vs. FSU’s rushing offense
Running back Ousmane Kromah has been FSU’s top player this season, totaling 565 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 100 carries. With Kromah and athletic quarterback Ashton Daniels leading the way, the Seminoles rank a respectable 43rd in the nation in rushing yards per game.
“I think offensively they’re very talented. The backfield in general I think is a very good backfield,” Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said. “Kromah, in general, I think he's like fourth in the country in creating missed tackles. He’s tough to tackle. He plays extremely hard.
“He does a really good job of running behind his pads. He uses the stiff arm really well. He’ll make you miss. He sets up his cuts very well. There’a couple times that you see him running stretch; he pushes the linebackers, gets them to flow over the top, puts his foot in the ground [and] falls back behind them. He’s good out of the backfield, like last year he got us on third-and-one I think on the first series of the game on a wheel. He’s done some really good things out of the backfield this year. I think he’s a complete back, and I think he’s a very big challenge for us this week.
The matchup between Miami’s run defense vs. FSU’s rushing offense will be a battle of strengths. The Hurricanes enter this game with the country’s top run defense, but slowing down Kromah will be their toughest test yet.
Miami’s secondary vs. FSU WR Duce Robinson
The bye week came at a perfect time for the Hurricanes’ defensive back room, which has been riddled with injuries this season.
While cornerback OJ Frederique will remain sidelined, fellow starter Xavier Lucas will be returning to action against Florida State. Lucas, assuming his snaps aren’t restricted, will assist the UM secondary in defending star FSU wideout Duce Robinson.
While Robinson’s stats aren’t as eye-popping as they were last season – largely due to the ineffectiveness of the FSU passing offense – he’s still a very talented pass-catcher. In last year’s game against Miami, Robinson posted 87 yards on six catches.
The Hurricanes can’t let the 6-foot-6 receiver get into a rhythm.
