Miami vs. FAMU 2009 Game Preview

By Michael Appell • on October 9, 2009

Miami vs. FAMU 2009 Game Preview

A thrilling four game stretch is now complete and Miami gets a bit of a reprieve if there is such a thing in college football. This week, the Florida A&M Rattlers come to Davie. They bring an all conference quarterback in Curtis Pulley and all world special teams ace in LeRoy Vann. The Rattlers were 9-3 last year and although they are FCS members, they clearly have some talent on the roster.

Miami has should continue to put up points, especially on a defense that simply doesn’t have the horses necessary to matchup with the Hurricane’s quick strike offense. The offensive line needs to continue to hold steady and give Jacory Harris time to break down the defense and hit his receivers on crossing routes or deep. The running game also needs to show up like they did last week versus Oklahoma. If Miami plays anywhere near the level that they did last Saturday, FAMU won’t have much of a chance. I don’t see the Rattlers defense holding Miami to under 24 points and that will be the least amount of points scored by the Hurricanes.

The defense must continue to get pressure on Pulley and make him work for every yard. Philip Sylvester, the Rattlers running back is good enough to keep Miami honest, but in the end the talent differential will win out in this battle. This week’s game should be a good litmus test for the Hurricane cornerbacks. They will be more talented in every aspect, but they must play up to their potential and dominate for this game to be a success. Also, the defense will need to win the turnover game and score some points as well to stay sharp. Coach Lovett might want to get creative since he will be able to without really hurting the product.

The special teams will get a real test with Vann returning punts and kicks so it won’t be an easy week by any stretch of the imagination. This is the week where UM can hone it’s special teams skills and maybe break one for a touchdown boosting the confidence of a weak link. I like this matchup because it won’t be a complete walkover. Miami will have to continue to run its game plan but I think we might just get a chance at seeing some of back ups getting meaningful reps in the fourth quarter. AJ Highsmith and Mike James should get to parlay this week into a showcase at what they can do.

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