Duke @ Miami (FL) preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 29, 2017 ) Miami 31, Duke 6

On the heels of its 27-14 loss to Boston College, Miami stumbles home from a discouraging two-game road trip with its chances of repeating as ACC Coastal Division champs hanging by a thread. The Hurricanes are still mathematically alive but they need to step up their game, beginning with Saturday's tussle with a Duke team playing hard for respect and bowl eligibility but mired in a two-game skid of its own after its fourth-quarter lead disappeared in a 54-45 loss to Pittsburgh last week.

"Go back to work. What else can you do?" Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt told reporters after the Boston College loss. "This Coastal Division is a little bit wild. ... But the first thing we've got to do is get a victory in the next ball game and we'll see what happens. Two weeks from now, you never know what can happen. You've got to keep your hopes up in that regard because we still are looking to battle for that Coastal Division." It's an uphill battle for sure, especially since Miami has won just two of its last eight against Power 5 opponents, but the Hurricanes won't be in contention long unless they can figure out how to get a punchless offense with two ineffective quarterbacks at the helm to score more than 14 points, something Miami failed to do in back-to-back losses to Virginia and Boston College. The good news for Richt and company is an injury-riddled Duke defense was torn apart by Pittsburgh last week, particularly in a fourth quarter that revealed the Blue Devils' lack of depth, and has given up 54, 28, 14 and 31 points in the last four outings. The flip side is the Blue Devils' offense put everything together and showed off its potential against Pittsburgh, with quarterback Daniel Jones posting career highs for passing yards (396) and touchdowns (four) and sophomore running back Deon Jackson setting the school single-game record with 403 all-purpose yards -- 162 rushing, 89 receiving and 152 on kick returns, just the third player to top the 400-yard mark in all-purpose yards in an ACC game.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: Miami -9.5.

ABOUT DUKE (5-3, 1-3 ACC): The Blue Devils are aiming for their fifth season with six victories under head coach David Cutcliffe, but a huge key this week will be their ability to protect the football against the Hurricanes defense (12 picks) as Jones has tossed an ACC-low four interceptions this season. Led by linebacker Joe Giles-Harris, Duke's defense started the year off strong but injuries have taken its toll and the unit hasn't forced a turnover in four of its last five games, including all three losses, although that could change against a mistake-prone Miami offense that has multiple giveaways in six games. "We haven't tackled well and we've struggled in coverage," Cutcliffe told reporters. "You have to emphasize it (takeaways). Everyone in the organization has to emphasize it."

ABOUT MIAMI (5-3, 2-2): Whether it has been Malik Rosier or N'Kosi Perry at quarterback, the offense has struggled badly for much of the season, producing a season-worst 305 total yards against Boston College, including a paltry 150 yards passing, the second-lowest output of the season. Rosier will again get the nod despite that lackluster performance but there have been questions about Richt's offensive play-calling, although the head coach says, "There's nothing wrong with the plays being called. What's wrong is we haven't executed well enough." With the offense underperforming, the defense has been forced to shoulder the burden, containing opponents and producing takeaways and big plays, but the unit broke down last week, giving up a season-high 433 yards -- 99 more than their second-worst outing -- while allowing the Eagles to score on their first three drives.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Miami has won 12 of the last 13 meetings against Duke, with the Blue Devils' only win during that time coming in 2013 (48-30 in Durham).

2. The Hurricanes are 15-2 at Hard Rock Stadium under Richt.

3. The Blue Devils are 2-9 over the last three Octobers.

PREDICTION: Miami 20, Duke 17