Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida Atlantic Owls

The Miami Hurricanes kick off the 2013 campaign with a showdown against crosstown "rival" Florida Atlantic. Rival is in quotations because despite being South Florida-based programs, this is the first-ever meeting between the Hurricanes and Owls. 

Miami is coming off of a 7-5 campaign under third-year head coach Al Golden. The Hurricanes finished atop the ACC Coastal standings in 2012, tied with ineligible North Carolina and Georgia Tech, who Miami beat head-to-head earlier in the season.

Due to hovering NCAA sanctions, Miami self-imposed a postseason ban, missing out on the ACC Championship game and a rematch against arch-rival Florida State, as well as a potential BCS matchup and Orange Bowl berth.

The Canes welcome the early would-be warm-up as the hated, 10th-ranked Gators head to town Week 2. UM is 59-27-1 in season openers and 5-0 since moving from the Orange Bowl to Sun Life Stadium. 

Florida Atlantic is coming off a 3-9 campaign under second-year head coach Carl Pelini, and while the Canes and Owls share no on-field history, there is a common ground in legendary head coach Howard Schnellenberger, who led UM to its first national championship 30 years ago and later put FAU on the map in 2001, where he coached until 2011. 


Time : 8:00 p.m. ET

Place : Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL

TV : ESPN U

Radio : WQAM 560 - WVUM 90.5 FM - XM 191

Spread : Miami -31.5 (Danny Sheridan, USA Today)

Paying Tribute to a College Football Legend

Before diving into the full-fledged preview, a moment to pay respect to the legend that is Howard Schnellenberger. Coach Schnelly will be an honorary captain for both squads when the Canes and Owls face off on Friday night and, in what is expected to be a rather one-sided affair, will be a running storyline with ESPN U commentators looking for something to chat about throughout the course of the evening. 

Schnellenberger came to Miami in 1979 and boldly stated that he would win a national championship during his tenure at The U, which was preposterous at the time. Equally as bold were his efforts to build a program at Florida Atlantic, but the legend accomplished both. UM won a ring Schnellenberger's fifth and final season in Coral Gables, and less than two decades later he fielded FAU's first squad in 2001. 

Miami is expected to bring in more than 75 members of the 1983 national championship team, who will be honored at halftime for their three-decade-old accomplishment that brought UM its first title.

Without Schnellenberger, there is no Miami Hurricanes football program as it's known today. One can bet that current head coach Al Golden has relayed that message to his team, and with so many members of the U Family in attendance, these 2013 Canes should put on a pretty good show.  

Bleacher Report Experts Weigh in on 2013 Miami Hurricanes

Year three is generally the season when most new coaches make their mark. Al Golden went 6-6 year one at Miami and followed up with a 7-5 campaign. That said, an asterisk is deserved regarding that two-year total, due to hovering NCAA sanctions, suspensions that resulted from the fallout and as a result, an overall lack of consistency and continuity. 

Where do the Bleacher Report experts feel the Hurricanes will wind up by year's end? Check out this quick clip and hear what Barrett Sallee, Michael Felder and Adam Kramer think is in store for Miami. BCS bound? Another middle-of-the-road type season?

See what our trio is saying as kickoff approaches and another Hurricanes season gets underway.  

Miami Hurricanes Keys to Victory

Transition from practice to game day

Players and coaches can't technically look ahead to next week, but everyone knows the Florida Gators are on the horizon. Because of that, Miami's goal is to do enough to put Florida Atlantic away, without showing too much to Will Muschamp and UF's coaching staff. 

Miami hasn't seen real action since a late-November win at Duke. The lack of a conference title matchup and subsequent bowl game has had the Canes on the sideline longer than most other solid Division I programs. 

Making plays at Greentree versus Sun Life Stadium are night and day—as is a showdown against Florida Atlantic in a half-full stadium, versus the packed house the Canes and Gators will deal with next week. 

Get in, shake off the cobwebs, make some plays, build a lead, stay injury-free (as if that's in anyone's control) and start thinking about next week's already-sold out "season opener." 


Let the stars shine early

In a perfect world, quarterback Stephen Morris, running back Duke Johnson and wideouts Phillip Dorsett and Allen Hurns find success the first few possessions, rile up the crowd and remember what game day feels like. 

Let them get theirs and then share the wealth. Lots of newbies need touches, and fans will certainly be clamoring for true freshmen like Stacy Coley and Gus Edwards to get their first touches, as well as Malcolm Lewis, sidelined with a gruesome ankle injury last season at Georgia Tech. 

Defensively let as many defensive players get touches as possible. There are some new faces at a handful of positions—freshman linebacker Alex Figueroa, defensive line transfers David Gilbert and Justin Renfrow, to name a few. Sophomore safety Deon Bush has also been cleared, healing up from offseason hernia surgery. 

Get the big names in and the let the backups get theirs. September 7th, remember? 


Even if it's only FAU, let the defense build confidence 

That's not a knock on the Owls any more than a 31.5-point spread is. It's simply acknowledging that Miami is a heavy favorite, the Canes defense struggled in 2012 and with UF on the horizon, UM needs a little pep in its step in a preseason-type atmosphere. 

Perception is reality. A year ago Miami was thumped 52-13 at Kansas State. The following week a slow start produced an uninspiring, 38-10 win against lowly Bethune-Cookman. The Week 2 loss took the wind out of the Hurricanes' sails. 

Up 17-7 at the half, the Canes outscored those Florida-based Wildcats 21-3 in the second half, but lethargy was definitely in the air. 

Miami's defense doesn't need false confidence, but it certainly needs a few big hits, forced turnovers or crucial third-down stops Week 1 against a lesser foe. Struggle against Florida Atlantic's quirky offense and it's not much of a confidence builder with 10th-ranked Florida looming. 

Florida Atlantic's Keys to Victory

You're nobody 'til somebody thumps you

FAU head coach Carl Pelini can take a page from his predecessor's book here. When at Miami, Howard Schnellenberger welcomed all comers in an effort to put his program on the map. It's where UM's "anyone, anywhere, anytime" mentality was truly birthed. Miami took its lumps from Notre Dame, Alabama and any other powerhouse ready to dish it out, as that's what it takes to go next-level. 

Florida Atlantic played road games at Georgia and Alabama back-to-back last season. In 2011 it was three straight on the road, taking on Florida, Michigan State and Auburn. Years prior, Texas, Nebraska, South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Clemson, Kansas State—the list goes on. Take a beating, earn a check, learn some valuable lessons and press on. 

Florida Atlantic may lack the horses to hang with Miami, but the Owls certainly won't fear the Hurricanes.

In a game like this it's about trying to win each possession, and if you do, then win the quarter and if all goes your way, be in a position to steal one in the end.

FAU gets South Florida, Auburn and Southern Miss later this year, so the Owls need to learn what they can from Miami to put themselves in position against the big dogs, as well as conference foes, down the road. 

Pay your dues now and build for tomorrow.


Throw it all out there from the get-go

Where Miami is playing with Florida in the back of its mind and will hold back, Florida Atlantic needs to go full-throttle early. Take some calculated risks. Open up the playbook. Try to catch the Hurricanes off-guard.

Do some things that might result in a turnover, points or momentum shifts. This is a no-lose moment, the main stage and an ESPN U televised performance. Stay loose and have fun. Where it goes, it goes. 

Players to Watch for Miami

Stephen Morris

Last season it was all about The Duke Of Coral Gables, but without Morris, Miami is going nowhere fast this season. The Hurricanes were known as "Quarterback U" for over a decade, and this program is only as good as the guy hurling the ball.

The senior gunslinger doesn't need to play out of his mind by any stretch on Friday night, but he certainly needs to get back in game shape after a nine-month offseason, working on touch, precision and footwork.


Duke Johnson 

A sensational freshman campaign has put the national spotlight on Johnson, and it's no mystery that Florida defensive coaches will look to bottle up No. 8 next week when the Gators visit. Give Johnson some touches, hope he breaks a few and then get some backups in the game—especially Eduardo Clements, back from a neck injury, and true freshman Gus Edwards, who certainly doesn't want to take his first collegiate snaps in a Miami-Florida showdown. 


Pat O'Donnell

There were a handful of obvious defensive players who deserved mention, but I'm going with the former Cincinnati punter here. The 6'5", 220-pound O'Donnell could turn out to be the season's unsung hero in his lone season at Miami.

The Canes got a ton of mileage out of JUCO transfer Dalton Botts the past few years, in both his leg and tackling ability, but O'Donnell should be even better. 

The former Palm Beach Central High grad trekked to southwest Ohio as Miami signed Matt Bosher, now with the Atlanta Falcons, a few years before his arrival. With the Bearcats, O'Donnell averaged 43.8 yards per punt in 2011, and his career average was a few yards better. 

O'Donnell is expected to handle punts and kickoffs for the Hurricanes and is already on the 2013 Ray Guy Award watch list.

Field position is key for a defense in need of improvement, so let O'Donnell have a scrimmage game one and get proper-ready for Florida. 

Players to Watch for Florida Atlantic

Jonathan Wallace

Wallace, a senior out of nearby Lauderhill and a team captain, will look for his best game against the hometown Hurricanes. Wallace carried 175 times for 668 yards and six touchdowns in 2012—his biggest outing a 111-yard performance in a loss against Navy last season. 


Whoever is named starting quarterback

Second-year head coach Carl Pelini has remained mum regarding Friday night's starting quarterback, and why not? Any advantage is a good one, so let Miami wonder who it should prepare for. 

Most expect sophomore Jaquez Johnson to get his first career start. Outside of Johnson, FAU has freshmen Greg Hankerson and DJ Juste. Melvin German, a senior who topped the depth chart entering fall ball, has since moved to receiver. 

Andrae Kirk

Kirk, another team captain, is a junior linebacker out of Miami Central. Like Wallace, he will relish the opportunity to play in front of friends and family at Sun Life Stadium. 

Prediction

Miami 55, Florida Atlantic 13

Could be more, could be less, but Miami should win soundly.

No disrespect to the foe, but based on last season, the Owls are a pretty bad squad, and starting a new quarterback makes them one-dimensional offensively, meaning that even an in-repair Hurricanes defense should have their way in another season opener. 

Miami's offense will do most of their damage the first three quarters, and then it will be on the second string to get their reps. The x-factor scoring-wise comes down to turnovers. Does the defense find the end zone, or are there any late-game scores when FAU is still pushing for some morality points down the stretch?

It'd be a surprise if Miami doesn't cover the 31.5 points, but in the same breath, head coach Al Golden isn't going to run it up in front of the architect of his program or the heart and soul of his opponent, honorary captain, Howard Schnellenberger. 

Either way, a proper warm-up for the Hurricanes and the Friday night showdown give Miami an extra day of rest before Florida visits next Saturday.