FB: #5 Miami 53, Duke 31 Postgame Thread

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The Duke Blue Devils try to bounce back with a road game against the #5 Miami Hurricanes at noon on Saturday, broadcast on ABC (and streaming on ESPN3 and ESPN+). The Canes are 8-0, including some narrow escapes against Virginia Tech, California, and Louisville in conference play.

Will Duke's head coach Manny Diaz capture a win against his former employer? Discuss the game here.
 
I saw it at 20+ originally. At first I thought the sharps didn't trust Duke because of the offensive woes, but after almost beating #22 you'd think the line would be closer.
I'll be honest. I like this spot for Duke. Tough loss and facing a top 10 opponent that has had some close calls against teams at Duke's level. Duke has played spoiler against Miami before and they have absolutely nothing to lose. I'd love to see them play angry and aggressive. If Miami wins, it changes nothing for Duke. A Duke win though is a big statement.
 
It all comes down to turnovers forced. I don’t trust our offense and I don’t think our defense can be on the field too long or eventually Miami will score plenty. Feels like a 31-10 (assuming we can make a FG) loss unfortunately…
 
Wow the noon ABC game. That says that ABC isn’t expecting a 20 point beat down. Although we did beat Mario and the U by 20 a couple of years ago.
We got 8 turnovers from them. I guess 8 is Enough.

I think Duke can hold Miami under 40. The question is whether Duke can hold Miami under 30 to win. Duke can hold teams with good offenses 20 points under their average in regulation (i.e. smUNC).

Since it's a noon game, I found a pretty cheap 1-day fare. I will be the one and only guy without 8 gold chains and a wifebeater if you want to try and pick me out of the crowd. ;)
 
Weather.com forecast is for 84 with 71% humidity, with possible showers 10-20 mph winds. Per the handy dandy NWS Heat Index calculator that will equal 90.8. Hydration will be important for this one.
 
Defense needs to prevent big plays by the Miami offense. I’m confident our stout defense can hold Miami significantly below their season average but explosive plays are a concern. We gave up two against SMU which really hurt.
 
It's Duke Week in Miami -- the second this month, if you're counting the commitment from the Boozer twins -- and here are some press conferences from the home team on Monday: head coach Mario Cristobal, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, and defensive coordinator Lance Guidry.


There's also a player preview from 4 Hurricanes after Tuesday's practice: running back Damien Martinez, right guard Anez Cooper, defensive end Rueben Bain and cornerback OJ Frederique.


Finally, live from Miami Gardens, it's The Mario Cristobal Show. I was expecting a live band, but a wrap-up of their FSU win and a preview of Duke will have to do.

 
Cam Ward looks so slow and unathletic, but when he moves he glides and is so effective. I feel that we have been weak at stopping qb sneaks the last two years, although I know its a pattern that I am overly focused on.

We could get lucky and play tough, but if we can't stop him from picking up big yardage on the ground, we won't have much of a chance.
 
From one angle, we’re 20 point underdogs to a #5 team that has a bunch of future pros. Yikes.

But how good are they? This season, Miami beat Cal, Louisville, and Virginia Tech by a total of 12 points. Ie, against teams that are comparable to Duke, they’ve barely won.

Last year, with similar high-level talent and the same coach, they lost to NC State, UNC, Louisville, and Georgia Tech (yuk, yuk) and barely beat UVa.

Our coach is extra motivated, not only by his own history, but by the possibility of showing Florida players that Duke could be a solid destination.

This could be a blow out, but if I were a betting man, I’d look at our defense and say give me those 20 points.
 
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