An interstate, inter-conference rivalry with loads of playoff implications is set to take place in Tallahassee on Saturday. It’s one of the best rivalries in all of college football.
Do not be fooled by the Seminoles’ trap game loss last week in double overtime Charlottesville. This FSU team will be more than ready for the Hurricanes, who dominated the Noles in last season’s matchup.
Despite the group’s Week 5 loss, this FSU offense is explosive. The unit comes into Saturday ranked No. 1 in the country in points per game with a staggering 53 PPG average, most of which is a result of the group’s whopping average of 336 rushing yards per game, which is currently No. 2 in the country.
The rushing prowess for FSU will be tested, though. Miami’s defensive line, led by projected first-rounder Reuben Bain, has limited opponents to just a minimal 71 rushing yards per game. If Miami’s defensive line can stop the run the way they’ve been able to in prior weeks and force FSU QB Thomas Castellanos to air the ball out, they will have a chance to pull off the road victory.
FSU comes into the game ranked No. 41 in the country in passing yards per game, a number that doesn’t quite move the needle against a Miami secondary that has been elite to start the 2025 campaign.
Matchups
The big matchup to watch Saturday is FSU WR Duce Robinson going head-to-head with Miami CB OJ Frederique Jr.
Robinson, an offseason transfer from USC, has been the vocal point of FSU’s passing attack to start the year. Robinson comes in at a whopping 6’7, seven whole inches taller than Frederique, who has cemented himself as the Hurricanes CB1 to start the year. If Robinson can get going and force Miami to play with two high safeties, which would allow the FSU ground game to take off, expect a close, hard-fought game. However, if FSU’s passing attack cannot get going and the group is forced to become one-dimensional through the ground, expect a similar result to Miami’s 26-7 victory over rival Florida just weeks ago.
For the Miami offense, the key to the game will be the ground game. An injury to the Canes’ week one starting running back Jordan Lyle, a highly talented sophomore who the Canes flipped from Ohio State just days before signing day two years ago, has left the group’s offensive backfield with a slight lack of depth. Mark Fletcher, the Hurricanes’ second-string running back, has stepped up in a big way for Miami. However, this same FSU defense took over Alabama’s running attack in week one and forced QB Ty Simpson to air the ball out more than the Crimson Tide wanted to. The group hopes to achieve the same by stifling Fletcher. If Fletcher can hold his own on the ground, Carson Beck will be able to manage the game well enough to lead the Canes to victory.
Author’s Prediction
I do expect Miami to emerge from the depths of Tallahassee victorious. However, if Duce Robinson and the rest of FSU’s wide receivers shine and Miami’s rushing attack struggles, I would not be shocked if Miami comes out of Doak Campbell Stadium with its first loss of the season.
Miami will get the best of the Seminoles in a hard-fought 27-17 victory.