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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

CLEMSON AT MIAMI

3:30 p.m. Saturday | WSET

Storyline: The Tigers (3-3, 2-2) face No. 8 Miami (5-1, 2-1) for the first time in four years.

"These guys are fast," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said of the Hurricanes. "It's really like getting ready to play our defense when I look at them defensively. ... They get off the ball extremely well, they're physical, they cover well."

Clemson snapped a two-game skid with a 38-3 win over Wake Forest last weekend.

"We played a very clean football game from an execution standpoint on both sides of the ball and put a complete game together, and that's what we had not done to this point," Swinney said. "That's what it'll take this week."

Clemson ranks 11th nationally in total defense (270.1 ypg).

"We have to be sound up front ... to make sure we pick up the blitzes," Miami coach Randy Shannon said.

FLORIDA STATE AT UNC

8 p.m. today | ESPN

Storyline: The Seminoles (2-4, 0-3) have not won a game since Sept. 19.

"You can imagine how hungry we are for a win," coach Bobby Bowden said. "Coaches are chomping at the bits, players are chomping at the bits. It's just amazing ... how close we are right now to be 6-0.

"It's not like everybody's stomping us. We've lost the fourth quarter four times."

The Tar Heels (4-2, 0-2) rank third nationally in total defense (237.6 ypg), but Christian Ponder has thrown for 1,781 yards for FSU.

"He's always looking for explosive plays down the field," UNC coach Butch Davis said. "Guys have got to be disciplined enough to stay in coverage, plaster the guys in your area and then try to minimize the damage that he can do scrambling and running."

BC AT NOTRE DAME

3:30 p.m. Saturday | WSLS

Storyline: BC (5-2) looks to beat the Fighting Irish (4-2) for the seventh straight time.

Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen has thrown for 1,804 yards and ranks second nationally in passing efficiency.

"He's made tremendous progress from last year," BC coach Frank Spaziani said. "He has some more help also.

"We've got to try and obviously make sure they don't run the ball all over the place on us, and then we're going to have to contain him and try to give him some looks that maybe he's not quite as familiar with."

MARYLAND AT DUKE

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Storyline: The Terrapins (2-5, 1-2) will try to contain Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis, who threw for 459 yards against N.C. State two weeks ago.

"I see this guy getting better and better and better," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "We're going to have to do a job of playing both the deep routes and the short routes."

The Terrapins lead the ACC in sacks.

"Can we protect the quarterback?" said Duke coach David Cutcliffe, whose team is 3-3, 1-1. "If we protect the quarterback, we've proven all year long that we throw the ball extremely well."

WAKE FOREST AT NAVY

3:30 Sat. | CBS College Sports

Storyline: The Demon Deacons (4-3) and Midshipmen (5-2) split their two meetings last year, with Wake winning in a bowl game.

Wake is coming off a 38-3 thumping at Clemson.

"We've obviously got some issues," Wake coach Jim Grobe said. "We're trying to ... get ready for a wishbone offense, so it kind of compounds the problem. We need to bounce back and play well, but we don't have much time to get ready for an unusual offense."

VMI AT PRESBYTERIAN

2 p.m. Saturday

Storyline: VMI (1-5, 0-3 Big South) tries to snap a five-game slide, while the Blue Hose (0-6, 0-1) are on a nine-game skid.

"We haven't played the pass very well and ... they're really good at throwing the football," VMI coach Sparky Woods said. "But athletically, we're much closer to them than some of the other guys we've played."

VMI has lost 10 straight road games and seven straight league games.

The Keydets have turned the ball over 18 times and are averaging 17.8 points.

"We thought we would be more productive offensively," Woods said.

FERRUM AT SHENANDOAH

7 p.m. Saturday

Storyline: Ferrum (3-3, 1-2 USA South) has already lost as many games as it did all of last year.

"I'm surprised at where we are," coach Dave Davis said.

Ferrum is coming off a 27-24 loss to Greensboro that Davis blames on the absence of two injured DBs. He hopes to have them back this week. FB Matt Lucas might miss the game with a sprained ankle, though.

Shenandoah (1-5, 0-3) is on a five-game skid. Each of the Hornets' past four losses have been by three points, including two OT defeats.

W&L AT GUILFORD

1 p.m. Saturday

Storyline: The Generals (2-5, 1-2 ODAC) visit the Quakers (1-5, 0-2) in search of their first ODAC road win since 2007.