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GAME THREAD: Miami Hurricanes at Florida State Seminoles

Your friendly SBNation home to discuss Canes-Noles

NCAA Football: Florida State at Miami
Which coach, and team, will emerge victorious from the 2017 installment of Miami-FSU?
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The wait is over. The time is now.

The Miami Hurricanes travel to Tallahassee to take on the hated rival Florida State Seminoles at 3:30pm.

Here’s our Game Preview by Stefan Adams.

Here’s our Opponent Q&A by Cam Underwood.

Here’s the other side of that Q&A (my answers to their questions) over on Tomahawk Nation.

Here’s our X’s and O’s Scheme Preview by Justin Dottavio.

Here’s our Matchup of the Week by Matt Washington.

Here’s our picks from around the CFB world for this week by John Pickens.

Here’s a tailgating guide for this week from Donovan Hutchins.

Here’s our SOTU roundtable discussion leading up to today’s game: Part 1 and Part 2

Here are our SOTU staff predictions for today’s game.

Here’s a look at the season stats coming into today’s game:

Here are game notes from Miami Athletics:

Notables

#13/#12 MIAMI SET FOR RIVALRY MATCHUP WITH SEMINOLES

• #13/#12 Miami (3-0, 1-0 ACC) will continue its road slate on Sat., Oct. 7 with a matchup against Florida State (1-2, 1-1 ACC) at Doak Campbell Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.

• Miami is looking for its first win in the rivalry series since 2009, when the Hurricanes topped the Seminoles, 38-34, on a goal line stand on the final possession as time expired in Tallahassee.

• In last year’s matchup at Hard Rock Stadium, the Hurricanes fought back in the fourth quarter with a late touchdown to set up a potential tie, but Florida State blocked the extra point attempt and held on to win, 20-19. The matchup was the third straight decided by five points or fewer.

• UM was scheduled to have played three road games by Oct. 7, but Hurricane Irma forced two changes: a cancellation at Arkansas State (Sept. 9) and the postponement of FSU (Sept. 16).

• Miami is looking to start its ACC schedule with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2013.

LAST TIME OUT: HURRICANES DOWN DUKE IN DURHAM, 31-6

• Miami jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 31-6 win over Duke in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. on Sept. 29.

• QB Malik Rosier was red-hot from the outset, completing his first nine pass attempts and throwing for 155 yards in the first quarter alone. He finished with 270 yards and two TDs.

• WR Braxton Berrios recorded a touchdown reception for the fourth straight game dating back to 2016, the first such streak by a Miami receiver since Phillip Dorsett did so in 2014.

• In his first game of 2017 after a hamstring injury caused him to miss the first two, WR Ahmmon Richards enjoyed a return to form with three receptions, 106 yards and a 49-yard touchdown.

• Miami became just the second team in the past five seasons to hold Duke without an offensive touchdown; the Blue Devils mustered just two field goals and Miami forced two turnovers.

WALTON WATCH: 19 YARDS AWAY FROM JOINING ELITE COMPANY

• The only returning running back in the ACC who posted a 1,000-yard rushing season in 2016, junior RB Mark Walton is off to a sizzling start to 2017 with 403 rush yards in three games.

• With 1,981 career rush yards, Walton now sits in 11th place all-time at Miami; he entered the season No. 21 in all-time rush yards. His eight 100-yard rush games are tied for eighth-most.

• With 51 yards against Duke last time out, Walton moved from No. 14 to No. 11 in the record books, leapfrogging Tyrone Moss (2003-06, 1,942), Stephen McGuire (1090-1992, 1,953) andFrank Gore (2001-04, 1,975). Next up in 10th place is Willis McGahee (2001-02, 2,067).

• Walton is 19 yards away from becoming the 11th Hurricane with 2,000 or more yards on the ground; Duke Johnson (2012-14) is Miami’s all-time leader in career rush yards (3,519).

• Walton opened 2017 with a bang, recording 148 yards and two rushing touchdowns in Week 1. He followed that up with the seventh 200-yard rushing game ever in Week 2 vs. Toledo. Walton now has 28 career TDs in 29 career games and is tied for fifth in rushing TDs at Miami (26).

• In 2016, Walton became just the 10th running back in Miami history to rush for over 1,000 yards.

• The impressive feat marked the 11th 1,000-yard rushing season in Miami’s and the third straight year the Hurricanes had a 1,000-yard rusher; Duke Johnson rushed for 1,652 yards in 2014 while Joe Yearby finished with 1,002 yards on the ground in 2015.

• The only player in Miami history with two 1,000-yard seasons is Edgerrin James (1997, 1998).

James Jackson (1,006 in 2000), Clinton Portis (1,200 in 2001) and Willis McGahee (1,753 in 2002) recorded the only other stretch of three straight 1,000-yard rushers in Miami history.

ROSIER LOOKING TO IMPROVE TO 3-0 IN HIS CAREER ON THE ROAD

• Redshirt junior quarterback Malik Rosier was announced as Miami’s starting quarterback by head coach Mark Richt on Aug. 22, during the final week of Hurricanes fall camp.

• Rosier will be making just the fifth start of his career and third road start when he lines up under center versus Florida State on Oct. 7; his only other road starts both came at Duke (2015, 2017).

• Rosier became the first Hurricane QB to open his career with a 4-0 record since Brock Berlin did so in 2003. He entered the week leading the ACC in passing efficiency (167.0) with eight touchdowns and two picks.

• Rosier won a four-man quarterback race during training camp, besting redshirt sophomore Evan Shirreffs - who was named backup QB - and freshmen N’Kosi Perry and Cade Weldon.

ROAD REGULARS

• Miami opened ACC play on the road for the eighth time in the past nine seasons, and will be opening ACC play with back-to-back road games for the fourth time ever and first since 2012.

• Since joining the conference in 2004, the Hurricanes are now 8-6 all-time in ACC openers.

• When opening ACC play on the road, the Hurricanes now have an all-time record of 5-4.

BERRIOS BALLING IN FINAL SEASON

• Senior WR Braxton Berrios has been one of Miami’s top offensive threats in the first three games of 2017, and leads all wide receivers with 10 receptions, 192 yards and three touchdowns.

• Berrios had just 12 catches for 178 yards and two receiving touchdowns in all of 2016 (13 games).

• The North Carolina native had two receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown in a return to his home state last time out vs. Duke (Sept. 29), playing in front of more than 30 friends and family.

• Berrios posted his first career 100-yard receiving game in a win over Toledo on Sept. 23, catching five passes, including a career-long 55-yarder, for 105 yards with one receiving score.

• Berrios became the first Hurricane since Miami legend Andre Johnson in 2002 to record a touchdown catch in each of his first three games of the season.

• Berrios has a touchdown catch in each of the past four games dating to a win over West Virginia in the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl, the longest such streak since WR Phillip Dorsett in 2014 (4).

WELCOME BACK

• After missing the first two games of 2017 with a hamstring injury suffered during training camp, WR Ahmmon Richards returned vs. Duke on Sept. 29, starting and totaling 106 receiving yards.

• It was the fifth career 100-yard receiving game for Richards, who added a 49-yard TD in the win.

WHO’S ROCKING THE TURNOVER CHAIN?

• The University of Miami “turnover chain” made its debut Sept. 2 against Bethune-Cookman, when sophomore DB Malek Young was rewarded for his interception with an oversized sparkling “U” chain on the sidelines at Hard Rock Stadium.

• Miami has recorded five turnovers on defense so far, and six different student-athletes have worn the chain; Young, DB Amari Carter (forced fumble vs. Bethune-Cookman), DL Ryan Fines (recovered fumble vs. Bethune-Cookman), DB Sheldrick Redwine (recovered fumble vs. Toledo), LB Michael Pinckney (interception vs. Duke) and DL Pat Bethel (forced fumble and fumble recovery vs. Duke).

• The chain, which was the brainchild of Miami’s defensive staff in an effort to reward players for creating turnovers, has since inspired an adidas-designed t-shirt and been the source of viral social media posts since making its debut on Sept. 2.

BADG-O-MATIC

• Senior K Michael Badgley, who earned third-team All-ACC honors for the second straight year in 2016, has enjoyed a strong start to 2017, going 4-for-5 on field goals and 16-for-16 on PATs.

Badgley, who was named to the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Award, ranks third in Miami history in career made field goals (66). He hit a Miami-record 25 field goals in 2015.

• Badgley needs just seven field goals to tie Carlos Huerta’s (1988-91) Miami career record of 73.

• Badgley 333 career points are the third-most in UM history; Huerta (397) owns the UM record. Badgley needs just four points to tie Jon Peattie (2003-06, 337) for second-most all-time.

• Badgley’s lone miss this season came on a 53-yard attempt last time out vs. Duke (Sept. 29).

CONSISTENT CANES

• Hurricane returnees Kc McDermott, Mark Walton, R.J. McIntosh, Kendrick Norton, Shaquille Quarterman and Michael Pinckney were the only Miami players to start in every game in 2016.

• McDermott’s 24-game consecutive start streak is the longest on the team.

• Pinckney missed his first start in the opener against Bethune-Cookman due to suspension from a targeting penalty incurred in the second half of Miami’s 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl win.

• OL Navaughn Donaldson is the only freshman to start every game so far, all at right guard.

• Freshman WR Mike Harley has two starts, and grad transfer newcomer DB Dee Delaney has started all three games. WR Dayall Harris made his first career start vs. Toledo on Sept. 23.

EIGHT IN A ROW

• The Miami Hurricanes have won eight games in a row dating back to Nov. 5, 2016, and have not lost since a 27-30 defeat at Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. on Oct. 29, 2016.

• The eight-game winning streak is the longest for Miami since the Hurricanes won nine games from Nov. 17, 2012 - Oct. 26, 2013. It is the first exactly eight-game winning streak since the 2012-13 seasons (Nov. 24, 2012 - Oct. 26, 2013).

• UM’s average margin of victory during its current eight-game winning streak is 21.0 points.

• Since taking over, Mark Richt has guided Miami to a 12-4 record and Miami’s 12 wins have come by an average of 26.3 points. The four losses have come by an average of just 8.0 points.

And all that boils down to this:

Miami needs to win. By 1 or a million. On great play or a fluke call. In short, as DC Manny Diaz said on radio this week:

Whatever. It. Takes.

Discuss the action here and, hopefully, begin the celebration of Miami’s biggest win in YEARS.

Go Canes