Mike Norvell sends final plea to FSU defense before Miami game: "We've got to attack"

Unless you've been hiding in a hole all week, the big question about tonight's Miami-FSU game is how the Seminoles' defense is going to perform against Miami's bruising offense. FSU is coming off of a disappointing 46-38 loss to Virginia in a game where the defense forced three turnovers, but also gave up a lot of plays.

There are reasons to think that FSU matches up better against Miami just because the Hurricanes aren't going to be very flashy — they come right at you. Others have explained why this might work out in the Seminoles' favor. Mike Norvell says the Seminoles just need to attack

""We've got to attack. This is an offense...they're going to try to control the game. They're going to control it with the run. They've done a wonderful job this season of being able to own time of possession. They're over 33 minutes a game. And obviously, they've got some guys on the perimeter that can make you pay if you get lackadaisical in any aspect of it. We've got to be aggressive, we've got to be fast, and we've got to be physical. This is a defense that's built to attack, and we've got to attack tonight.""

FSU coach Mike Norvell on ACC Huddle

Where can FSU's defense attack Miami?

One area that I believe will be an area where FSU can go all-out is when Miami faces a third-down of six yards or more. Miami's average third-down distance is 6.22 yards, and the Hurricanes have had solid success converting third downs (27th in the nation). 

FSU isn't bad on third-down defense, teams have a 40% success rate against the Seminoles defense and that's 47th in the country. They can improve on that tonight by sending pressure and disguising the looks that Carson Beck will see. Part of Tony White's defense is causing chaos and, with Beck not a threat to get big plays with his legs, I believe that White can do some things to confuse him.

And if Ashlynd Barker ends up playing, that's even better. Barker is one of the keys to White's ability to disguise coverage and send blitzes off the edge.