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FSU vs. Miami Q&A: Chatting with ‘Canes Warning

By David Visser

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The FSU vs. Miami Q&A features queries I posed to Juan Toribio, the editor of ‘Canes Warning, our sister site covering all things Miami. 

DV: Brad Kaaya’s had an exceptional freshman campaign and currently leads the ACC in touchdown passes. How do you think he responds on this big of a stage against FSU’s talented secondary?

JT: Just 9 games into his collegiate career, I already have a ton of confidence in Brad Kaaya for big games. He started his career against Louisville and last month, he became the first true freshman to beat a Virginia Tech team in Blacksburg since 1998. Not to mention somewhere between that, he played in Lincoln (and well) in front of 90 thousand people. Obviously UM-FSU is a different atmosphere, but if there’s a freshman quarterback that can handle it, it’s Kaaya. It also helps at the game is in Miami and not Tallahassee.

DV: The ‘Canes amassed an impressive six sacks in their last game, against North Carolina. Do you think they’ll get pressure on Winston behind a senior-dominated FSU OL, and, more importantly, can they rattle him?

JT: I think it depends on what Canes defense shows up. Coach D’Onofrio has played some games disturbingly passive and he’s played some games extremely aggressive. If Miami plays aggressive, they have a chance of rattling Winston. They definitely won’t get past FSU’s line six times, but Miami has some talented guys up front. If they get an early lead and they force FSU to long third-downs, they’ll have a good chance at getting into Winston’s head a little bit.

DV: Rashad Greene is coming off a career-high 13-catch performance against Virginia. How can Miami slow down him and the ACC’s top passing attack?

JT: Well, I think Miami’s best chance is to completely shut down the running game. If FSU gets going on the ground, Miami has absolutely no shot at stopping FSU offensively. Artie Burns will be lined up on Rashad Greene and he’s shown a lot of improvement and Miami feels comfortable putting him out on that island. I don’t think one single person can shut down FSU’s receivers, because they’re that good. Miami needs to get FSU into obvious passing downs so they can slow those guys down.

DV: The Hurricanes have been seeking a return to national prominence for quite some time now. How much would a victory on Saturday booster their resume, and how many years away are they — or don’t you see it under Al Golden?

JT: Miami fans have been extremely critical of Al Golden because he doesn’t have a signature win four years into his tenure at Miami. A win on Saturday would finally get that monkey off his back and give Golden that signature win everyone has been waiting for. I think Miami is a couple of classes away from really doing some damage.

The Hurricanes had a great class come in last year and are setting up nicely in 2015, and are already off to a torrid start in the 2016 class. Miami appears to have a great quarterback for the next couple of years. Now it’s up to the staff to surround him with talent on offense, while improving their defense. I do believe Al Golden can get the job done, but I do think the time is ticking for him to win a big game.

DV: Finally, how do you see this one playing out, and what’s your score prediction?

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JT: I’ve been battling with this all week and the more I think about it, the more I’ve convinced myself about the upset. I think FSU is the best team in the country, but they’ve had a little bit of a sloppy stretch the last couple of games and have played with fire.

Miami, on the other hand, has been playing their best football of the season and have a ton to prove in front of their home crowd. I think Kaaya has a nice day and Duke Johnson plays like Duke Johnson and Miami comes out on top, 34-28. The Hurricanes have made me look dumb plenty of times, and this could very well be another one of those times.

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