Miami's new-look, big-play offense has FSU's full attention

The gaudy statistics are one thing.

The three straight victories -- with two coming among arguably the best teams in the ACC's Atlantic and Coastal divisions -- are something else.

But it's what Florida State's coaches see when they actually watch film of Miami freshman quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, transfer receiver Charleston Rambo, running back Jaylan Knighton and the suddenly prolific Hurricanes offense that really illustrates the challenge FSU's defense will face this Saturday.

"This is a team that's on a roll offensively," FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said during his weekly press availability Monday afternoon.

A roll that got started shortly after Van Dyke took over for injured starter D'Eriq King.

***Don't miss our exclusive FSU football coverage. 30-day Free Trial***

In seven games, the highly touted freshman from Connecticut has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 1,877 yards (268.1 per game) with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. And he appears to be getting better and better.

In last Saturday's 33-30 win over Georgia Tech, Van Dyke threw for 389 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. In a 38-34 win at Pitt one week earlier, he passed for 426 yards with three touchdowns and one pick. A week before that, he racked up 325 passing yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in a 31-30 win over N.C. State.

While impressive, that success should not come as a total surprise. Coming out of high school in 2020, Rivals ranked Van Dyke as the nation's No. 8 pro-style quarterback, while ESPN had him at No. 2.

He has certainly lived up to the billing so far.

"It's no secret that he's offered a big spark to that football program," Fuller said. "He's done a really good job. ... He's playing with a lot of confidence. Usually, success has to breed confidence. It looked like his confidence [bred] the success. He feels really confident in what they're asking him to do."

Said FSU coach Mike Norvell: "You see the arm strength. The way he's able to locate the ball down the field. He's really stretched defenses to where they're having to defend the field vertically."

Van Dyke's primary weapon in the vertical passing game has been Rambo, who transferred in this offseason from Oklahoma.

Rambo enjoyed a nice four-year career with the Sooners, but he is having a career season with the Hurricanes. With three regular-season games remaining, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder already has posted career highs with 58 receptions for 860 yards and five touchdowns.

He has recorded more than 100 yards receiving in three straight games, and last time out he set a new Miami record in ACC play with 210 yards on seven receptions.

Fuller said the Hurricanes have done a good job of scheming up one-on-one matchups for Rambo and then trusting him to go make plays -- even if he hasn't necessarily created any separation from defensive backs.

"There's some wideouts you just don't have confidence putting the ball in one-on-ones, and there's some that you do," Fuller said. "They have confidence in him. He's extremely athletic around the ball, and he's made a lot of the one-on-one plays. And the quarterback's done a nice job of putting it where he can make a play."

And what those deep shots do, along with generating big plays, is open things up underneath for other receivers and for the running game -- a running game that also has found new life since the return of star tailback Jaylan Knighton.

Knighton, a one-time Florida State commit from the class of 2020, came back from injury last week and rumbled for 162 yards and one touchdown on 32 carries against the Yellow Jackets. He leads the team with 461 yards and five touchdowns in five games.

"Their running back is maybe their most explosive player," Fuller said. "From a [standpoint of] if there's space, he'll go score. ... You've got to make sure you're paying attention to the back. Because he can definitely take it from anywhere on the football field."

While Miami's three-point home win against Georgia Tech is nothing special, the victories against Pitt and N.C. State are eye-catching. The Panthers (7-2, 4-1 ACC) lead the Coastal Division, and the Wolfpack (7-2, 4-1) are in the running to win the Atlantic.

Having viewed those games, the Seminoles know they will have to be more fundamentally sound this week than they were in Saturday's 28-14 loss to N.C. State.

After giving up just six passes of 40-plus yards in the first eight games of the season, FSU's secondary allowed three in one game. And the Hurricanes (5-4, 3-2) have emerged as one of the best big-play offenses in college football since Van Dyke began lining up behind center.

"You just see the aggressiveness in pushing the ball down the field," Norvell said.

"He's got a real live arm," Fuller added.

And if that wasn't enough, Norvell pointed out that Van Dyke has even proven to be an effective runner at times. Even though he is listed at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, the former four-star recruit broke off a 24-yard touchdown run earlier this season against Virginia. He has run for 148 yards on the season (before sack yardage is deducted).

"He's tough to tackle," Norvell said. "That's one of the things that maybe you don't view him as an overly mobile quarterback, but he has really hurt people with his legs."

------------------------------------------------

Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council