Ahead of the first Syracuse-Miami matchup since 2003, Susan Degnan of the Miami Herald answered five questions from The Daily Orange about Saturday’s matchup. The No. 8 Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) will host Syracuse (4-3, 2-1), fresh off a massive upset over then-No.2 Clemson, at 3:30 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium. The game will air on ESPN.

The Daily Orange: Even without star running back Mark Walton, Miami has scored efficiently, minimized turnovers and capitalized on red zone opportunities. What or who else offensively has keyed Miami’s hot start?

Susan Degnan: The Canes have been fueled by a couple of receivers who were quieter in the past (one of them virtually nonexistent) and have found their groove in 2017. Senior wideout Braxton Berrios leads the team with 326 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 24 receptions. His numbers this season either match or exceed his combined stats from the past two seasons. Berrios became the first Hurricane since Reggie Wayne in 2000 to record a touchdown catch in each of his first four games of the season. He also is sixth nationally and first in the ACC with his 17.1-yards-per-punt-return.

But let’s also not forget 6-4, 220-pound redshirt junior Darrell Langham, who had three catches since coming to UM in 2014 – before he became the hero the past two weeks in UM’s last-second victories against Florida State and Georgia Tech. Against FSU, Langham hauled in a 23-yard touchdown with six seconds left. Against the Yellow Jackets, he had a 28-yard catch on fourth-and-10 that set up the winning field goals with four seconds left.

As for the quarterback making it happen, first-year starter Malik Rosier, despite at times being inaccurate, has been clutch when it counts most. And he can run.

The D.O.: UM defensive coordinator Manny Diaz called Syracuse “the fastest offense in the country.” What are the defensive players saying about it, especially members of UM’s dangerous defensive line, and how are they preparing?

S.D.: The Hurricanes defense knows what it’s up against. “Syracuse, they run about 900 plays a game,’’ said defensive end Trent Harris, who has five tackles for loss and leads the team with three-and-a-half sacks. “It’s going to take the whole D-line for this game, the pass rush. We’re just going to have to rely on each other.”

Diaz insists there’s no way to simulate Syracuse’s speed in practice, so he made sure the D went live against the best players on offense this week.

“They’ve got a good tempo,’’ understated tackle Pat Bethel. “They play hard. We just have to make sure we come out and play harder.’’ And this from safety Jaquan Johnson: “I believe we’re going to keep up with them. We’re working hard, we’re conditioned, we’re doing plays up-tempo, fast, and not taking breaks.’’

The D.O.: Given how well Syracuse played against Clemson, how likely is another Syracuse upset? In other words, where is Miami vulnerable?

S.D.: Miami’s defense is most vulnerable in the back end, where Diaz said this week that the Hurricanes are five to six DBs shy of what they should have scholarship-wise. UM lost two cornerbacks and two safeties to the NFL this season. This week, current starting cornerback Dee Delaney is out with a knee injury, and current starting safety Sheldrick Redwine sat out last week with an “upper extremity’’ injury. The backups don’t have a ton of playing time, to say the least.

Miami’s offense is vulnerable in the depth at running back. With tailback Walton out, there’s one very talented back, Travis Homer, and pretty much total inexperience after that.

The D.O.: Who is Miami’s X-factor in this game and is there a player who doesn’t get much of the spotlight whom fans should know about?

S.D.: The X-factor could be Homer, a sophomore who was superb in his first career start last week after Walton sustained a season-ending ankle injury at FSU. The sophomore rushed for 170 yards and a 27-yard touchdown on 20 carries and added an acrobatic 17-yard touchdown reception against a strong Georgia Tech defense. He is averaging 8.4 yards a carry this season and is extremely tough and physical for his 5-11, 195-pound frame. Homer also stars on special teams, but had to be removed from two of his four units once he became the starting tailback. Until last week, Homer was pretty much low on the limelight scale. Not anymore.   

The D.O.: How do you think the game will turn out?

S.D.: If Miami’s defense can get accustomed to the Orange’s offense before it’s too late, then the Canes win comfortably – unlike the past two squeakers. Vegas is talking a 17-point spread. I’m going with Miami.  

Published on October 20, 2017 at 12:12 am

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21