No. 3 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 18 FSU Seminoles: How to watch, what to know, 3 keys
The No. 3 Miami Hurricanes (4-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) travel to face the No. 18 Florida State Seminoles (3-1, 0-1 ACC) on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Here is what you need to know about the matchup.
How can I watch the Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida State Seminoles game?
The game will be televised on the ABC and available to stream on the ESPN app.
Who is favored in the Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida State Seminoles game?
The Hurricanes are a 4.5-point favorite over Florida State, according to Odds Shark as of Friday morning. The over/under is 54.5 points.
What is the history between the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles?
The Hurricanes are 36-33 all time against the Seminoles. Miami won last season’s matchup 36-14 after losing three consecutive meetings prior to that. UM’s last win in Tallahassee was in 2019.
What were the expectations for the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles entering the season?
Miami was voted to finish second to Clemson in the 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference.
Florida State was voted to finish seventh in the ACC.
How has the season gone so far for the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles?
The Hurricanes swept through their nonconference schedule, with wins over the then-No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, then-No. 18 USF Bulls and Florida Gators.
FSU began the season with an upset win against then-No. 8 Alabama and then thrashed East Texas A&M and Kent State before losing on the road to unranked Virginia to begin ACC play.
What are three keys for the Miami Hurricanes against the Florida State Seminoles?
Handle first road test: The Hurricanes have been stellar for the first month of the season, but all of that has come at home. Saturday will be their first test away from Hard Rock Stadium — and it’s a big one in a top-20 matchup and an in-state rivalry. Can UM handle all the pressures that come with the game on Saturday?
Win in the trenches: Miami wins and loses by its performance at the line of scrimmage. The offensive line paves the way for the run game and gives quarterback Carson Beck ample time to let plays develop in the pass game. The defensive line’s ability to disrupt and get in the opponent’s backfield sets the stage for the rest of the defense to produce.
That will be especially true on Saturday, with Miami’s defense needing to contain dual-threat quarterback Tommy Castellanos and FSU’s top-ranked offense while taking advantage of the Seminoles’ defense.
Control time of possession: FSU has an explosive offense, evidenced by its nation-leading 13 plays of at least 40 yards already this season. The best way to limit that unit from producing? Limit the amount of time it has the ball.
The Hurricanes rank 12th nationally in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 33:38.25 per game so far this season. A stout run game, led by Mark Fletcher Jr. and CharMar “Marty” Brown (and potentially the return of Jordan Lyle) could help UM eat up clock while producing offensively.
Who are three Miami Hurricanes players to watch?
Rueben Bain Jr.: The junior forms a dynamic one-two edge rushing punch for the Hurricanes with Akheem Mesidor. He has been one of the top defensive players in college football this season. He has won 28.9 of his pass-rush snaps, the fourth-best rate among 162 players with at least 100 pass-rush snaps so far this season. He and Mesidor will be integral to containing FSU’s explosive pass offense.
Mo Toure: The sixth-year senior linebacker has 18 tackles, including a season-high 10 the last time out against Florida. Miami will need sure tackling up the middle to take down FSU’s run game.
Beck: The veteran quarterback is coming off his worst showing of the season, completing just 17 of 30 passes for 160 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in the win over the Gators. While the Hurricanes have shown they can win when Beck isn’t at his best, they would ideally like a top-end performance from him in a ranked game on the road.
Who are three Florida State Seminoles players to watch?
Tommy Castellanos: The dual-threat quarterback has been dominant with his arm and his legs so far this season. Castellanos has completed 45 of 70 pass attempts for 848 yards — an average of 12.1 yards per attempt and 18.8 yards per completion — with four passing touchdowns against three interceptions. He has also run for 217 yards and four more touchdowns, making him one of five FSU players with at least 168 rushing yards.
Duce Robinson: The junior receiver has been Castellanos’ top target, hauling in 17 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns. He has size at 6-6 and 223 and a large catch radius, making him possibly the toughest test so far for Miami’s revamped secondary.
Earl Little Jr.: The former Plantation American Heritage standout leads FSU’s defense with 28 tackles and also has an interception and pass breakup through four games.
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