Florida State's defense is still nowhere close to being a dominant unit. But judging from the past two weeks, at least, the Seminoles appear to be getting better.
They held the Atlantic Coast Conference's top scoring offense, Wake Forest, to just one touchdown in a 22-20 loss (although the Demon Deacons did kick five field goals and were playing with a backup quarterback).
And then last week, they held Syracuse to just 3 points through the first three quarters in an eventual 35-17 win.
Admittedly, the Orange aren't very strong on offense ... at all. But still, for defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett, it was good to see a game in which his defense registered seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
"What's allowed us to (be more aggressive) is believing that we can do it," Barnett said. "And our guys knowing their assignments and doing them aggressively and with confidence. So that's allowing us to do it. And our guys feel good about it, and we feel good about it as a staff. So, that's what's allowing us to do that."
On Saturday (3:30 p.m., ABC), the Seminoles will be going up against another struggling offense, albeit with a few more playmakers to contend with.
Miami, like FSU, is just 4-4 on the season and is currently ranked 84th in the country in both scoring offense and total offense. The Hurricanes are 114th in the nation in rushing offense, averaging just 120.3 yards per game.
They've also, like FSU, shuffled quarterbacks this season. They started freshman Jarren Williams for the first five games of the season, then replaced him with redshirt sophomore N'Kosi Perry.
