| acedeucy |
08-31-2006 05:50 PM |
ACC Game Of The Week!!!
ACC Game of the Week :nanana:
Florida State at Miami 8 pm EST ESPN Monday, September 4th
Why to Watch: The game between Michigan and Ohio State might be a November treasure, but this rivalry is one of the most physical in the nation, bar none. Throw in the venerable Orange Bowl and there’s a better than average chance for this game to be a classic. Since the days of Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin, at least one of these teams has been in the national championship race deep into the season, which means the game is, well, important. It’s even more important with ACC supremacy at stake, at least for now, until the end of conference title game when they could meet again. These two played a defensive, mistake-filled snoozer last year with Florida State finally breaking a long Miami hex, but now the two are far better and should play a far better game mainly because ...
Why Florida State Might Win: ... QB Drew Weatherford is ten times better than he was 365 days ago, and if the offensive line can keep him upright, he should be able to do some damage after having a razor-sharp off-season. FSU RB Lorenzo Booker says that if he can get to 1,200 yards, the Noles will be playing in Tempe in early January, and a trip to the Orange Bowl is the start of that trek. He doesn’t just think he can get there, he knows and this is step one in that journey. The Miami offensive line, a big problem throughout last year, is still a work in progress and won’t be able to get to the Nole linebackers allowing Buster Davis and his boys to run free to the ball all night long.
Why Miami Might Win: The loss of top Cane WR Ryan Moore (indefinitely) and RB Tyrone Moss (one game) to suspension isn’t felt nearly as much as seems on paper with several other weapons able give the Noles fits. Even with a good linebacking corps, Florida State doesn’t have a way to match up with All-American tight end candidate Greg Olsen, who had eight grabs for 137 yards last season in Tallahassee. If he continues to find open spaces, QB Kyle Wright will get more and more comfortable and be able to control the tempo.
Who to Watch: The winner of the battle between Weatherford and the Miami defensive backs will win the game. Much has been made out of how much better the Florida State sophomore is, but he's starting off against, arguably, the nation's best secondary. All-America caliber defensive backs Kenny Phillips and Brandon Meriweather are key to keeping the Seminoles receivers out of the middle and getting into the box to defend the run. ... Also keep an eye on Olsen, who destroyed the Seminoles last year. If FSU looks to take him away in the passing game, it could open up deeper areas of the field or help the Miami running game.
What Will Happen: Wright will have to throw it 35 times with the Seminoles eating up the Miami running game thanks to no dynamic threat in the Cane backfield. Florida State forced former Virginia Tech QB Marcus Vick to throw 52 times in the ACC championship game, and it won’t be shocking to see the same defensive gameplan apply. Weatherford has the better running talent to work with and eventually he’ll be able to find either Greg Carr or Chris Davis deep down the middle for a big touchdown or key play off of play action against the Miami aggressive safeties. But, it is Miami playing Florida State in Miami, so you know what that means.
LAW's Prediction: Miami 19 ... Florida State 14 ... Line: Miami -3.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the birth of your First Born SON!!!!)
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