The Miami Hurricanes storm their way into Kidd Brewer Stadium to get it on with the Appalachian State Mounaineers. The grid-iron grudge match will get underway on Saturday, September 17th at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Hurricanes arrive as a slight -4 point favorite. The game’s over/under is set at 51.5.
Miami Hurricanes (2-0):
The Canes come in with a 2-0 record after thumping Florida Atlantic to the tune of 38-10. This will be Miami’s second road game in as many weeks. Quarterback Brad Kaaya is coming off of a lackluster performance against the Owls, but the running game was all the Coral Gable’s squad needed.
The senior signal-caller for the Hurricanes hasn’t truly been tested thus far. The two games against lowly Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic can’t be used as a measuring stick. Unfortunately, Brad Kaaya hasn’t seized the opportunity to pad his stats.
Brad Kaaya has rummaged up over 320 yards passing with four scores. He also has turned the rock over on two occasions. The offensive captain will need to be at his best if he hopes to move his team down the field against a salty Mountaineer’s defense.
Tailback Mark Walton has been the rock for the stale passing attack. He rumbled and stumbled his way to 155 yards rushing and a career-high four trips to the end zone last week. So far, Walton has amassed 271 yards on 32 carries and five scores. Walton’s partner in the backfield is Joseph Yearby. Yearby is also off to quite the start. He has toted the ball 27 times for 226 yards and three more touchdowns.
The passing offense hasn’t been exactly electrifying in the first two weeks of the season. Brad Kaaya has spread the ball around to a few different receivers. David Njoku has four receptions for 64 yards. Christopher Herndon also has collected four catches for 63 clicks and a touchdown. Ammon Richards pitched in five receptions for 61 yards and another score.
Miami has switched over to a 4-3 scheme under new coordinator Manny Diaz. They’re also trying to build some explosiveness on the defensive side of the ball. The new system has held both opposing teams to a total of 13 points. As a result, they currently sit 1st in the nation giving up 34.5 yards a game on the ground.
Appalachian State Mountaineers (1-1):
The Mountaineers come into this match-up on the heels of a 31-7 beat down of Old Dominion. It was a nice change of pace after a huge test on the road in front of 100,00 spectators in Tennessee. Obviously, after that prime time performance they are a trendy pick to upset Miami.
Quarterback Taylor Lamb has had his ups and downs through two weeks of college football. Lamb faced a stout SEC team in his opener but had it a little easier the following week with Old Dominion. Collectively, the senior under center has totaled 289 yards through the air and a score. Lamb also has thrown two picks already.
Last week, it was business as usual for senior running back Marcus Cox. Cox grabbed the ball 18 different times and reeled in over a 130 yards. More importantly, he made the touches count. Cox crossed the goal line three different times against the Monarchs.
Taylor Lamb’s favorite pass-catcher is Jaquil Capel. Consequently, Capel has muscled out seven receptions for 85 yards. On the other side, Deletion Hopkins is pitching in his share. Hopkins has eight catches for 56 yards.
The Mountaineers have a physical, overachieving defensive front. Appalachian State gave Tennessee’s offensive line all it could handle and more in the season opener. Furthermore, the Mountaineers only surrendered 127 yards on 43 carries against the Volunteers. The North Carolina boys also sacked Tennessee’s quarterback Joshua Dobbs twice, while recording five tackles for a loss.
The Mountaineer’s defense returned plenty of experience. Nine starters are back from a club that ranked at the top of the Sun Belt Conference. The Hurricanes also might want to key in on defensive end Antonius Sims. In his two outings, Mr. Sims has seven stops, three sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss.
Match-Up Analysis:
This contest will be the biggest home game in Appalachian State history. A record crowd will show up at “The Rock” for Saturday morning’s affair. The Mountaineers should have won that game in Tennessee. They certainly played well enough to get the result.
The Hurricanes have had it pretty easy while they worked out the early season kinks. The Cane’s appear that they have a talented stable of running backs to rely on while Brad Kaaya and company try to get rolling.
Miami better not take this game lightly or they will find themselves 2-1 heading back to Coral Gables. The Mountaineers have played in big games on the road and now get a chance to shine in front of their fans in their house.
Miami as a -4 point favorite is just too much for me to swallow. Appalachian State is for real. What really concerns me is the 51.5 total points for the over/under. Both teams have been average through the air and strong on the ground.
Both defenses have done exactly what they were supposed to do against their respective opponents. Las Vegas also left me no choice here as I believe they have this game pegged. That being said, I’m going to buy myself a half a point and take the Mountaineers to cover the +4.5.
The Hun’s Pick:
Appalachian State will keep it close. Points could very well be at a premium. Heck, maybe the Mountaineer’s coaching staff learned something about time management from that debacle in Rocky Top and can find a way to win. Either way, I’m playing it safe and buying the half point. Appalachian State +4.5
