Florida State at Miami (FL)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Interstat) — Miami (FL) will host Florida State Saturday in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Hard Rock Stadium, with the Hurricanes seeking to remain unbeaten and the Seminoles trying to steady their season.
Miami (FL) enters 5-0 after a 41-13 win at Clemson in its most recent game. The Hurricanes have scored at least 33 points in every contest, including a 77-7 rout of Florida A&M, and have allowed 20 points or fewer in every game. Florida State is 3-3 following a 44-20 loss at Louisville. The Seminoles opened with a 34-17 win over New Mexico State, fell to SMU 27-24, lost at Alabama 50-36, beat Central Arkansas 34-7 and topped Virginia 38-7.
Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels remains the Seminoles’ central figure. In the loss at Louisville, he completed 21 of 37 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns, rushed 13 times for 45 yards and added a rushing score. He threw for 183 yards and ran for 136 yards with five total touchdowns in a win over Virginia, and he passed for 224 yards and two scores against Central Arkansas. Earlier this season, he threw for 377 yards and two touchdowns at Alabama. Running back Ousmane Kromah also produced against Louisville, rushing 19 times for 88 yards and catching four passes for 43 yards.
Miami (FL) counters with quarterback Darian Mensah, who has directed a high-powered offense. In a win at Clemson, Mensah completed 18 of 27 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown, ran three times for 27 yards and scored on the ground. Against Central Michigan, he completed 23 of 27 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns and added another rushing score. Running backs Mark Fletcher Jr. and Javian Mallory give the Hurricanes balance. Fletcher ran 16 times for 77 yards and caught two passes for 16 yards with two touchdowns against Clemson, while Mallory added 14 carries for 63 yards.
The Seminoles will need Daniels and Kromah to sustain drives and limit the Hurricanes’ possessions. The Hurricanes will look to Mensah to stretch the field and Fletcher and Mallory to control the clock. Hard Rock Stadium is expected to provide a loud home-field advantage for Miami (FL), which has won its first five games by an average of more than 30 points. Florida State has shown offensive flashes but has struggled defensively in losses to SMU, Alabama and Louisville.
Interstat’s game simulator projects Miami (FL) 51, Florida State 14. Miami (FL) has been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -21.5. The over/under for the game is 56.5.