Florida State rests in the panhandle and Miami hails from South Florida. The school colors are different, the mascots are different and most importantly the names on the backs of the jerseys are different.
But, one thing will definitely be the same this Saturday as Virginia faces another test from a Florida school: speed.
Miami "should be similar to Florida State," Virginia senior safety Jermaine Hardy said. "Those Florida schools always count on speed."
Perennial BCS contenders such as Miami and Florida State constantly keep their stables stocked with fast players that can change the momentum of a game every time they touch the ball. Speed kills, and on teams like Miami, there aren't just one or two guys that are fast.
Virginia coach Al Groh recognizes the advantage a team like Miami has over its opponents, with speed at every position.
"There's just a whole lot of them who can get up and go, so nobody's ever tired," Groh said. "It creates a difficult matchup at every spot. It's not just one player that you've got to take out of the game."
One Miami player that teams try to take out of the game, and rightfully so, is sophomore multipurpose star Devin Hester. Coming into this Saturday's game, Hester is averaging 22.8 yards per punt return (10th nationally) with three touchdowns on the season. On kickoffs, Hester averages 28.8 yards a return (third nationally), one of which he took 100 yards for a touchdown.
Two of Hester's returns came as part of a blowout against Louisiana Tech, but his 100-yard return at N.C. State and a 78-yard punt return late against Louisville both factored into narrow Miami victories.
Against Louisville, the Hurricanes were trailing in the fourth quarter before Hester took a punt to the house and put Miami up late in that game. Hester backed up his performance a week later against N.C. State, returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown that set the tone of Miami's 45-31 victory.
The amazing thing about speed is that it translates not just into success on special teams (Hester is on the coverage team too), but to all aspects of the game. Hester is not just a threat on special teams; he gets in on both offense and defense as well.
In the secondary, Hester has notched two interceptions this season and is the likely candidate to start at corner if senior Antrel Rolle cannot play this weekend. Offensively, Hester's role is more limited, but with very few touches, he managed to find the end zone once this year rushing the ball.
In a game that looks to be hard fought and closely contested, field position could be a deciding factor. The last time a Florida team visited Charlottesville, FSU last year, field position lost the game for the Cavaliers. Also, Virginia is coming off of a game in which it let Maryland return kickoffs for an average of 28 yards. So what can they do to stop a star like Hester and the rest of the Hurricanes?
"You just have to be even more prepared and even more confident in your assignments to where you can just go play instead of thinking about what you have to do," Virginia junior tight end Heath Miller said.
The last time Virginia faced a team with Miami's speed, they were clearly outplayed. To be successful Saturday, Virginia needs to learn from the FSU game and adjust.
Read More
West Coast woes strike again as men’s basketball gets hammered by Stanford
By Emory Huffman | 8 hours agoVirginia, once again in a lost season, looked aimless on the floor.
ISTVAN: Tony Bennett left Virginia in a hole
By Ben Istvan | 16 hours agoHis decision to retire doomed this men's basketball season.
