Miami Hurricanes Football: Al Golden Gets His First Taste of Florida State

First-year Miami Hurricanes head football coach, Al Golden, will get his first real taste of the legendary Miami-Florida State rivalry. 

Last year, the Canes were blown out at home to a tune of 45-17.  That game was their worst loss since 1997, when Miami was shut-out 47-0 in Tallahassee. 

So what should Golden be expecting come Saturday afternoon?

"I don't know how much you could possibly add any more to this rivalry than what it has become over the years," he said Sunday during a teleconference. "This is one of those deals that is kind of self-explanatory."

And Golden is absolutely correct.   This series almost always featured two teams who were highly ranked.  That alone only added fuel to the fire.

With a history of mistakes and missed kicks, the Miami-Florida State rivalry is responsible for some of the best endings ever witnessed by man―i.e. Wide Right I, II, III, Wide Left and so on.

This year is going to be different.  I don't expect a shellacking like we saw last year.  Miami should approach this game with revenge lurking in the back of their minds.  After the embarrassing beat-down that took place in Coral Gables, Miami needs to regain much-needed respect.  

The Canes are no longer a contender within the ACC, and if they do happen to beat Florida State, the Noles will most certainly have to wait until next year if they want to make an appearance in the ACC title game.  Even though this show down may be devoid of any national implications, Golden should expect the usual jawing and hard hitting between the two arch rivals.

Miami brings Lamar Miller to the table, along with Travis Benjamin and Sean Spence, while Florida State will feature EJ Manuel and Nigel Bradham.  Both teams are loaded with talent, as usual.

Miami leads the all-time series 31-24.  The meeting between the two teams in 2006 resulted in what was then the most watched college football game in ESPN history.

I'm sure we need not tell Golden, but lest he forgets―we ain't at Temple anymore.  But it is apparent that he is already aware of this, as he said: "This is as big as it gets in college football." 

Amen to that.