Florida Face Off: Florida State Takes On Miami

A showdown is set in the Sunshine State with the Florida State Seminoles traveling to Hard Rock Stadium in hopes of securing their second straight win. The Seminoles take on the Miami Hurricanes.

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Leading up to Saturday

Both Florida State (5-3, 3-3 ACC) and Miami (4-4, 2-2 ACC) come into the game with wins in week nine.

Miami outlasted the Virginia Cavaliers in four overtimes to win 14-12.

The Seminoles streak of strong showings continued with a 41-16 domination over Georgia Tech. Additionally, quarterback Jordan Travis put up a career high of 396 passing yards. Travis, along with running back Trey Benson and wide receiver Johnny Wilson, made up the trifecta that produced 575 scrimmage yards.

Both wins came without key components on their roster. Miami was missing starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke against the Cavaliers. While his return for Saturday is not guaranteed, Miami is “optimistic” and holding out naming a starting quarterback until closer to gameday.

For Florida State, their blowout win over the Yellow Jackets came without starting running back Treshaun Ward, who’s expected to be back this weekend.

ACC Accolades

If Miami wants to escape on Saturday, stopping Ward and Benson is crucial. Benson, a transfer from Oregon, has stepped up to become a key factor for the Seminoles’ offense. Moreover, his career-high 111 rushing yards and 18 carries against Georgia Tech earned him a spot on the ACC’s player of the week roster.

We shall see how much Treshaun Ward plays vs. Miami, but when healthy him and Trey Benson are one of the most explosive RB duos in all of CFB #CFB #FSUTwitter pic.twitter.com/ceHCjm2yUC

— CFBNumbers (@CFBNumbers) November 2, 2022

If Miami defensive tackle Leonard Taylor performs like he did last week, he can cause major problems for Florida State’s offensive line. Taylor racked up six tackles, four for loss, and 1.5 tackles to earn himself a spot on ACC’s players of the week roster.

Stakes

There’s always buzz and banter when there’s a battle between schools from the same state. A look at the series history shows why this matchup has historically been a game well worth watching. According to an article from ESPN, 29 games were decided by seven or less points, 20 games were decided by three points or less and eight games were decided by one point.

The Hurricanes lead the all-time series record 35-31 but that gap is expected to be lessened after Saturday. The Seminoles enter the rivalry game favored by a touchdown, a stark contrast to their underdog status last year.

In last season’s meeting, Florida State snapped their four-game losing streak against the Hurricanes after a down-to-the-wire comeback. Clinching the 31-28 victory in Tallahassee brought on bragging rights for the year. Now, Miami looks to switch the script with a strong showing on their home turf. 

For the Seminoles, a win on Saturday makes the team bowl eligible. For the Hurricanes, a win will bring first-year head coach Mario Cristobal a much needed statement victory. 

Game Details

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.