Miami vs. South Florida Football: 8 Things the Hurricanes Need To Do To Win

Many see the upcoming game between South Florida and Miami as just another game but in reality, it's huge for both schools.

Both teams need one more win to be bowl-eligible.

After this game, Miami has just Boston College left while South Florida has Louisville and West Virginia to get their sixth win.

Miami can not only become bowl-eligible on Saturday, but get some revenge from last year's 20-23 overtime loss to the Bulls.

Here are some of the things Miami needs to do to beat the South Florida Bulls.

No. 8: Get the Playmakers the Ball

Two weeks ago against Duke, Miami dug deep into the playbook and ran some trick plays and they worked.

A week later against Florida State, Miami threw out a couple more and they worked as well.

Miami, who runs a strict pro-style offense, doesn't generally throw in trick plays, but with the type of athletes they have you kind of wonder why they don't do more.

Travis Benjamin, Phillip Dorsett and Mike James definitely need to get the ball more and if that means throwing some trick plays in for them, by all means do it.

If Miami could get the ball into the hands of those three players at least five to seven times apiece, Miami would get more points on the board.

No. 7: Be More Consistant on the Offensive Line

I honestly thought that going into this year Miami had one of the best starting offensive lines in the ACC, if not the country.

Brandon Washington was being heralded as a 2012 first-round draft pick possibility and Seantrell Henderson was voted as a first-team Playboy All-American.

Henderson missed the beginning part of the season due to injury and has struggled at times getting back to where he was.

The rest of the line, though, has just been inconsistent.

Some games Lamar Miller and Mike James have huge holes to run through and the very next game they can't even get out of the backfield.

If Miami wants to make it to a bowl game, they better pull it together against the highly athletic defensive linemen that South Florida has.

No. 6: Play Better on Special Teams

The kickoff and punt coverage teams have been great for the first eight games of the season.  Miami never allowed one big return all season long.

Then in just one short week, Florida State took a two punt returns to the house; fortunately for Miami, one was brought back due to a penalty.

On the other side, Travis Benjamin, one of the most dangerous return guys in the country, tried to catch a grounder and missed it allowing Florida State to retain position.

Those two mistakes were the main reasons why the Hurricanes lost that game.

On the road this weekend against South Florida, they cannot let it happen again.  The Bulls also have very quick guys and if Miami doesn't stay in their lanes, special teams will lose another one for them.

No. 5: Stop with the Penalties

I have no problems with great teams committing penalties, as long as they win.

Back in the '80s and '90s, Miami probably averaged over 10 to 13 penalties per game and still won multiple championships.

The big difference is this isn't the Hurricanes of the past.

This team isn't good enough where they can commit a bunch of penalties.  In fact, in their losses against Virginia Tech and Florida State, Miami committed 18 total yellow flags.

Granted, the Hurricanes have done a much better job this year compared to last year (last year they led the country with 107), only being flagged 57 times.

In order to beat the Bulls Saturday, Miami needs to limit their penalties to around five.

No. 4: Jacory Harris Needs To Play to His Potential

Jacory Harris has had a terrific year thus far no matter what the team's record is.

His confidence and poise has been second to none especially with everything that has been happening on and off the field.

No matter the distraction, Harris is still among the country's leaders, 11th, in passer rating at 161.

He has thrown 19 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

Harris needs to continue what he is doing and that is limiting mistakes and getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers.

If he can do that, there should be nothing stopping Miami from going 7-5 and making a bowl game.

No. 3: The Defense Needs To Play Like They Did Against Florida State

The Hurricanes defense, especially the defensive line, has been less than stellar all year long.  They are ranked 69th in rushing defense and 51st overall.

With those numbers it would explain why they are just 5-5 this season.

If you look at more numbers though, you will see that Miami is ranked 29th in the country in scoring defense.

The main reason to that is simple: Miami just doesn't give up points in the red zone, as they are ranked 19th in the country, only giving up 16 touchdowns in 29 red-zone opportunities.

So why do I say the defense is so bad?

They are so inconsistent on the defensive side of the ball.

They miss way too many tackles, they put no pressure on the quarterback and they cannot create turnovers.

Again, with South Florida having a great running quarterback and a good running game, the defense will need to step up like they did against Florida State.

No. 2: Lamar Miller Needs To Continue To Produce

The key to the Hurricanes winning or even coming close to winning every game this year is due to the running game of Lamar Miller.

Miller became the first Hurricane running back to get 1,000 yards in a season since 2002 and has the 13th-most rushing yards in the country with 1,108.

The ACC's second-leading rushing will need to continue his 110-yard average if Miami wants to get a victory on the road in Tampa.

Miami will need to utilize the clock to keep the defense fresh and in return will open the passing game up for Harris.

If Miller can reach the 100-yard plateau and get a touchdown or two, Miami should have no problems winning the game.

No. 1: They Need To Control B.J. Daniels

Last season, B.J. Daniels got hurt and didn't even play the second half yet the Bulls still beat the Hurricanes 23-20.

This season, Daniels is healthy and is having a great year.  He has thrown for 2,281 yards, 12 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

The most dangerous part about Daniels though is his ability to run the ball.  Daniels has 557 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

That puts extra stress on a vulnerable, young Hurricane defense.

If Miami can limit Daniels from running around, the Hurricanes will have a shot at beating the Bulls.

If Daniels runs for over 100 yards and passes for another 200, like he has done twice this season, Miami will be in serious trouble.