Five Questions : A Cane and a Nole have at it

Another Miami / Florida State showdown means another request from Seminoles enthusiast Rich Halten in the form of a Q&A regarding Saturday’s game. Rich is involved with ChantRant.com and GarnetAndGreat.com and he knows his stuff regarding his respective team.

Below, five questions between a Cane and a Nole regarding this weekend’s epic match up at Sun Life Stadium. Dig it:

Jacory followed his season pattern of two INTs against Clemson, but seems to have developed a “so what” attitude and not let them affect his performance the rest of the game. True?

J. Harris has always had a ‘so what’ attitude regarding interceptions, which is a blessing when you have a turnover-prone quarterback.

Look back at the Clemson game last year. After throwing a pick-six midway through the fourth quarter, he came back a play later and hit Travis Benjamin for a 69-yard score. That’s been the case a few times during his tenure at UM.

J. Harris throw interceptions because he takes chances and sometimes writes checks that his arm (and accuracy) can’t cash. It’s something that needs to be worked on, but as long as those turnovers are coming on deep balls and aren’t resulting in touchdowns, it can be overcome.

Miami’s defense and ground game shone against Clemson last week and Cane fans are hoping that can balance out the interceptions. If offensive coordinator Mark Whipple can lean on his 4-5 running backs, the offensive line comes to play and the defense does it’s job, J. Harris should be able to get over with a turnover here or there without it being the end of the world.

It’s still something that needs to be cleaned up, but as long as J. Harris doesn’t have to be the ‘hero’ week and and week out, the Canes should overcome.

When Miami’s run game is hard to stop, why does offensive coordinator Mark Whipple insist on forcing the ball down field, risking interceptions?

Whipple is a pass first, run second kind of guy. That was the take on him when he got on board with UM — stories from his UMass days facing a 4th and long deep in his own territory and going for it just because.

If you look at some of the interceptions on deep balls (a few throw at Travis Benjamin both against Pitt and Clemson), the play call wasn’t the issue; it was execution on J. Harris’ part. Especially the first turnover against the Panthers a few weeks back.

Benjamin had his defender beat, but Harris left it short and behind the receiver. Had it placed that ball over Benjamin’s right shoulder, towards the back of the end zone, it’s a touchdown — meaning great call by Whipple, but poor execution by Harris.

Regarding the first pick at Clemson last week, again that was J. Harris going for Benjamin and not accounting for the safety coming over to help and making the pick. J. Harris needs to make a better read and has to find his second or third option if Benjamin is double covered. That’s on the quarterback, not the coordinator.

I think you could say Whipple “forced” it last year, asking Harris to make those throws hurt late in the season, but early on in year two, J. Harris should’ve made some of those throws against Ohio State, Pitt and Clemson. Hopefully as the year presses on he learns from his mistakes and minimizes.

Until then, it’d be nice if Whipple pushed the running game more, taking some pressure off J. Harris and wearing down / baiting opposing defenses, setting up the big play.

Both Florida State and Miami had painful early season losses. How has UM been able to put theirs behind them?

Both teams have losses, but safe to say that Miami could take more from a loss at Ohio State than Florida State could that beat down at Oklahoma. Stats-wise, the Canes hung tough with the Buckeyes. (UM 352 total yards to 414 for OSU … UM’s 232 passing yards to OSU’s 233 … UM’s 120 yards on the ground to OSU’s 181 … UM was 7-15 on third down, OSU was 6-18.)

Turnovers were the killer and Miami at least walked away from the Horseshoe head held high with the 12-point loss; especially after stifling Ohio State in the red zone, holding them to five field goals with their Heisman-worthy quarterback.

A hard-fought game at Ohio State, followed by convincing wins in two tough road games (@Pitt, @Clemson) – you’d have to think it’s helped this team mature. The Canes have faced three tough road games in a row and should be battle tested for this weekend.

Florida State has won three straight since the loss in Norman, but truly haven’t faced a formidable opponent as Brigham Young, Wake Forest and Virginia were next on deck.

Even the most neutral party would admit that we know a little bit more about Miami (based on competition) than we do about Florida State at this point of the season. This weekend should be a better litmus test as to where the Noles are at as opposed to the Canes.

That said, this is another huge rivalry game so throw everything else out the window as we know anything can happen this weekend.

If the Canes have a weakness on offense or defense, what would it be?

Defensively Miami still lacks that difference-making middle linebacker, though the run support has still been strong this season. Colin McCarthy has been good, but hasn’t channeled his inner Jon Vilma, Dan Morgan or Ray Lewis like many hoped that he would. He’s definitely playing up to his potential and has been solid this year, though.

Sean Spence has been stellar and a tackling machine, but as far as linebacker goes, it’s still Miami’s weakest link – as well as a lack of depth in the secondary. The first line of defense back there is solid – Brandon Harris, Ray Ray Armstrong, Vaughn Telemaque, DeMarcus Van Dyke, etc. – but should one of those guys go down, it’d be a huge blow.

Offensively the biggest liability would be tight end. Miami just doesn’t have that go-to guy it’s had there in the past. Chase Ford is coming along slowly, with several drops thus far and Richard Gordon has been hot and cold. Forget the Jeremy Shockey or Kellen Winslow II era. Right now the Canes would simply love to have Dedrick Epps back.

Receiver as a whole was supposed to be a strong suit, but outside of Leonard Hankerson, there’s been way too much miscommunication between J. Harris and his wideouts. That’s definitely something that needs to improve as the season rolls on. Way too much talent over there for that little production.

What injuries to key players might change UM’s lineup on Saturday?

Right now it’d have to be second string running back Lamar Miller, with the banged up shoulder. Miller looks like that vintage Miami back that we haven’t seen in years – literally falling forward for yards and with some shifty moves. Curious to see who emerges this week behind Damien Berry. Who will get those reps? Mike James? Eduardo Clements? What about Storm Johnson, who fans have clamored for since the spring game?

Whipple finally started leaning on the ground game, so should Miller be out, will he rely on those third and fourth string backs or does that force him to throw the ball more? A ground game is very important in setting the tone against Florida State this week. Hopefully Miller plays or a back up steps up.

Outside of that, J. Harris is nursing a non-throwing shoulder injury and that’s worth keeping an eye on depending on Florida State’s front seven and their ability to rough him up.

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What went wrong at Oklahoma and how will those mistakes be corrected against Miami? Florida State hasn’t really faced anyone since that 47-17 loss (BYU, Wake Forest, Virginia) so the jury is out regarding that loss being an aberration or a sign of things to come for the 2010 Seminoles. Thoughts?

Pretty much everything went wrong at Oklahoma. The Noles simply weren’t ready for prime time. The biggest mismatch was on defense. Bob Stoops knew exactly what defense his little brother Mark Stoops (FSU’s new D-Coordinator) what would be running. Worse, Bob had a very good idea just how much of the Stoops brothers defense Mark would be ABLE to install in a short time (spring practice and one game). It was also the Sooners biggest game in the first part of the season before Texas, so they could make it a top priority to be at their peak in every facet. The silver lining for FSU was that it was a wake up and measuring stick for how far they were from elite status.

How much progress have the Noles made since then? We’ll find out Saturday if FSU is ready for prime time, which is exactly when this classic series is being played again.

Mark Stoops is calling the shots on defense now. How will this differ from the aggressive approach Mickey Andrews brought against Miami these last few decades? Andrews was more of a man-to-man guy, where Stoops prefers a zone. What does that mean for the Miami offense?

The quick answer is that Stoops has made FSU’s defense less predictable and more disciplined. While Mickey’s trademark was man-to-man, Stoops has installed the zone as he knows it. But saying the Noles are all-zone all-the-time would be off-target. As the defense has become more familiar with the system, Stoops has been able to throw more surprises at opponents, from mixing up zone and man coverage to creative blitz packages. One result is sacks — enough to lead the nation. Jimbo Fisher emphasizes that those sacks are coming from three different areas: A fierce rush by the front four; blitzes, and by WR-blanketing coverage. So while offensive coordinators and QBs had little doubt about what to expect from Andrews’ defense — especially in recent years — Stoops is throwing curves and change-ups.

Another factor in the Noles defensive resurgence is how the players have grown up — literally. The D-line in particular has been undersized of late. New additions to the lineup (i.e., redshirt freshmen, true freshman and JC transfers), plus an upgrade in weight training and nutrition are paying dividends this season.

Christian Ponder’s legs were a difference-maker in the 2008 game, but not as much in 2009. (144 yards two years ago to 28 on the ground last year.) What do you feel is on tap this year? More designed runs or relying more on Ponder’s arm to move the ball?

The element of surprise is gone. Ponder’s legs, a game-changing secret weapon in 2008, are well known. No doubt the Canes will definitely have an eye on no. 7. But then, it appears many of Ponder runs this year are more of the tuck-’n-run type than part of a game plan. Luckily, FSU is deeper at running backs than in recent seasons, not unlike that team from Coral Gables.

Ponder’s arm is another story. He hasn’t been as sharp this year as during the past two. Maybe he’s still not 100% after a triceps contusion earlier in the season. It’s possible 2009’s season-ending injury is slower to heal than any of us knows.

Whatever the problem, Ponder is 579 passing yards off his pace from the same time last year, though breaking in some new receivers might be partly to blame.

What do you feel are the weak spots on both Florida State’s offense and defense? One would think the secondary is an issue after giving up 394 passing yards to Landry Jones weeks back.

The secondary is certainly a work in progress, but it’s improving weekly as Stoops’ system becomes second nature. The starters and regulars are learning to trust each other. Confidence is growing. But that doesn’t mean they’re a steel curtain yet. Last week, busted coverage handed Virginia a 76-yard gift TD.

On offense, the OL hasn’t quite lived up to their one-of-the-nation’s-best billing. Nole fans would call them good but not great so far. The encouraging news, though, is that Andrew Datko, two-year starter at tackle who’s been out for the past three games, appears ready to make his return on Saturday. So the front five that have played together for over twenty games should be complete and cohesive again.

Bobby Bowden is gone and Jimbo Fisher is now the guy. Even though it seemed Jimbo was calling the shots from the sideline the last few years, what changes now that Bobby is gone? Is there more pressure on Fisher to get this win? Especially after that faceplant at Oklahoma, the Noles biggest loss in years.

Bowden’s departure meant a major overhaul in most every aspect of FSU football. Jimbo Fisher worked for Nick Saban and absorbed his process for running a program. Jimbo installed that system at FSU and it’s already paying dividends. It includes everything from a new strength and conditioning coach to a different regimen in nutrition, plus outside shrinks who do motivational training. He broke down the dressing room division between offense and defense, assigning lockers at random for a cohesive team atmosphere. Practice sessions have a new urgency and pace. And, of course, the addition of five new assistant coaches help ensure that the staff is all on the same page, unlike the last few years when there was apparent dissension.

As for pressure on Jimbo, I’d say it’s more about high hopes than win or else. Like virtually all first-year coaches, he’s in his honeymoon season. He got a pass for the Oklahoma loss, and I’d expect the same this year if FSU stumbles against UM and UF. Nole fans expect meaningful progress in 2010, and are beginning to see it. And if the coaches score another banner recruiting year, high hopes and pressure will definitely ramp up next season.

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