I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t watched it. Miami was down 27-7 to Florida State in the 3rd quarter. The Noles had played by far their best 40 minutes of the season. The offensive line was actually blocking. FSU’s defense was making plays and stifling the Miami offense.
I thought Miami was dead.
It looked a lot like several of Mark Richt’s Georgia teams – highly ranked in the pre-season, then failing to meet expectations. Then it all changed in a matter of minutes. Miami forced a couple of turnovers in FSU territory, and the avalanche of momentum was on. FSU missed a FG, and Miami’s N’Kosi Perry made some critical throws. He’s only going to get better too. Miami came all the way back to win 28-27 to stun Florida State.
This keeps Miami’s Coastal Division hopes right on track, and Mark Richt’s restoration project on schedule. If Miami had lost at home to this Florida State team, the frustration of Miami fans would have went through the roof. That didn’t happen. The Hurricanes survived and with the Coastal division in such dis-array Miami may still be the division’s best team.
As for Florida State, this is a game that could have reset the season. There is no doubt in my mind that Florida State is better than what they were in early September. They are improved, but this is still a bad team. Bad teams blow leads, and that’s exactly what Florida State did. When the momentum began to shift, FSU turned into a deer in headlights. The offensive line that had played reasonably well fell apart. The defense couldn’t make any critical stops.
Are there 6 wins on the schedule left? Wake Forest at home looks likely, but then where? Maybe Boston College at home? Can they steal one against Clemson, NC State, Notre Dame, or Florida? That looks brutal. It doesn’t seem so. Willie Taggart’s miserable first year at FSU simply continues even with some improvements by the Seminole team. The Noles are playing for next year and it’s only the 1st week of October.
