Five Things to Know about Miami Ahead of OSU’s Cheez-It Bowl

We’ve already looked at some things to know about Oklahoma State’s bowl destination, now let’s take a closer look at its opponent. Here are five things to know about Miami ahead of the Cheez-It Bowl.

1. Miami Has an Offense

Led by former Houston quarterback D’Eriq King, the Hurricanes have had little trouble putting up points. They come in as the No. 27 scoring offense in the FBS, averaging 34 points per game (OSU is 58th at 29.5 per game), and they are 27th in points per drive compared to the Cowboys who land at 84th.

2. D’Eriq King Is a Baller

While the Cowboys have dealt with injury and inconsistency at the QB spot in 2020, Miami has suffered from neither. D’Eriq King transferred from Houston a year ago and has been as efficient as he has been effective leading the Canes.

He’s started every game for the Canes, is completing nearly 64 percent of his passes and has thrown for 2,573 yards and 22 touchdowns. He’s also Miami’s second-leading rusher with 520 yards and four scores.

And King takes care of the ball, too. He’s thrown just five interceptions in 316 pass attempts (1.5 percent). Spencer Sanders, for those keeping score, has thrown eight on 207 attempts, or 3.9 percent.

King has only thrown 15 interceptions in 44 career games. Sanders has thrown 19 in 19 games.

Which brings us to…

Avoiding Turnovers Will Be Crucial

Oklahoma State’s bugaboo is one of Miami’s strengths.

Following their QB’s lead, the Hurricanes rank 26th in turnover margin, having forced 16 and given up only 10 while the Cowboys are 75th, with 14 takeaways and 16 giveaways.

If the Cowboys want to end their season on a high note, it will be a crucial for Sanders and Co. to avoid the rattle of the Turnover Chain.

But OSU’s Offense Should Be Able to Score

Miami capped its regular season with a cringeworthy 62-26 loss to North Carolina. The Tar Heels hung 778 yards of total offense on the Canes. For reference, OSU’s school record for total offense in a game was the 740 yards it gained on Baylor in 2017.

Miami allowed both a 200- and 300-yard rusher — in the same game.

UNC running backs Michael Carter and Javonte Williams set an FBS record, combining for 554 rushing yards.

(Gulp.GIF)

For further reference, OSU’s best rushing performance all season was Dezmon Jackson’s 235 against Texas Tech. Again, Miami gave up two of those in its last outing.

And to make matters worse for the Canes …

Miami Will Be without Both Starting DEs

On Saturday, Hurricanes defensive end Jaelan Phillips announced that he would forego the postseason, and his senior season, to prepare for the NFL Draft. Phillips’ eight sacks is T-6th nationally, and his 16 tackles for loss is T-3rd in the FBS. On Sunday, fellow DE Quincy Roche followed suit. He’s got 4.5 sacks to his name and 14 TFLs.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. tabbed Phillips as the first DE off the board and the No. 12 overall prospect. Roche is Kiper’s No. 4 outside linebacker.

Avoiding that duo will be a boon for an offensive line that’s been in flux all year and is giving up nearly three sacks per game.