South Florida vs. Miami: Complete Game Preview

The South Florida Bulls (3-6) head to Miami to take on the Hurricanes (5-5) on Saturday. The Hurricanes are coming off a heartbreaking 41-40 loss to Virginia while the Bulls beat Connecticut for their first victory in the last seven games.

Although South Florida won the game last week, the Bulls took a hit when senior quarterback B.J. Daniels broke his ankle and will miss the remainder of the season.

The Hurricanes, on the other hand, enter the game with the same problem they have had all season, defense. Last week the Hurricanes gave up 41 points to a Virginia team that was averaging just 24 points per game.

Thankfully the Hurricanes had the services of freshman phenom Duke Johnson, who single-handedly kept Miami in the game with 368 all-purpose yards.

Read on for the complete preview of South Florida and Miami.

Game-Day Information

Who: South Florida vs. Miami

When: Saturday, 3 PM ET

Where: Miami Gardens, Fla.

Stadium: Sun Life Stadium (75,540)

TV: ESPN3

Radio: WQAM 560 AM, WELE 1380 AM

Internet Stream: Canes All Access

Depth Chart for Miami

Position: Starter, Backup (as of Nov. 15, 2012)

OFFENSE

QB: Stephen Morris, Ryan Williams

FB: Maurice Hagens, Sean Harvey

RB: Mike James, Duke Johnson

TE: Clive Walford, Dyron Dye, Asante Cleveland

WR: Phillip Dorsett, Kendal Thompkins

WR: Allen Hurns, Herb Waters

WR: Garrett Kidd (Davon Johnson out for season, no named starter during publication)

LT: Malcolm Bunche, Hunter Wells

LG: Jon Feliciano, Jeremy Lewis

C: Shane McDermott, Jared Wheeler

RG: Brandon Linder, Daniel Isidora

RT: Seantrel Henderson, Ereck Flowers

DEFENSE

DE: Anthony Chickillo, Jalen Grimble

DT: Curtis Porter, Earl Moore, Dequan Ivery

DT: Olsen Pierre, Luther Robinson

DE: Shayon Green, Tyriq McCord, Ricardo Williams

OLB: Thurston Armbrister, Jimmy Gaines

MLB: Jimmy Gaines, Raphael Kirby

OLB: Denzel Perryman or Gionni Paul,Tyrone Cornelius

CB: Ladarius Gunter, Tracy Howard, Thomas Finnie

CB: Brandon McGee, Antonio Crawford

S: A.J. Highsmith, Vaughn Telemaque

S: Kacy Rodgers II, Rayshawn Jenkins

SPECIAL TEAMS

P: Dalton Botts, Jake Wieclaw

FG: Jake Wieclaw, Matt Goudis

KO: Jake Wieclaw, Matt Goudis

H: Dalton Botts, Ryan Williams

LS: Paul Kelly, Jimmy Gaines

SS: Paul Kelly, Brandon Linder

PR: Phillip Dorsett, Duke Johnson

KR: Phillip Dorsett, Duke Johnson

Injury Report (via USA Today):

DL: Eddie Johnson - Undisclosed- Questionable

LB: Denzel Perryman - Ankle - Questionable

DB: Deon Bush - Neck - Out

WR: Rashawn Scott - Suspended - Out

Out for the Season: Ramon Buchanan (lower extremity), Malcolm Lewis (lower extremity), Sean McNally (lower extremity), Eduardo Clements (undisclosed injury), Robert Lockhart Jr. (leg), Davon Johnson (knee).

Depth Chart for South Florida

Position: Starter, Backup (as of Nov. 12, 2012)

OFFENSE

QB: Bobby Eveld or Matt Floyd

FB: Jeff Hawkins, Spencer Cavalieri

RB: Demetris Murray or Marcus Shaw

TE: Sean Price, Mike McFarland, Andreas Shields

WR: Terrence Mitchell, Deonte Welch or Victor Marc

WR: Andre Davis, D'Vario Montgomery

LT: Darrell Williams, Damien Edwards

LG: Thor Jozwiak, Lawrence Martin

C: Austin Reiter, Thor Jozwiak

RG: Brynjar Gudmundsson, Steven Jacques

RT: Quinterrius Eatmon, Max Lang

DEFENSE

DE: Eric Lee, Mike Jeune or Julius Forte

DT: Luke Sager, Elkino Watson

DT: Cory Grissom, Todd Chandler or James Hamilton

DE: Tevin Mims, Ryne Giddins

SAM: Reshard Cliett, Zack Bullock

MIKE: DeDe Lattimore, Michael Lanaris

WILL: Seanr Barrington, Tashon Whitehurst

CB: Kayvon Webster, Joshua Brown

CB: George Baker, Kenneth Durden

SS: JaQuez Jenkins, Trevon Griffin

FS: Mark Joyce, Fidel Montgomery

SPECIAL TEAMS

P: Hustin Brockhaus-Kann, Mattias Ciabatti

FG: Maikon Bonani

KO: Marvin Kloss

H: Justin Brockhaus-Kann

LS: David Burdetsky

PR: Terrence Mitchell or Andre Davis

KR: Marcus Shaw, Terrence Mitchell, Kayvon Webster

Injury Report (via USA Today):

DB: Jon Lejiste - Leg- Probable

G: Danous Estenor - Ankle - Questionable

WR: D'Vario Montgomery - Shoulder - Questionable

WR: Derrick Hopkins- Leg - Questionable

RB: Willie Davis - Ankle - Questionable

TE: Evan Landi - Ankle - Doubtful

WR: Chris Dunkley - Suspension - Out indefinitely

T: Mark Popek - Ankle - Out indefinitely

Out for the Season: Lindsey Lamar (collarbone), B.J. Daniels (ankle), Sterling Griffin (Knee)

What Happened to the Hurricanes Last Week?

Cavalier quarterback Michael Rocco threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns as Virginia beat Miami, 41-40. Rocco hit tight end Jake McGee on a 10-yard touchdown pass with just six seconds left in the game.

The Hurricanes defense was its typical self allowing 482 yards of total offense to the Cavaliers.

Miami quarterback Stephen Morris completed 17 of 25 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

True freshman Duke Johnson stole the show racking up 368 all-purpose yards. Duke rushed for 150 yards on 16 carries, threw a touchdown and returned four kickoffs for 214 yards, including a 95-yard return for a touchdown early in the game.

It was the fourth most all-purpose yards in ACC history.

What Happened to the Bulls Last Week?

The Bulls defense stifled Connecticut, creating three turnovers in a 13-6 win last weekend. South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels completed 19 of 29 passes for 199 yards while running for another 23 yards and scoring on the only touchdown in the game in the first quarter.

Daniels did leave the game in the fourth quarter in an apparent ankle injury. It was later determined that he broke it and will be out for the rest of the season.

Kicker Maikon Bonani made both field-goal attempts including a 50-yarder in the fourth quarter.

What It Means for Both Teams

Although this game is an out-of-conference game it means a lot regarding postseason play. South Florida must beat Miami to stay bowl-eligible. The Bulls are currently 3-6 and need to win all three games to reach a bowl game.

For the Hurricanes it also means they must win to become bowl-eligible. After the Bulls this weekend, the Hurricanes travel to a much-improved Duke team.

Key Player(s) for the Hurricanes: Offensive Line

With the Bulls losing quarterback B.J. Daniels for the season to an ankle injury, I believe this is one game in which the Hurricanes defense can actually control an opposing offense.

So I will turn my key players of the game to the offensive line.The Bulls don't have the best defense in the country, but it is a team filled with tremendous athletes.

South Florida is giving up 156 yards per game on the ground, and if the Hurricanes offensive linemen can create holes, Duke Johnson and Mike James could put up big numbers.

Key Player(s) for the Cavaliers: Bobby Eveld or Matt Floyd, QB

The key players for the Bulls this weekend will be backup quarterbacks Bobby Eveld or Matt Floyd. According to the Bulls website, head coach Skip Holtz has yet to name a starter for B.J Daniels, who broke his ankle in the fourth quarter of Nov. 3 game against Connecticut.

Eveld seems to be the logical choice since he was Daniels primary backup last season. The junior has thrown for 808 yards, three touchdowns and seven interceptions in his brief career.

Floyd, on the other, hand is just a freshman. He is the only other quarterback to log any time this season. He has completed 4 of 10 passes for just 22 yards.

Regardless of who it is, they have big shoes to fill. If neither quarterback can move the offense, the Bulls may lose big.

The Hurricanes Will Win If...

The Hurricanes will win this game if they can move the ball on offense. This is the one game in which I believe the defense can hold their own.

The Bulls are without their leading passer and two of their three leading rushers.

So the Hurricanes just need to use a good balance on offense to effectively be able to throw the ball and run it to control the time of possession.

If Duke Johnson and Mike James can put up good numbers, Miami can easily win this game.

The Bulls Will Win If....

The Bulls will win this game if they completely shut down the Hurricanes offense. South Florida is missing too many players on offense to have a shootout with Miami, so the Bulls will have to rely on stout defense to come away with the win.

The Hurricanes have struggled offensively at times during the season so the possibility is there for this South Florida team; the Bulls will just need to take advantage.

If South Florida can limit its turnovers and stop the Hurricanes offense from exploding, the Bulls can certainly win this game.

Prediction

I will make this prediction short and sweet.

The Bulls are without B.J Daniels and playing at Miami. Those two things will be too much for the Bulls to overcome.

Final Prediction: Miami 28, USF 17