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Noles & Canes Set For Sat. Battle

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBSMiami.com) – The annual game between Florida State and Miami used to determine who would play for the national championship. The 2011 game will instead be about which program is truly on the rise in the state.

Florida State welcomes Miami into the unfriendly confines of Doak Campbell Stadium Saturday afternoon. FSU is 6-3 on the season and is currently riding a four-game winning streak as the Hurricanes come to town.

FSU's defense has come alive after playing two bad games against Clemson and Wake Forest earlier in the season. The Seminoles are only allowing eight points per game during their winning streak.

FSU is also near the top in scoring defense in the ACC, allowing just 15.8 points per game, according to cfbstats.com. The Noles are tops in the ACC in rushing defense, giving up just 78.9 yards per game; and the Noles pass defense allows just 189 yards per game.

Overall, FSU's defense is ranked at the top of the ACC. The Noles only give up an average of 268 yards per game. Nationally, FSU's defense is ranked fourth, just behind Alabama, Michigan State, and LSU.

The Canes will counter with an offense that ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring, averaging just fewer than 31 points per game.

Miami's offensive attack is unbalanced from the standpoint of rush versus pass. The Canes are ranked in the bottom third of the ACC in passing yards per game, but are in the top half for rushing the football.

Overall, the Canes offense musters just 385 yards per game, which will not be nearly enough against FSU's stout defense.

When FSU gets the ball, it too has an offensive discrepancy in the running and passing game. FSU's offensive imbalance is the exact reverse of Miami's problems.

The Noles' passing attack is the second best in the ACC and gains nearly 300 yards passing in each game. On the flip side, the Noles running attack is ranked near the bottom of the conference, mustering only 126 yards per game on the ground.

But the Noles offense will run into a defense that is just as stingy in points allowed per game. The Hurricanes give up just 21.2 points per game on the season, which is good for third best in the conference, according to cfbstats.com.

Miami's best defensive unit is stopping the pass. The Canes give up just 205 yards per game through the air, but have only intercepted five passes on the season. Plus, Miami hasn't faced a passing attack like FSU's this season.

The Miami versus FSU game is set for a 3:30 p.m kickoff and can be seen on ABC.

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