No. 3 Miami comes out of its bye week with the spotlight exactly where it wants it: on a home date with Florida State and a shot to keep rolling toward a national championship chase.
The Hurricanes are 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the ACC, and they’ll look Saturday night to beat the Seminoles for the third straight time. Florida State arrives at 3-3, 1-2 after its most one-sided defeat of the season, a 44-20 loss at Louisville last Friday.
That setback only added to a rough stretch for the Seminoles. Florida State has now dropped 11 straight road games since beating Florida on Nov. 25, 2023, and it is 10-20 overall since winning the 2023 ACC Championship Game over Louisville.
“Nobody was happy with Friday night,” Norvell said on Monday, referring to the loss to the Cardinals. “Extremely disappointed in what that was.
I understand that this process for us is about the best of Florida State football showing up and consistently playing to an extremely high level. When you have an outcome like we did the other night, man, that's, nobody's happy with that.”
Miami coach Mario Cristobal said Monday he does not expect his team to get caught up in the Seminoles’ struggles heading into what he called “the greatest rivalry in sports.”
“A fourth-and-two conversion [for FSU] makes it 21-0 [against Louisville], and the game's practically over. A 21-6 lead at Alabama and a seven-point game with 4 1/2 minutes left is real,” Cristobal said, referring to the Seminoles having leads slip away in losses to Alabama and Louisville.
“... So, football nowadays, everybody has really, really good talent.”
The matchup brings one of the ACC’s better rushing showdowns into focus. Miami and Florida State are ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the league in rushing offense, and both sides should lean on the ground game early and often.
Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels leads the ACC with 10 rushing touchdowns, while Ousmane Kromah ranks second in the conference with 565 rushing yards. But the Seminoles’ run defense took a major hit against Louisville, giving up 397 rushing yards overall and 235 to Isaac Brown.
Miami’s backfield is deeper, with Mark Fletcher Jr. and Javian Mallory combining for 596 rushing yards. The Hurricanes also bring plenty of firepower through the air, with quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney both drawing Heisman Trophy attention.
Florida State still has enough juice up front to pressure quarterbacks. The Seminoles are second in the ACC with 18 sacks, and Rylan Kennedy leads the way with five.
“They make it tough to zero in on what they're doing, and the guys they have up front are really, really explosive football players,” Cristobal said. “They have experience returning, but they've also picked up a couple guys in the portal that have played really well for them, and have certainly made a difference.”
Miami’s defense will be in better shape for the game. Cristobal said cornerback Xavier Lucas is expected back, and linebacker Ezekiel Marcelin should return as well. The Hurricanes enter with the ACC’s best scoring defense, allowing just 9.8 points per game.
Florida State also made a roster move on Tuesday, announcing that freshman cornerback Chuck Kennon has been dismissed from the football program for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
Kennon was Florida State’s highest-ranked recruit in the 2026 class.
In Other News...
Miami Is Building Real Momentum In A Massive WR Recruiting Battle
Miamis pursuit of five-star wide receiver Brysen Wright has quietly become one of the more important recruiting battles on its 2028 board. The Hurricanes are viewed as a leading contender, and that standing comes with some real weight given the crowd of national powers also chasing him, including Florida, Ohio State and Texas. Wright has already made multiple trips to campus, which gives Miami a chance to keep building on familiarity instead of starting from scratch.
Hard Rock Stadium is set to be part of the next step in that relationship when Wright comes in for a game visit, a chance for the Hurricanes to lean on atmosphere, staff connection and the kind of in-person experience that can matter in a long recruiting fight. For Miami, the broader appeal is obvious: landing a player with this level of profile would be a major statement, especially in a race where the margin between contender and favorite can change quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Faces Several Must Win Recruiting Battles After Key Setback
Jatori Williams decommitment has put Miami back on its heels, but it has not changed the way the staff is approaching the rest of the class. The Hurricanes are still pushing to keep Williams in the fold while also staying engaged with other priority targets such as Mark Matthews, DJ Jacobs and Brysen Wright, a reminder that recruiting here rarely stands still for long.
The staff is spending these weeks watching senior tape and expecting movement as the cycle keeps unfolding, with an emphasis on defensive players and wide receivers. Miami is also looking beyond the immediate board, keeping an eye on future prospects that could include the kind of NFL-type defensive tackles that fit the programs bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Darian Mensah Is Keeping Miami In A Huge 2027 Draft Conversation
After Week 6 of the college football season, the latest look at the 2027 NFL Draft quarterback board brought a familiar mix of movement and uncertainty, with Dante Moore still sidelined by a concussion, CJ Carr turning in another strong outing for Notre Dame and Arch Manning coming off a rough loss to Oklahoma. The list also included several other rising names, but for Miami fans, Darian Mensah is the one worth watching closely as the early draft conversation starts to take shape.
Mensahs place in that mix matters because these early rankings are starting to separate the quarterbacks who are just flashing from the ones building something sturdier over time. With Julian Sayin, Drew Mestemaker, Trinidad Chambliss, Jayden Maiava and LaNorris Sellers also in the conversation, the board is crowded, and the next stretch of the season could keep reshuffling it. For Miami, Mensah staying in that discussion is the kind of development that can linger deep into the fall, especially with so much still to be decided. [Read more 🡒]