Head To Head Matchup: Receiver

Miami receiver Kayne Farquharson is the tenth leading receiver in the ACC. The 6-2/188 pound senior has caught the ball for 140 yards and 2 TDs. In last year's game against the Noles, Farquharson was pretty silent catching only one ball for 9 yards. Close behind him is 5-8/180 pound freshman Thearon Collier who has 113 yards and 1 TD. Miami's tight end Dedrick Epps is the third leading receiver. This is no surprise given Miami's perennial use of the tight end in their offensive scheme. Epps at 6-4 / 252 pounds has 105 receiving yards this season. He is still awaiting his first touchdown since the FSU game last year.

Defensive matchup: The Miami receivers will be going up against a secondary that is ranked #3 in pass defense in the ACC allowing only 156 yards a game through the air. They only have one interception and have allowed 4 TDs through the air. The secondary however has been known to get burned by big pass plays and they will have to be on top of their game against the Canes on Saturday.

For the Noles, who knows who will be the big play guy for the receivers. In the last couple of games, the receivers have been basically silent. Greg Carr leads the receivers in receiving yardage with 173 yards and 1 TD. Against Colorado, Carr had only 3 catches for 29 yards and no TD. The Noles have receivers that are capable of making big plays but for the last two games that has been lacking. Preston Parker is an obvious playmaker but so far this season we have not seen that since he returned from his suspension. Corey Surrency leads all receivers in TDs with 3 but he has been MIA recently. Jimbo Fisher has to find a way to get the passing game going against Miami or it could be a long day for the Noles.

Defensive matchup: The Cane secondary has been a problem so far this year and are ranked #10 in the ACC in pass defense allowing 218 yards a game through the air and 8 TDs. The Canes like the Noles have only one interception on the year. According to some, the defensive backs are struggling, and injuries are making it worse. Others are more blunt saying that UM’s secondary is a mess. Eight of the 11 touchdowns scored against the Hurricanes have come through the air. Head coach Randy Shannon has echoed some of that sentiment by saying that cornerbacks like Bruce Johnson have to make tackles in key situations, while the secondary can't be giving up big pass plays, particularly on third-and-10 or third-and-12.