Miami’s win over Florida State was messy, dramatic, and exactly the kind of rivalry game that refuses to behave.
The Hurricanes beat the Seminoles 43-35 in two overtimes on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium, and while the spread may have suggested a more comfortable night, that was never how this one was going to play out. Rivalry games get strange in a hurry, and this one did plenty of that. Miami won, and that fact deserves to stay front and center even with the rough patches that came with it.
That point matters even more when you remember last year’s meeting, when Miami led 28-3 before hanging on for a 28-22 win over a 5-7 Florida State team. This one was a harder fight, and probably a tougher game than it should have been.
Still, there was plenty of chaos elsewhere across the sport, with five top 10 teams losing on Saturday, including two to unranked opponents. Sometimes the only smart move is to take the win and move on.
One of the biggest talking points out of the game came in overtime, starting with the holding call on Damon Wilson II. On replay, it certainly looked like his jersey was pulled as he was dragged down, but the angle wasn’t clear enough to say anything with total certainty. It seemed supportable, even if it caught some people off guard when it was called live.
The real uproar came on Bryce Fitzgerald’s interception of the Hail Mary. Florida State fans and others argued that Duce Robinson had joint possession and that the play should have ended in a touchdown.
But Fitzgerald got his hands on the ball too, and when the players came down, he had it secured against his abdomen while Robinson was still reaching over the top. Getting your hands on the ball in the air is not the same thing as completing the catch, and there was no replay angle that clearly showed Robinson with full joint possession on the ground.
Miami’s defense also gave up too many easy answers during the game, especially through the screen game. Florida State scored twice on screen passes.
The first came on a delay tight end screen to Desirrio Riles after a five-man rush, and that one looked like a clean counter to the pressure. The second was a 28-yard touchdown by Texas transfer Tre Wisner, who entered for the injured Ousmane Kromah, and that play came against a four-man rush.
Florida State wasn’t consistently moving the ball in the middle quarters, which makes the second one stand out even more.
The other defensive decision that jumped off the page was Miami’s alignment on the 75-yard touchdown to Robinson. Omar Thornton being in center field while JJ Dunnigan rushed looked like the wrong combination of jobs for those two.
Thornton is the missile. Dunnigan is the better coverage piece.
Swapping those responsibilities may have changed the outcome of that snap, and it’s not hard to imagine Miami not seeing that exact look again.
Offensively, Malachi Toney was everywhere, finishing with 11 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns, plus a two-point pass. Even with that production, there were stretches where it felt like Miami could have found him more. The Hurricanes ran the ball well, piling up 257 yards at 5.8 yards per carry, but on the final offensive drive of regulation, right after Toney ripped off a 24-yard catch and run, Miami ran it twice for only five yards before a fire drill incompletion to Daylyn Upshaw forced a punt.
There was a case for grinding the clock there and trying to work into field-goal range, but there was also a stronger case for putting the ball back in Toney’s hands. He had the hot hand, and the most dangerous version of Miami on that drive was probably the one that kept feeding him in space. Even with 14 touches, he still seemed underused at points.
Javian Mallory deserves a spotlight of his own after this one. If Mark Fletcher, Jr. is the 1A, Mallory looks like the 1B Miami needs at minimum going forward.
His overtime 25-yard touchdown run had the kind of burst and feel that made it look like he had stepped straight out of the 2001-04 era. It brought to mind Frank Gore’s 2004 walk-off touchdown against FSU.
Miami checked in at No. 14 in the poll, and the top spot belongs to the Hurricanes’ first opponent, Florida. The in-state rivals are set to open their seasons against each other on Nov. 2 in Tampa.
In Other News...
Miami Just Introduced A Jersey Change Fans Will Want Explained
The University of Miami added a new wrinkle to its game-day look against Florida State on Oct. 17, debuting a jersey patch with the UHealth logo. The change did not stop with football, either, as the same patch has also shown up on the home jerseys worn by the womens soccer and womens basketball teams, giving the schools athletic wardrobe a noticeable new detail.
What remains unclear is whether the patch is just a temporary fix or the start of something more formal. The womens volleyball team did not have it on recent away jerseys, which only adds to the uncertainty around how widely Miami plans to use the look and what, exactly, the patch is meant to signal going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Pitt Heads To No. 1 Miami With One Huge Question Looming
Miami is coming off a double-overtime win over Florida State and now turns its attention to Pittsburgh, which visits Hard Rock Stadium with a front seven that has earned plenty of respect around the ACC. Mario Cristobal has pointed to the Panthers defensive line and overall capability as reasons this matchup deserves full attention, even as the Hurricanes carry the momentum of a hard-fought rivalry victory.
Pittsburghs season has been shaped in part by injuries to its star quarterback, a factor that has affected the Panthers consistency and helped lead to a recent loss at Boston College. For Miami, the challenge is as much about staying sharp as it is about handling a physical opponent, since the Hurricanes have moved into a stretch where every conference game comes with extra scrutiny and the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
Miami May Have Turned Rivalry Win Into A Huge Recruiting Boost
The double-overtime win over Florida State did more than just give Miami another rivalry victory to celebrate. It also played out in front of a notable group of recruits, including a pair of five-star prospects from Jacksonville who fit neatly into the Hurricanes long-term in-state pitch and gave the program a chance to show off the atmosphere that comes with a night like that.
Brysen Wright and Asher Ghioto, both members of the 2028 class and among the top-ranked players in Florida, were among the visitors with Miami already drawing buzz in their direction. Wright, who has stood out at Mandarin High School, could even end up moving up a class, which only adds to the intrigue for the Hurricanes as they try to turn a marquee win into momentum on the recruiting trail. [Read more 🡒]