Florida A&M @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 2, 2010 ) Florida A&M 0, Miami 45

A home contest with Florida A&M on Saturday could not come at a better time for a struggling Miami (Fla.) program which has lost five of its last seven games after beginning last season 7-0. Freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya showed his inexperience in his first collegiate game against a tough Louisville squad and will get to work out some of the kinks against the FCS Rattlers. Kaaya will get some help from running back Duke Johnson and a defense that played well despite a 31-13 loss on Monday night.

Johnson, despite consistently facing eight and nine defenders in the box, still managed 90 yards on 20 carries against Louisville. The Miami defense, which entered the opener having yielded 455 yards per game the last two seasons - 104th in FBS - allowed only 336 against the Cardinals. It forced two fumbles - both inside the Louisville 10-yard line - that yielded just three points, and allowed only two plays of 20-plus yards and two drives of over 55 yards.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: None

ABOUT FLORIDA A&M (0-1): The Rattlers, 3-9 a season ago including a 76-0 thumping at Ohio State, lost their season opener 22-17 when Jackson State completed a 49-yard Hail Mary as time expired that went through the hands of defensive back Terry Johnson. To have a remote chance against Miami, Florida A&M will need a big effort from dual-threat quarterback Damien Fleming, who passed for 188 yards and ran for a team-high 59 against Jackson State. A secret weapon for the Rattlers could be punter Colby Blanton, who averaged 51.3 yards per kick in Week 1, including a career-best 77-yarder.

ABOUT MIAMI (1-0): Kaaya, pushed into service when projected starter Ryan Williams went down with a torn ACL in spring practice and redshirt freshman Kevin Olsen was suspended, was 17-of-29 against Louisville but threw for just 174 yards, was intercepted twice and sacked twice. After the Hurricanes took a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter, Kaaya and the Hurricanes gained just 102 yards the rest of the way. "It's a tough position (playing first game at Louisville) for him to be in, but I think he's going to make a lot of progress in the next four or five days," Miami coach Al Golden said after the game. "He's going to learn a lot from that - being in that environment, being in that experience."

EXTRA POINTS

1. Miami and Kaaya will look to improve on third down, having converted just 1-of-13 against Louisville.

2. Duke Johnson last week moved into 11th place in Miami all-time rushing yards (1,957), passing Lamar Miller (1,918), Tyrone Moss (1,942) and Stephen McGuire (1,953).

3. Miami is 8-1 all-time against A&M, including a 45-0 whitewash in 2010.

PREDICTION: Miami 41, Florida A&M 7