’Canes unfazed by underdog status

CORAL GABLES — It’s not often a top-10 team has the distinction of being a 22-point underdog, but that’s the reality Miami faces this week as it prepares for Saturday’s game at Florida State.

This weekend, the No. 3 Seminoles opened as a threetouchdown favorite over the No. 7 Hurricanes, who Monday tried to downplay the point spread.

“We’ve been an underdog a lot the last two years when we were trying to build, so I’m not really worried about that,” Miami coach Al Golden said. “It’s going to be about execution at the end of the day. They deserve their ranking. They lost a lot of players to the draft and were able to reload. That’s the definition of program.”

Although it’s the first time since 1991 that both teams enter the matchup this late in the season with matching perfect records, FSU has outscored its opponents 368-88.

Miami, meanwhile, has struggled in its last two games needing last-minute touchdowns to escape with wins over North Carolina and Wake Forest.

“There’s nothing we can do about that, us being the underdogs by however many points or us being the underdogs period,” UM RB Duke Johnson said. “The only thing we can do is go out there and play the game the way the coaches want us to play it. Everything else will take care of itself.”

Johnson, whohad a career-high 30 carries for168 yards and two touchdowns during Miami’s 24-21win over Wake Forest, was named the ACC’s offensive back of the week.

Next game: at FSU, Saturday at 8 p.m., ABC