After losing their season opener for the fourth straight year, the Florida State Seminoles will attempt to beat their rivals this week — the Miami Hurricanes. Head coach Mike Norvell will miss the game, because is still in quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Leading into Saturdays game, Norvell has been monitoring his team closely. Norvell watches his team practice through a live video stream and talks to them through speakers spaced out along the fields.
“It hurts not being able to be around our guys for 10 days. It’s extremely disappointing. This is one of the greatest rivalries in college football,” Norvell said during a Zoom news conference.
The Seminoles are coming off of an unexplainable 16-13 loss toGeorgia Techon Sept. 12. During that game, many things went wrong for the Seminoles.
However, the Hurricanes seem to be in rhythm as they sit at No.12 of the AP Top 25 poll. Last week, the Miami improved to 209 after it defeated Louisville 47-34 in Kentucky. Miami quarterback D’Eriq King threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns against the Cardinals.
Last year, the Hurricanes’ beat the Seminoles 27-10. After the rivalry game last year, the Seminoles let go of head coach Willie Taggart.
In 2017, FSU also blew a 20-point third-quarter lead, under Taggart.
Heading into this rivalry key defensive players such as Marvin Wilson, are going to have to step up and pose a threat to the Hurricanes’ offense. Last season, Wilson had a total of 44 tackles, 19 solo, and 25 assists.
Moreover, the Seminoles’ offensive line will be at a disadvantage, after losing five of their starting offensive linemen to injury in the Georgia Tech game. In order for quarterback James Blackman to make plays, the offensive line is going to have to step up and be dominant.
As for the Hurricanes, the offense is going to have to watch for defensive players such as Asante Samuel Jr. Samuel had two interceptions against Georgia Tech, which created room for the Seminoles to score. Star receivers such as Tamorrion Terry, will also pose a threat to this Hurricanes’ team. During his time at FSU, Terry has generated over 1,000 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
The undefeated Hurricanes will look to clinch their fourth straight win over the Seminoles on Saturday. The game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.