The Miami Hurricanes are rolling. The Canes have looked like one of the best teams in the country, rolling all three of their opponents thus far. The Canes destroyed Ball State last week 63-0 and have been an offensive juggernaut behind Cam Ward who is the early Heisman favorite. How dominant has Miami been?
But now Miami is going to get texted against a USF team that for two consecutive years has given Alabama trouble. In 2023 the Bulls held the Tide to 17 points, losing 17-3 in Tampa. Then this year the Bulls were within one point entering the fourth quarter at Tuscaloosa before Bama exploded in the fourth quarter. The Bulls won their bowl game and routed Syracuse 45-0 in the Boca Raton Bowl last year. In other words Miami absolutely needs to take the South Florida Bulls seriously this upcoming week. What does Miami need to do win this game?
Keys to Victory
For the Canes, it starts with their offensive line and protecting Cam Ward. Miami has done a great job protecting Cam Ward. So far, the offensive line has helped keep their Heisman contending quarterback upright allowing just three total sacks in the three games played. It has paid dividends as Ward has sliced and diced opponents with his arm igniting the Canes offense into a vertical nightmare of an attack. South Florida likes to put pressure on the quarterback and they are very aggressive in getting pressure on the QB led by linebacker Mac Harris ( 19 total tackles and one sack) and defensive end Kajuan Banks( eight total tackles and two sacks) .
The Canes Offensive Line has been fantastic in pass protection and average when it comes to the run. Miami will need the line to play better and create gaps for Damien Martinez, Mark Fletcher and Jordan Lyle. The Canes need a two- pronged attack to keep South Florida guessing and not become a one-dimensional team.
It will be interesting to see how Ward reacts to pressure situations. Bulls DC Todd Orlando’s multiple 3-3-5 scheme uses three down linemen and five defensive backs. Orlando likes to get creative with blitz packages where he sends linebackers and to attack the quarterback, and forcing the QB to make a split-second decision without getting comfortable in the pocket. Ward has not been pressured and tested too much as the Great Wall of Mirabal held down Florida, FAMU, and Ball State in check. Ward did have an interception against Florida in a pressure situation where he tried to do too much. It will be interesting to see how Ward will react to a scheme that will not back down and will be in attack mode for the entire game. If the OL comes to play and Ward can survive and not throw multiple picks Miami will be in great shape to win this game handily.
X- Factor
For this week the X- Factor is not a single player but an entire unit. The Canes linebackers will need to be disciplined as South Florida’s strength lines in running the ball. So far this year South Florida has almost doubled their rushing yards compared to their passing yards with 806 rushing yards compared to 468 passing yards. Their quarterback Byrum Brown leads the team in carries with 46 carries for 254 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, South Florida has four players with 20+ carries this season and have scored 11 touchdowns on the ground compared to just three passing touchdowns.
That means that Kiko Mauigoa , Wesley Bissainthe, Chase Smith and Raul Aguirre Jr. will play a significant role in stopping the run and not allowing the Bulls to run wild. Mauigoa leads the team with 17 total tackles while Bissainthe is third with 12 total tackles. All linebackers will need to be laser focused taking South Florida’s run game seriously.
Prediction
This is a road game in Tampa in a prime-time slot at 7 PM and the Bulls have already sold over 10,000 more tickets than what they normally average leading them to open extra seating in what will be a 60,000 + mad house. For South Florida, this is their Super Bowl and it allows them to claim the “Best team in the state” moniker if they upset Miami. But this Miami I believe is a different Miami than years past. Miami is a machine that is blowing out bad and mediocre teams. And although South Florida has the talent to hang around if not take seriously, they are nowhere near Miami’s stratosphere from a talent standpoint. Miami has turned a corner and is taking every game, every practice rep and every snap with utmost professionalism and seriousness. Coach Cristobal talked about how prepared Miami is and the steps coaches take to make sure they are continually getting better:
Mario Cristobal saw what South Florida did to Bama on the road and he will not allow this team to lose focus. I expect Miami to win in a rout and continue their streak of 40+ point game showing that this “New Miami” is the Old School Miami.
Canes- 44
Bulls- 16
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