| Miami (Fla.) vs. Florida State, Saturday, Oct. 9, at Tallahassee,
Fla. The Hurricanes are not all the way back, but they are getting very close.
They have tremendous speed and talent at the offensive skill positions. Florida State has
more weapons than the Pentagon on offense and more athletes than the Olympic Village on
the defensive side of the ball. However, the Seminoles’ defense is filled with great
athletes who run fast but are not great natural football players. To beat Florida State, a
team must have a nice run-pass balance, play almost error-free football, control the clock
and do something different to keep the Seminoles off-balance all game. In short, a team
must play its best game — a nearly perfect game, in fact — and do something to
knock Florida State off its game. The key players for Miami are QB Kenny Kelly and RB
James Jackson. Kelly needs to have a Joe Hamilton-type game, and Jackson must rush for
more than 100 yards without laying the ball on the ground if the Hurricanes are going to
knock off their in-state rivals.
Quarterbacks — Kelly has size, very good athleticism and a strong
arm, but he lacks great instincts and throwing accuracy and made a number of poor
decisions and plays in losses to Penn State and East Carolina. He will force the ball and
throw interceptions at times, and his judgment is that of an inexperienced sophomore who
is learning as he goes. If Miami is to win, Kelly must cut down on his turnovers. He was
picked off twice by Ohio State, threw four interceptions and lost a fumble vs. Penn State
and really struggled in the second half of the East Carolina game. Unlike past Miami
quarterbacks, Kelly is much better outside the pocket and on the move than when he just
drops back and reads the coverage. Florida State’s Chris Weinke is not very mobile
and is a better down-the-field passer than short thrower. Sometimes he appears more
accurate throwing the ball 35 yards down the field than he does on short swings and
flares. Weinke has the arm to throw deep but at times will hang the ball up. He is also
very big and tough to knock down, but he does not feel and sense the rush as well as
scouts would like. Edge: Even.
Running backs — Miami has a terrific No. 1 back in Jackson, a
210-pounder with breakaway speed. But its No. 2 runner, Najeh Davenport, went down for the
season with an injury, and Jackson has a bad ankle. FB Mondriel Fulcher is really a tight
end/H-back who plays too straight up and down to be a true fullback, but he is too
talented not to be on the field. Florida State has an excellent tailback in Travis Minor
and good depth behind him, but the team lost its top fullback, William McCray, for the
year. However, ex-QB Dan Kendra shows signs of becoming a good fullback. Edge: Even.
Receivers — The one thing Miami has that nobody else in the
nation has is Daniel "Bubba" Franks at tight end. Franks is as close to the TE
prototype as you are going to find. He is a tall, well-coordinated big man who can block,
yet he runs well, catches the ball like a wide receiver and can run after the catch.
Franks may have been the best player on the field in this year’s Kickoff Classic vs.
Ohio State. Florida State does not line up with a tight end that often, and Nick Franklin
is not going to make anyone forget Pat Carter. Outside, both clubs are loaded with speed
and talent, but Florida State has the edge because of the incomparable Peter Warrick.
Warrick has great quickness, very good speed and good but somewhat inconsistent hands.
What makes him so very special is how well he can run with the ball after the catch. He
also makes great adjustments to the thrown ball and has the body control and balance of a
gymnast. Teammate Laveranues Coles reportedly has run faster 40-times than Deion Sanders.
Coles, who also saw some action at tailback last year, is a dangerous runner after the
catch and returner, but his hands are erratic and he does not seem to be a reliable player
or person. He has been suspended for the opener two years in a row. Ron Dugans is a big,
solid, sure-handed possession-type receiver who also has been timed in under 4.5 seconds.
Germaine Stringer is a run-through-a-car-wash-without-getting-wet-type burner who returns
kicks, and true freshman Anquan Boldin, who was the No. 1 high school prospect in Florida
as a quarterback, has already made his mark as a receiver. With his size and skills,
Boldin could be outstanding if he sticks with the position. For Miami, Reggie Wayne is an
outstanding pure receiver, and Kickoff Classic star Santana Moss makes corners with 4.45
speed look as if they can’t run. Daryl Jones is another sprinter, and the list goes
on and on. Edge: Even.
Offensive linemen — The Seminoles’ offensive line is
overrated and could be their Achilles’ heel, but it is not a bad college line,
either. Miami’s best player in this area is short Canadian OG Richard Mercier, and
its most promising player is OT Joaquin Gonzalez. But like Florida State, the Hurricanes
don’t have a bunch of future first-round picks across the front. Edge: Even.
Defensive linemen — Florida State may have the most gifted front
four in college football. The problem is that a lot of its studs are better athletes than
football players. Both starting inside players, Jerry Johnson and Corey Simon, are very
quick, powerful and explosive and can be extremely disruptive. Simon is the taller and
better of the two, but both are short and have had medical problems. DEs Roland Seymour,
Jamal Reynolds and David Warren all have incredible speed and potential, but they must do
more with their ability if Florida State is to have a great defense. Miami DT Damione
Lewis has big-time ability but is selective about when he uses it. Matt Sweeney, the
Hurricanes’ other tackle, is more of a try-hard, blue-collar type. DEs Michael
Boireau and William Joseph have to make more plays, but Joseph is just a second-year
freshman who could grow into a standout. Boireau is a second-year junior-college transfer
who needs skill development and technique. Edge: Florida State.
Linebackers — Miami has Dan Morgan, a true All-America candidate,
on the weak side and Nate Webster, a very good college player, in the middle. True
sophomore Chris Campbell replaces Michael Smith, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate
ligament, on the strong side. For Florida State, Tommy Polley, Bradley Jennings and Brian
Allen are all developing players with potential. Edge: Miami.
Defensive backs — For most college teams, CBs Clevan Thomas and
Reggie Durden would be starting, as would safeties Chris Hope and Abdual Howard. Maybe
they should be starting for Florida State too, considering how the regulars played against
Georgia Tech. However, Mario Edwards was the top-rated cornerback by the NFL’s
biggest scouting service in the spring, and some people say Tay Cody was the
Seminoles’ best cornerback the past two years. Inside, Sean Key weighs close to 200
pounds and runs better than most cornerbacks. Derrick Gibson also has excellent workout
numbers. The bottom line is that Edwards still gives up a lot of big plays in big games
and that the safeties are not always in the right position. Last season the
Hurricanes’ secondary killed them. This year the unit is better, but it still has a
problem playing the ball as opposed to playing the man. All the starters are sophomores
and juniors who are growing on the job. Sophomore CB Mike Rumph appears to have all the
tools to be a great player, but he must learn how to play the ball. FS Al Blades seems to
be fully recovered from a major left knee injury he suffered in ’97, and if the way
he ran down Ohio State RB Michael Wiley in the Kickoff Classic is any indication, he has
all of his speed back. CB Leonard Myers seems to be running at full speed again after
having his left knee scoped following last year’s Florida State game. With Rumph on
the other side, Myers will get picked on a lot. Edge: Florida State.
Special teams — Miami’s combination P-PK Andy Crosland has
become a liability and is now turning extra points into adventures. With a good, reliable
placekicker, Miami would have beaten Penn State. Florida State has a great weapon in PK
Sebastian Janikowski, who has 65-yard range on field goals and rarely has a kickoff
returned. Seminoles P Keith Cottrell is OK, and the Florida State return crew, led by
Warrick, can be sensational. Miami also has some top return men with great speed. Both
teams have the speed and athleticism to block kicks. Edge: Florida State.
Prediction: Florida State 30, Miami 20
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