Scouting Miami: Offense

USF turns around off a big, much-needed win to face a Miami team in a battle for immediate bowl eligibility. UM (5-5) is bouncing off a loss to a rejuvenated Florida State team who handily put the Hurricanes back in their place in the state. Miami lost their star receiver from last year, Leonard Hankerson, and they're left with a class of youth all around.

Quarterback

Miami quarterback situation was a question at the beginning of the season, but incumbent Jacory Harris ultimately got the job over Stephen Morris for his senior season. Of the ten games this season, Harris has seen action in eight of them, completing a career-high 64% of his passes for 18 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, a vast improvement over his junior year, where he completed under 55% of his passes for 14 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Stephen Morris has seen action in four games this year and has completer 70% of his passes but hasn't thrown a touchdown yet this year. It's unlikely that we'll be seeing much of Morris barring injury, but their playing styles are similar. Harris is significantly more mobile, but USF's agile defense should be able to keep him at bay.

Running Backs

UM running back Storm Johnson gave the Bulls fits last season, breaking a 70-yard second half run to get Miami back in the game. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes (and for all of college football), Johnson transferred to Central Florida. Redshirt sophomore Lamar Miller is the Hurricanes' workhorse this season, already past the 1000-yard mark. Miller officially has 5.7 yards per carry and leads the team with 8 touchdowns. Right behind Miller is junior Mike James who runs for 4 yards per carry and has seen the end zone seven times on significantly less carries. Even WR Travis Benjamin has carried the ball nine times this season, so UM's offense is far from black and white.

Receivers

Last season, USF's defense didn't have to worry much about Miami's receiving corps since Harris was having a below-average year. This season, with USF's inconsistent pass defense combined with Harris's improvement over last season should show for more of an aerial attack. Leading the Hurricanes' receivers in all statistical categories is junior Tommy Streeter, who has 36 catches for 734 yards and 8 touchdowns and is the only player who averages more than 20 yards per reception. Travis Benjamin is a familiar target for Miami, catching 34 passes for 439 yards, but just three TDs. Allen Hurns has also made noise, but no other receiver on the team has more than one touchdown catch.

The Miami offense should prove to be a challenge for the Bulls this Saturday, but in this rivalry showdown, USF should be coming ready to play, and they won't be giving up anything too easily. USF will be looking to solidify its place in the top tier of the state and gain even more respect from the other schools in the state. This game is critical for both teams, as Miami is running out of time to make a bowl game, while USF is trying to scratch together whatever respect they can get back from the other teams in the region with a big non-conference win over a BCS team.