Jameis Winston added a fresh layer to the fallout from Florida State’s 43-35 double-overtime loss to Miami, and he did it with a line aimed squarely at the officials.
The former Seminoles quarterback reacted to the game’s officiating by saying, "There are three teams on the field. It’s the home team, the away team, and the Zebra team."
His comment came after a finish that left Florida State furious. Trailing 43-35 in the second overtime, FSU quarterback Ashton Daniels hit Micahi Danzy for what looked like a 36-yard touchdown on fourth-and-21. The play never counted, though, because officials threw a holding flag on left tackle Xavier Chaplin and erased the score.
That penalty forced the Seminoles into another desperate snap, and Daniels’ next throw - a Hail Mary - ended with Miami defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald coming away with an interception after he and FSU receiver Duce Robinson went to the ground with the ball. The ruling stood after review.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell didn’t hold back after the game. He called the holding call "an absolute joke" and said he reached out to ACC supervisor of officials Gary Patterson about both the penalty and the final interception.
Norvell argued that simultaneous possession should have been part of the review discussion, and he also pointed to a similar moment earlier in the game that was not flagged. He said he was disappointed his team wasn’t given a chance to finish the game on the field.
Winston, who went 26-1 as FSU’s starter and led the program to a Heisman Trophy and a national championship in 2013 before becoming a first-round NFL draft pick, has not been shy about weighing in on the school since leaving Tallahassee.
His latest jab is the kind of thing that can linger. Miami, ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, now turns to Saturday’s matchup with Pitt, and the Hurricanes suddenly have a little more bulletin board material than they probably needed. With former players and Pitt doing plenty of talking this week, Miami gets a chance to back up its ranking on the field.
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Mario Cristobals Postgame Moment Kept Miamis Feud In The Spotlight
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The interaction looked tense but still cordial, even if Cristobals gestures were read by some as more forceful than routine. Pitt was already dealing with a quarterback injury that shaped the way the game unfolded, so the result and the atmosphere around it were both lopsided in Miamis favor. Still, with the feud lingering in the background, the postgame exchange added one more layer to a rivalry that has been impossible to separate from the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]