COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEWS: FSU-Miami; Kentucky-Auburn; Ga. Tech-Virginia

MIAMI — One play at the end.

When Florida State and Miami get together, that always seems to be the difference.

Those five field goals that sailed wide to doom Florida State from 1991 to 2004. Frank Gore’s touchdown run to give Miami a win in overtime in 2004. Miami muffing a field-goal snap to give the Seminoles a three-point win in 2005. Kirby Freeman’s miracle touchdown pass to Dedrick Epps in 2007. Christian Ponder’s incompletion in the end zone on the final play of last season’s thriller.

“Always one of the biggest games of the season,” Ponder said. “They’re always close … you never know what’s going to happen.”

That’s the norm in this series.

The 13th-ranked Hurricanes (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) and 23rd-ranked Seminoles (4-1, 2-0) have played 11 times since the start of the 2000 season, with 10 of those decided by no more than eight points — six of them decided by three points or less.

And when they meet Saturday night, with first place in their respective ACC divisions at stake, no one expects anything different.

“This is basically what everybody remembers about the season,” Miami defensive back Brandon Harris said. “Whether it’s the first game or the last game, everybody’s going to ask you, ‘Did you beat Florida State?’ And that’s pretty much all that really matters.”

These programs have mirrored each other for years, 2010 being no exception.

Both went on the road and stumbled in big tests, Miami at No. 2 Ohio State, Florida State at No. 6 Oklahoma.

Otherwise, each has been flawless so far, and defense is the biggest reason why. They’re the only two teams in the ACC allowing less than 300 yards per game.

Florida State leads the nation in sacks, with Miami No. 2 on that list. The Hurricanes lead the country in tackles for loss, with the Seminoles No. 2 on that list. In its four wins, Florida State has outscored opponents 158-30, while Miami beat Florida A&M, Pittsburgh and Clemson by a combined count of 106-24.

“We know it will be a little different environment down there in Miami,” said Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher, who’ll lead Florida State against Miami for the first time. “It will be a big game. People will be pumped up. But our kids will be ready to play. We’re looking forward to the challenge. It will be a great one, that’s for sure.”

Of course, the starting quarterbacks won’t be easily slowed by any defense.

Miami’s Jacory Harris is still snakebitten by a penchant for interceptions — two more against Clemson last week, giving him eight for the season, tying for the fifth-most in major college football so far — but has also thrown for six touchdowns in his last two games and had a 386-yard effort against the Seminoles a year ago.

Ponder has been exactly what Florida State wants: Steady.

Since the loss at Oklahoma, Ponder has completed 63 percent of his passes for 564 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s thrown 93 consecutive passes without getting picked off; Harris hasn’t gone more than 27 attempts without an interception this season.

“I think any time you get Florida State and Miami to play in a game and everybody in the country wants to be a part of it and watch it, it’s something that’s special,” Miami coach Randy Shannon said. “I think both coaches, myself and Jimbo, feel that way. … Every time you have an opportunity to play against an opponent like Florida State, a good program, you always want to be in that kind of atmosphere.”

For Miami, this almost seems like a rarity: A home game.

When kickoff rolls around Saturday night, the Hurricanes will be at home for the first time in 37 days, having been gone since the season-opener against Florida A&M — Tallahassee’s other team.

It’ll only add to the excitement.

“Everybody around here, that’s one game we’ve just got to win — Florida State,” said Miami receiver and returner Travis Benjamin. “So I guess everybody will be all hyped up and ready to go. Every time you go against a rival, you just have got to come out and win, no matter how it is or what you do. You’ve just got to find a way.”

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THIRD DOWNS KEY IN VIRGINIA VS. TECH:

ATLANTA — Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson and Virginia’s Mike London are looking closely at third downs as a key to Saturday’s ACC Coastal Division game.

Georgia Tech (3-2 overall, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) is averaging 29.6 points per game, down from about 33.8 per game last season, when it won the ACC. Johnson says that’s not a significant dip, but he concedes his team’s drop in third-down success is a problem.

Georgia Tech ranked fifth in the nation last season by making first downs on more than 52 percent of its third-down plays last season . That figure is down to 40.6 percent this year, only 61st in the nation.

Johnson said he doesn’t like to “go back and dwell on the numbers” but he is looking for better third-down production. He said it would help if the Yellow Jackets could fare better on first and second downs.

“There is no question that we aren’t as good on third down as we were a year ago, and I think the big culprit of that is we have had a lot more third and longs than we had a year ago,” Johnson said.

Johnson said it was easier to convert more than half of the third-down conversions in 2009 “because we had a lot of third and shorts.”

“This year, we haven’t had as many and even when we have we have missed a couple of those,” he said. “Some of it is inexperience and some of it is just not getting it done.”

Virginia (2-2, 0-1) was 0-for-7 on third-down conversions as it fell behind 27-0 in the first half of last week’s 34-14 loss at Florida State.

“You’ve got to make a third-down situation so you can hang on to the ball,” London said.

Virginia also was held to two touchdowns in a 17-14 loss at Southern Cal on Sept. 11.

Cavaliers senior quarterback Marc Verica ranks fourth in the ACC with his average of 227 yards passing per game. Two Virginia receivers rank among the conference leaders. Kris Burd has 22 catches for 378 yards and four touchdowns. Dontrelle Inman has 18 catches for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

In its last home game on Sept. 25, Georgia Tech gave up 368 yards passing and three touchdowns to North Carolina State’s Russell Wilson in a 45-28 loss.

“Last time we had an opportunity to play in our home stadium, we didn’t play particularly well,” Johnson said. “Anytime that happens you’re always anxious to play in front of the home crowd again.”

Georgia Tech ranks only 10th in the league in scoring defense, allowing 25.4 points per game in its first season with defensive coordinator Al Groh, who was Virginia’s head coach the last nine years.

Groh hired London as a defensive assistant at Virginia in 2001.

“I recognize the opportunities that I was afforded here by coach Groh, and very appreciative,” London said. “But now my job is to be the best head coach here at the University of Virginia.”

Groh, 66, was 59-53 in nine years as Virginia’s coach and was fired after a 3-9 record in 2009.

Groh said he knows the Virginia players and their strengths.

“But clearly the advantage is on the Virginia side,” he said. “I say that because I taught our defense we’re playing here to (London’s staff). They have all my playbooks.”

Groh, a Virginia graduate, said his only sentiments will be for his former players, not his alma mater. He said he received a three-word text message — “Good luck Saturday” — from one of his former Virginia staffers this week.

Quarterback Joshua Nesbitt leads the Yellow Jackets with 434 yards rushing and six touchdowns. Nesbitt rallied Georgia Tech to a 24-20 win at Wake Forest last week by throwing two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including a 9-yarder to Correy Earls with 15 seconds remaining.

“I tell you, he is an outstanding football player,” London said, noting Nesbitt’s 31 rushing touchdowns are a record for ACC quarterbacks.

“Coach Johnson has him doing different things with the ball. You get an experienced guy that knows how to do it all, knows when to tuck it and run and when to pitch it. It makes him alone a triple threat. … You can have a guy on him or two guys on him and he’s good enough to make them miss.”

Nesbitt has completed only 39.1 percent of his passes (25 of 64) for 446 yards.

Johnson continues to defend Nesbitt’s passing.

“He is like everybody else, sometimes he plays well and sometimes he didn’t play as well as he could play,” Johnson said. “He is at a different standard.

“What is playing well for him? I am going to hold him to a higher standard than someone that hasn’t played at all. And I think he holds himself to a higher standard.”