THE OUTLOOK:
No one around the state has experienced as much change in
the eight-month off-season than the Miami Hurricanes. Just
days removed from their egregious 35-3 loss to Wisconsin in
the Pinstripe Bowl, former head coach Mark Richt decided
retiring was easier than rebuilding his alma mater back to
national prominence. News of his retirement not only shocked
the entire college football landscape but set up for one of
the more awkward replacement hires in history. Former
Hurricanes defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, who had
taken the head coaching position at Temple just 18 days prior
to Richt’s announcement, was hired back by Miami almost
immediately. Diaz remained on staff through the Hurricanes
bowl game and was technically only Temple’s head coach for a
total of three days.
Much like last season, the Hurricanes could find themselves
in a quarterback battle right up to the first snap in Orlando.
Sophomore N’Kosi Perry returns with the most experience,
while Ohio State sophomore transfer, Tate Martell, could also
win the starting job. With just a handful of upperclassmen
at offensive skill positions, the Hurricanes’ lack of experience
won’t be much different than their lack of experience on
the sidelines. Defensively, the Hurricanes are loaded with
experienced upperclassmen who will once again be relied
upon heavily to keep them in close games while the offense
continues to be a work in progress.
THE SCHEDULE:
Sat, August 24, #7 Florida (at Camping World Stadium - Orlando)
Sat, September 7, at North Carolina
Sat, September 14, Bethune-Cookman
Sat, September 21, Central Michigan
Sat, October 5, Virginia Tech
Fri, October 11, Virginia
Sat, October 19, Georgia Tech
Sat, October 26, at Pittsburgh
Sat, November 2, at Florida State
Sat, November 9, Louisville
Sat, November 23, at Florida International
Sat, November 30, at Duke
THE PREDICTION:
8 wins, 4 losses — With just one ranked opponent on the
schedule, Diaz and the Hurricanes could appear to be
on the rebound from Richt quickly. Their performance
on the road in the in-state rivalry games will set the tone
for expectations going forward under the new regime.
Holding serve in five consecutive home games from
early September to late October will go a long way in
determining what to expect down the stretch as the
Hurricanes close the regular season with four of their
final five games on the road.
42 Central Florida Lifestyle | August 2019
THE OUTLOOK:
Willie Taggart enters his second season in Tallahassee on the
proverbial hotseat. Last season’s abysmal outcome, albeit
due to a plethora of issues, was downright embarrassing for
a program with such national prowess. The issues along the
offensive line were the main cause, but much of Florida State’s
offseason was spent stockpiling able bodies to avoid the same
thing from happening this season. Offensive coordinator Walt
Bell and offensive line coach Greg Frey were relieved of their
duties and replaced with Kendal Briles and Randy Clements.
Quarterback Deondre Francois was finally dismissed from
the team after Tallahassee Police were showing up at his door
nearly as often as opposing defensive lineman were in his
backfield last season. Sophomore James Blackman is expected
to take over under center, with Wisconsin graduate transfer
Alex Hornibrook as his backup. Last season’s leading rusher,
junior Cam Akers, will lead a young group of talented running
backs for the Seminoles while Tamorrion Terry, D.J. Matthews
and Keith Gavin will lead the receiving corp.
Defensively, the Seminoles will field a young group who
comes with experience at nearly every position. Linebacker
Dontavious Jackson and nickelback Hamsah Nasirildeen
should anchor the center of a defense who will have to provide
more pressure on opposing offenses than they were able to a
season ago. With cornerbacks Stanford Samuels III and Akeem
Dent on the outside, opposing quarterbacks may not find as
many opportunities to break big plays as there were in 2018.
THE SCHEDULE:
Sat, August 31, #25 Boise State (at TIAA Bank Stadium –
Jacksonville)
Sat, September 7, Louisiana-Monroe
Sat, September 14, at Virginia
Sat, September 21, Louisville
Sat, September 28, N.C. State
Sat, October 12, at #1 Clemson
Sat, October 19, at Wake Forest
Sat, October 26, Syracuse
Sat, November 2, #21 Miami
Sat, November 9, at Boston College
Sat, November 16, Alabama State
Sat, November 30, at #7 Florida
THE PREDICTION:
7 wins, 5 losses – It may not be what the Seminoles are used to,
but it should be an improvement none the less for Taggart and
company. With just two opponents in the preseason top 20, the
Seminoles should be able to take advantage of an extremely
favorable home schedule and could factor in the ACC’s Atlantic
Coast Division throughout much of the season. Getting the
season off on the right foot against Boise State could have the
Seminoles return to relevancy quicker than many are expecting.
MIAMI HURRICANES
– AP Ranking, #21
FLORIDA STATE
– Unranked