Florida A&M @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2014 ) Florida A&M 7, Miami 41

The Mark Richt era at Miami begins Saturday when the Hurricanes host instate FCS foe Florida A&M at the the newly named and renovated Hard Rock Stadium. The former Georgia coach and Hurricanes quarterback brought new energy to the program's fan base - 11,000 more season tickets have been sold than in 2015 - and heightened expectations given his past success and a seemingly potent offense led by quarterback Brad Kaaya.

Richt, one of only four major college coaches to win 135 or more games in his first 14 seasons (145-51 in 15 years at Georgia), is known for developing quarterbacks and has inherited one of the nation's best in Kaaya. The junior passed for 6,436 yards in two seasons and threw only five interceptions in 389 pass attempts as a sophomore. However, with anticipation building for the opener, bad news came last Saturday when it was announced that two of the team's top defensive returners - linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad and defensive lineman Jermaine Grace - were dismissed from the squad after an investigation into their dealings with a local luxury rental car dealership. That shouldn't matter too much against the Rattlers, who are coming off a one-win season that included nine losses by 10 or more points.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: None

FLORIDA A&M (2015: 1-11): Second-year coach Alex Wood expects the Rattlers to be improved, but that isn't saying much considering their quarterbacks completed 49 percent of their passes, the ground game averaged 2.5 yards per carry and opponents scored 33.5 points per game last season. Starting quarterback Carson Royal was moved to tight end, leaving it up to sophomore Kenneth Coleman and redshirt freshman Ryan Stanley to upgrade the passing game. Wide receiver Montavious Williams (45 catches, 627 yards) is the team's most explosive weapon while the defense is led by end Curtis Alexander (51 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss) up front and cornerback Jacques Bryant (75 tackles, one interception) in the secondary.

MIAMI (2015: 8-5): Kaaya has plenty of targets including explosive tight end David Njoku (team-leading 17.2 yards per catch last season), speedy wide receiver Stacy Coley (47 catches, 689 yards) and running backs Mark Walton (22 receptions) and Joe Yearby (23). Walton, Yearby and power back Gus Edwards, who missed last season, share the ball-carrying duties and should benefit from having a more experienced offensive line. The losses of Muhammad and Grace mean that defensive coordinator Manny Diaz will count on first-year players earlier than anticipated, with highly touted Shaquille Quarterman expected to anchor an all-freshman starting linebacker corps.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Marquez Williams, Miami's new starting fullback, has created a buzz in camp, and it's no wonder given that the blocking back weighs at 280 pounds.

2. Miami's Michael Badgley led the nation with 2.8 field goals per game, highlighting his ability but also the team's red-zone troubles problems last season.

3. Since Florida A&M shocked Miami 16-13 in 1979, the Hurricanes have won eight in a row in the series by a combined score of 400-49.

PREDICTION: Miami 48, Florida A&M 7