Miami v. Florida State – The Q&A

Earlier this morning I received an email from a guy who goes by the moniker “FSU Truther”. He’s a law school student at Florida State and writes for TomahawkNation.com – a Florida State fan site.

Truther wanted to go toe-to-toe with a little Q&A session, so as devoted fans to each of our programs, we whipped up the following exchange. Below, his questions and my answers and then my questions and his responses. Enjoy.

“A Nole asks a Cane… “

What are your thoughts on Robert Marve? I’ve watched the Miami tape against UF and UNC, and they really don’t let him throw downfield very often. No 15+ yard completions against UF? Only 2 against UNC? Do they not trust Marve, of are they just down on the talent of the wideouts?

I think Marve looks like the next great Miami quarterback. His poise as a r-freshman has been incredible. He has that “it” factor and showed more moxie in four games than Kyle Wright did in four years.

As for why he’s not throwing downfield more… I don’t know. The coaches say receivers aren’t getting open. Even against Florida, the rumor was there were some plays in the bag but the wideouts didn’t execute, so the passes weren’t thrown.

I think talent-wise Miami is loaded; but it’s all bottled up potential until they prove it. This is the youngest position on Miami’s roster and in time, they’ll break out. I think the problem right now is Patrick Nix being a conservative, by the book, percentages guy instead of rolling the dice.

Last week Marve improvised and pulled off an impressive four-yard touchdown throw to true freshman Aldarius Johnson. When the cameras panned to the sideline, Nix was yelling at Marve regarding the risk he told there and not following procedure. Marve has a Favre-like moment and is getting chastised for not doing things by the book.

Hopefully Nix can get out of Marve’s way and let the player play.

In the game against UNC, Miami had two drives over 50 yards in the first half, but in the second half UNC held Miami to 33 plays for 101 yards (3.3 per), and 7 points. What adjustments did you see UNC make on defense to shut down Miami? What adjustments would you have made?

I don’t know how much were defensive adjustments versus conservative playcalling and not executing. Nix went away from Graig Cooper in the second half, using him twice in the third quarter – once on 2nd an 23 and once on 3rd and 6. Coop dominated the first half and Miami went away from him when they needed to keep running the ball. Nix then turned back to him in the fourth when trying to bleed the clock with UNC stacking the box. When Nix relied on Marve, it was a lot more dinking and dunking instead of what you saw early in the game and again on the final drive, when in panic mode.

Nix outsmarted himself more than UNC’s defense shut down Miami.

I don’t like to play the role of armchair quarterback, but I believe Miami needs to stick with what’s working. I’m also not a fan of inserting Jacory Harris into the game early in the second quarter, as Shannon has these past few games. Stick with the hot hand. Marve had momentum and UNC wasn’t figuring him out. Let him run the offense as much as he can before second half adjustments are made.

Sort of the same deal here. In the first half UNC ran only 25 plays, for 78 yards, and Miami’s defense looked good. In the second half, UNC went up and down the field at will, having 206 yards on 35 plays (5.9 per play!), including drives of 60, 74, and 56 yards. I can’t believe I am even asking this, but is Miami out of shape? How are Miami’s coaches not making any adjustments? Are they simply Praying at half like the guys do at Clemson? Sacrificing a goat?

I don’t think it’s conditioning a much as Miami’s secondary being exposed as the softest position on the field.

You’re playing the stats game, which I disagree with. North Carolina didn’t have a “74-yard drive” – they had a 74-yard score where they exposed a hole in the secondary and with too many Canes keyed in on Brandon Tate, Hakeem Nix reeled in a pass that Bruce Johnson misplayed (playing the ball, not the receiver).

The ensuing drive, the Heels partially block a kick, get great field position, completed three passes, benefitted from a facemask penalty and got the go-ahead score. UNC rushed six times in the fourth quarter and gained 2 total yards. Miami’s secondary broke down and on a few occasions, Bill Young’s biltz left his corners alone on islands and they didn’t make plays. Simple as that.

Talk about the loss of Reggie Youngblood, a multi-year starter at tackle who won’t play b/c of a foot injury. He was a five-star recruit out of the Houston area. How big of a loss is this, and more specifically, how much of a dropoff are we looking at as far as his replacement is concerned?

Tough call. Youngblood has been hit or miss over his career. He’s a big body and Miami can’t afford a lack of depth on the line, but the fact he was a five-star out of high school means nothing. He hasn’t performed like a five-star at the next level.

High school accolades aside, Miami’s offensive line is sort of even across the board. There are no ‘superstars’. per se. A lot of capable players and some big boys, but I personally see a lot of Larry Coker’s kids on the line. A lot of other positions – wideout, linebacker, etc. – you can see Randy Shannon’s kids making their presence felt.

OL coach Jeff Stoutland spent time this off-season getting guys ready to play multiple positions. Right now it looks like Tyrone Byrd is slated to start for Youngblood, but you never know how Randy’s depth charts will play out on game day.

Long and short of it, Youngblood would’ve helped as he’s a big body in the rotation, but that’s about it.

Does it concern you that Miami’s ground game has been feast or famine, rushing for 10 yard chunks or getting stuffed? Is this offensive line inconsistency, play design, or more of Greg Cooper’s preference to try to bust every play for huge yards? How much does this offense miss their inside threat?

Javarris James is missed and unfortunately isn’t living up to his potential due to a rash of injuries the past few years. Miami never had that one-two punch that was expected with JJ and Coop.

I think play design is the biggest problem. The predictability has been an issue. Coop up the middle isn’t fooling anyone. He’s had a few nice runs that way, when blocks have been sprung – but it’s not your bread and butter play.

I’d like to see some direct snaps to Cooper (used a few times in 2007, but not yet in 2008) as well as lining him up at receiver and creating more space. He’s a very versatile player, being used in a very watered-down way at times.

I think a lack of ingenuity with the playcalling is the biggest issue with Miami’s ground game, aside from James being out and no back up truly stepping up and taking control.

Give us a player on offense (this is usually the TE) who could surprise us on offense this Saturday.

TE Dedrick Epps scored the game winner last year and Marve started locking on to him last week. Epps is a tough kid and gets the tough yards. He could be primed for a big game.

I also think Aldarius Johnson is primed to break out at receiver. Had two nice grabs last week and has shown solid route running ability, great hands and great feet thus far. Last week Marve keyed in on Kayne Farquharson as his go-to guy. I think AJ eventually gets there, maybe as soon as this Saturday.

Miami’s defensive line is usually nasty. Who is the standout this year, and who would you consider the weak link?

Eric Moncur is your heart of the defensive line, but the Canes line is far from being nasty. This is another position left somewhat depleted by Coker. Shannon is addressing that with next year’s recruiting class.

Marcus Forston will be a stud, but was out last week as well as this week. That hurts. Guys like Stephen Wesley and Dwayne Hendricks have really stepped up, but neither are superstars or future NFLers. They’ve overachieved as of late, which will hopefully continue.

Allen Bailey has showed flashes of greatness and can eventually be a great one, but he’s still coming along as a soph. When Bailey and Forston are upperclassmen, expect Miami’s DL to be an utter force again.

66th in the nation in Opponent Adjusted Pass Efficiency Defense? This is Miami! You guys have led this category in two of the past 6 years! What the heck is going on down there?! This has to be a trick, right?

Again, I don’t get caught up in the stats game. A 74-yard strike from UNC with blown coverage skews that stat. As does a game-opening screen pass that goes for a 62-yard score at aTm.

Miami’s secondary needs to step up it’s collective game, while everyone on defense needs to worry about wrapping up. Too many missed tackles already this short season.

Bill Young needs to stop messing with my head. Miami sat in Cover-2 Man Under for the last 10 years, yet against UF and Texas A&M they blitzed like they would be killed if they didn’t bring 6+ men on every play. What kind of defensive scheme do you expect this Saturday? Will Miami bring the heat, or do they bet that they can get pressure using only the front 4, as they are going up against the youngest OLine in America (true stat).

After watching the Florida game, I thought Miami’s defense would shut down just about any offense in the game. The over the next two weeks the Canes were effectively picked apart by a second-stringer and a third-stringer.

If you as a fan can talk about Miami sitting in a Cover-2 Man Under for years, Florida State coaches have to feel the same and there should be some confusion for either Ponder or Richardson. Young is really the X-factor here. What will he bring?

I would think with a weak offensive line and question marks at quarterback, Young would blitz, rattle your guys and attempt to force turnovers – though that hasn’t been the case yet this season, with a defensive lineman (Moncur) recording the team’s only interception.

Young’s overall scheme vs. FSU’s o-line is the key to this game, obviously.

Vegas considered the move from The Orange Bowl to Joe Robbie a 1.5 pt downgrade in terms of home field advantage. Miami brought 18 people to the UNC game. Will the entire 28,000 man fanbase be out in full force? Will they rock extra yellow gold to blind the ‘Nole players in the mid-day sun?

Ahh, an attendance cheap shot. Should’ve seen it coming. Again, Miami is a private school with just over 10K undergrads, in a major metropolitan city with several pro sports franchises. It’s a city full of transplants and there are more FSU, UF and FIU alum in the 305 than there are Miami alum. For a private school with an off-campus stadium, attendance-wise Miami does fine if you want to crunch those numbers.

Florida State is a state school with a big-time athletic budget and upwards of 40K students and no disrespect, but Tallahassee is a rather podunk southern town that can’t hold a candle to the city of Miami regarding where that entertainment dollar is spent. Simply put, what else are you going to go on a Saturday in Tallahassee? That town revolved around the Noles.

As a Miamian you have South Beach, the Keys, boating, nightlife and another high profile football game a day later in the same stadium when the Chargers head to town to face the Dolphins.

The Miami fans who “pack” that stadium are as diehard for The U as any fans in the nation. They will make noise and do all they can to give the Canes as much of a homefield advantage as humanly possible.

Is Miami the only place in the country where the general admission section is considerably more dangerous than the student section?

I think the dangerous angle is played up a bit much. I’ve been to Miami/Florida State games at the Orange Bowl in my 34 years on this planet and let’s just say both programs have their share of great fans, as well as big-mouthed, drunken, arrogant idiots. I’ve been to games at Doak and took my fair share of grief while wearing my orange and green.

To your point about the GA… the West End Zone Crew at the Orange Bowl were some of the most loyal fans in the game. Rowdy? Sure – but diehards. That element was lost at Dolphin Stadium, with the way the seating charts were laid out… but those fans are still going to do what they can to hold court on Saturday.

I went to games at the OB for almost three decades and I only survived the West End Zone a few times. That place was too hardcore, even for a diehard like me.

What is your prediction for this game?

Another tough call. Back in the day both teams were hitting their stride early October and the game was vital in deciding who remained in the title hunt. Nothing could be further from the truth these days.

I think we know more about Miami than we do Florida State right now. The Noles first two games against doormats showed little and the loss against Wake Forest now looks worse after the Deacs fell to Navy.

Miami hung tough early at Florida and looked like a defensive juggernaut early on, but defense lost the game last week and the Canes have had fourth quarter breakdowns in three straight games (albeit the lead against aTm was too big to make a difference.)

The storyline was ‘defensive battle’ from 2004-2006 and the inexplicably last year the teams combine for 66 points in 2007.

What I do predict is a better all around and more complete effort from Miami, after last week. This team didn’t have to ‘finish’ at aTm and when they let up last week, it cost them the game. A collapse helps you right the ship better than a close call would.

I think the difference in this game is Miami’s defense against Florida State’s offense. The Canes have shut down the run nicely thus far this season, so in a one-dimensional game it’ll be on the Noles air attack to get the “W”. Miami’s D let up last week, but I believe Young and his crew are out to make a statement this week and we see more of the fire displayed in Gainesville, as opposed to the lethargic effort seen last Saturday.

I hate making predictions… but I’ll bite and I’ll say Miami 24, Florida State 17.

“A Cane asks a Nole… “

Miami v. Florida State was the best rivalry in college football as recently as 14 years ago. Last year it was a forgotten regional game with a D-level duo of announcers. This year it’s relegated to ESPN2. How long before you think this rivalry is rejuvenated?

I think the hate and intensity of the rivalry is still there. This rivalry is missing national relevance because it doesn’t impact the National Title race. I think we will see this back to an “A” game in 2010, with Christian Ponder as a senior and Miami’s two good recruiting classes maturing, combined with a Weak ACC.

How ‘good’ is Florida State? The Noles beat up on two nobodies out the gate, struggled mightily against Wake Forest and beat up a mid-level Big XII Colorado team in Jacksonville? Miami’s road to 2-2 was more difficult that Florida State’s journey to 3-1. What do we really know about the Noles after four games?

I tend to think I have a good feel for this team, but as afar as exactly how “good” we are, it is tough to say. The defense is really good, with a front 7 that is probably the best we’ve had this decade (on par with the Ernie Sims teams). The offense is a work in progress. The wideouts are the most talented part of this offense but they have slacked horribly.

In terms of the last 4 years, I would place this squad Behind the 2005 team that went to the Orange Bowl, but way above the horrid 2006 team and slightly above last year’s squad. FSU was the 2nd most injured team in the nation over the past two years, and this year they are better if for no other reason than average health luck.

Whether it’s Christian Ponder or D’Vontrey Richardson, neither looks all that hot and Miami seems to have the quarterback edge this year with Robert Marve. In another game that will come down to the turnover battle, what are your keys to the game – other than ball control and QB play?

I don’t expect to see much of any QB except for Ponder. Jimbo and I thought he played pretty well against Colorado, while other commentators did not. Here is the link to our review of him Your readers can check it out and judge for themselves. I like Marve a lot.

I think the keys to this game will be limiting big plays, since I don’t think any team will have the ability to drive the ball down the field. Both teams struggled with that at times this year (Colorado had two instances where they failed to cash in. Marve is better than their qb and he would hit one of those if given the opportunity).

My other key is winning on first down, meaning limiting the opponent to less than 2 yards on first down carries, setting up 2nd and 9 or greater. Miami can’t handle FSU’s DLine when they are turned loose, and FSU can’t handle Miami’s DLIne on 3rd and long either.

How does Florida State’s young offensive line handle Miami’s defensive front seven?

Florida State has the youngest offensive line in the country, averaging 18.8 years. I think they will have mixed results. They are light and agile, so Miami’s speed rush won’t hurt them badly. They can be beaten with a good bull rush from the DE’s, and they’re not great in blitz pickup by any means. They won’t even try to blast block Miami here, but will attempt to wear them our with the zone scheme.

If Miami’s defensive ends play undisciplined, as they did at the end of the UF game, and in parts of the UNC game (though not often), FSU can hit them for a cutback or two. This is Miami’s greatest edge in this game.

The Canes have been effective shutting down the run this year. UNC’s Greg Little amassed 35 last week and the Canes held Texas A&M as a whole to 87 yards on the ground. Antone Smith had a solid outing last week against Colorado and ran for 122 yards against Miami last year at Doak. Does Smith go over that 122 yard mark this year? Why or why not?

I don’t think he does. First, with the new clock rules, he will have fewer carries. Second, this game is in Miami, FSU’s first road game of the season. Third, we have other backs (Thomas and Jones) who will carry the rock, as far as Ponder who should have 5-10 carries. Fewer Touches and changed conditions add up to lesser yards for Antone “Deuce” Smith.

Miami and Florida State have sort of mirrored each other over the past few decades and both are on the mend right now. The Canes appear to be ahead in the rebuilding process, thanks to Randy Shannon’s recruiting and assembling a solid staff. Where is FSU on the road to recovery? How long does Bobby stick around? Can Jimbo be ‘the guy’ in Tallahassee?

FSU had a top 10 recruiting class last year, will likely have a top 5 class this year, and has purged a lot of the trash that was on the team at the end of ’06. The attitude is better and the talent is returning to the elite level. This offensive line has the ability to be something special down the road under highly regarded line coach Rick Trickett.

At this point, Bobby is a drag on our program and needs to be relegated to the “John Wooden Ucla Elder Cheerleader” role. Insiders say next year is his last. FSU fans who are into the program and winning over nostalgia and legacy hope they’re wrong and this this is the last year for a great coach.

I think Jimbo has breathed new life into this program and can be “the man.” He is a tireless recruiter, the kids like him a lot, he has improved the discipline (no arrests since April 27th, a full offseason), and is really building something. This rivalry will be great again.

Give me your prediction and what (or who) you see as the difference-maker in the game…

Everyone is saying this will be a low scoring affair. Media people are saying 14-10, 10-3, etc. I will say Florida State 24, Miami 20. If there are going to be as many turnovers as people think, that will create short fields. The difference maker in this game will be special teams and pass defense.

Neither team is going to be able to run much on the other. It will be up to Miami to adjust to the UF and second-half UNC game plans.

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