Miami Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Pittsburgh in Week 13
Miami football will look to remain motivated to make the College Football Playoff with a road game against reeling Pittsburgh on Friday.
Mark Richt has done an incredible job with his alma mater. The Miami Hurricanes have gone from middle-of-the-pack ACC team to potential College Football Playoff invitee. The former Georgia head coach has turned things around in a hurry and his team is currently 10-0 before the season finale against Pittsburgh leading up to the ACC title game.
The Hurricanes must remain focused on the task at hand and not look ahead to the Clemson game for the conference title. Malik Rosier has had a solid season under center for the Hurricanes, leading the team offensively with 2,620 yards and 23 touchdowns through the air. Travis Homer has filled in nicely for All-ACC running back Mark Walton, rushing for 849 yards and seven scores in his absence.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has been struggling this season, going 4-7 as Pat Narduzzi’s Panther defense has been underwhelming, to say the least. Once one of the best defensive coordinators in college football, Narduzzi has struggled as a head coach with his defense, allowing over 400 yards per game.
While the defense has been a main concern for Pitt, so has the quarterback play. The Panthers have shuffled through Max Browne, Ben DiNucci and have since landed on freshman Kenny Pickett, for the time being. It’ll be interesting to see who starts the season finale, but my money would be on the freshman.
Here’s how you can watch Friday’s Miami vs. Pittsburgh game:
Date: Friday, Nov. 24
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Pittsburgh, Penn.
Venue: Heinz Field
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
Miami’s secondary was a little lazy against Virginia and Kurt Benkert last week and that was a big reason as to why the Hurricanes fell behind early and had to play catch-up. In order to have success against the Panthers, they will need to put pressure on whoever starts under center — Pickett looks like the better passer but DiNucci has more experience. Moreover, the Hurricanes must stay motivated throughout as it seemed like they lost focus against Virginia.
On the side of Pittsburgh, the Panthers must place with that reckless attitude that underdogs seem to thrive with. The Panthers have nothing to lose with a bowl game out of the picture and a chance to ruin Miami’s national title hopes. The Panthers need to play hungry and pull all the tricks out of the bag. Nothing should be left on the field. This could be a scary trap game for the 10-0 Hurricanes.
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Prediction
Miami will learn its lesson from a week ago and come out a little more fired up to compete with the Panthers. Freshman quarterback Kenny Pickett will take most of the snaps, but he will be rattled against the turnover-hungry Miami defense. We will see the Turnover Chain in full force Saturday afternoon but a late touchdown by Pittsburgh will make this one look close on the scoreboard than it truly was.
Final Score: Miami 37, Pittsburgh 21