Miami at FSU: Good Times, Bad Times

Florida State will look to make it eight straight over rival Miami and even the all-time series when the teams meet on Saturday in Tallahassee. The last three victories have been decided by a grand total of 10 points.

FSU used a blocked extra point last season in South Florida to preserve a 20-19 victory. FSU used a long touchdown run from Dalvin Cook with under seven minutes to play in the last meeting between the teams in Tallahassee to come away with a 29-24 victory back in 2015.

FSU and Miami have been known for playing tight, competitive games over the years. Some have gone FSU’s way and some have not. Looking back at one of the great rivalries in college football, we look at the good times and the bad for FSU in the series history between the Seminoles and Hurricanes:

All-Time Series: Miami leads 31-30.
Good Times: The largest margin of victory for Florida State in the series came in 1997 as the No. 4 Seminoles blanked Miami in Tallahassee, 47-0. The FSU defense held Miami to just 131 yards and minus-33 rushing while coming away with three interceptions. With Miami driving late to break up the shutout, defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews put his starters back in and Samari Rolle came up with his second interception to preserve the goose egg. Shevin Smith also recorded a pick while linebackers Sam Cowart and Daryl Bush each led the team with seven tackles. Bush forced a fumble. Thad Busby passed for 230 yards and a touchdown to Peter Warrick. Travis Minor rushed for a pair of scores in the win.

Entering the Labor Day match-up at Doak Campbell Stadium on Sept. 5, 2005, Florida State had dropped six straight contests to Miami. No. 14 FSU started strong with a short run from fullback James Coleman and a field goal from Gary Cismesia. The Seminoles led 10-0 after a quarter and never scored again, but that’s all the defense would need. The ninth-ranked Hurricanes got on the scoreboard with a 34-yard pass from Kyle Wright to Ryan Moore midway through the second quarter. That score remained until the waning minutes. The ninth-ranked Hurricanes looked as though they were going to rip FSU’s hearts out once again as they marched more than 80 yards and took more than nine minutes off the clock on march inside the 5-yard-line. The Florida State defense was able to hold Miami to a 28-yard field goal attempt. As Jon Peattie lined up for the tying kick, the snap got away from punter and holder Brian Monroe and the Seminoles took over on downs to preserve the 10-7 victory — their first since 1999. FSU managed just 170 yards in the win, but the defense came away with nine sacks.

Florida State and Miami entered the Oct. 8, 2016 meeting on different ends of the spectrum. FSU was 3-2 and winless in ACC play while No. 10 Miami was undefeated and favored at home. Early on, things went as many expected as Miami led 13-0 before kicker Ricky Aguayo drew FSU to within 10 late in the first half. The Seminoles were able to carry that momentum into the second half as quarterback Deondre Francois hit Dalvin Cook and Kermit Whitfield for third quarter touchdowns. Aguayo’s second field goal gave FSU 20 unanswered points, but with time running out, a 43-yard punt return from Braxton Berrios gave the Hurricanes the ball in the FSU red zone. On 4th-and-5 from the 11-yard-line, Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya’s second touchdown pass to Stacy Coley looked like it was going to draw the Hurricanes even. FSU defensive end DeMarcus Walker however, blocked the ensuing extra point with 1:38 to play. FSU was able to pick up one first down and run out the clock to preserve a 20-19 win — its seventh straight over Miami.

Bad Times: Missed field goals for so long haunted FSU in its series with Miami. Gerry Thomas’ miss of a 34-yard field goal attempt to the right in the final minute of a battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2 allowed Miami to preserve a 17-16 win in 1991. The year later in the Orange Bowl, FSU kicker Dan Mowrey missed wide right in a 19-16 loss. In 2000, Matt Munyon was the unlucky kicker, missing wide right from 49 yards away as Miami prevailed in the Orange Bowl, 27-24. In 2002, Miami scored the game’s final 14 points in a 28-27 win. Xavier Beitia had a chance to win the contest for the Seminoles as time expired, but his kick sailed wide left.

FSU and Miami were each ranked in the top 5 when the teams met in Tallahassee on Oct. 4, 1987. Florida State led most of the way, thanks to touchdowns from Dayne Williams on a short run and Alphonso Williams on a blocked punt return. Two Derek Schmidt field goals allowed the Seminoles to take a 19-3 lead late in the third quarter, but that’s when Miami wide receiver Michael Irvin took over. After Steve Walsh found Melvin Bratton for a 49-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 19-11, Irvin caught fourth quarter touchdown passes of 26 and 73 yards. The 73-yard score from Walsh with 2:22 to play put Miami ahead 26-19, but Danny McManus led the Seminoles 83 yards on the ensuing drive before finding Ronald Lewis for an 18-yard touchdown. Rather than settle for the tie, head coach Bobby Bowden went for the win, but McManus’ pass to tight end Pat Carter was tipped away and the Hurricanes prevailed, 26-25.

The 2009 contest between FSU and Miami took place on Labor Day, Sept. 7, at Doak Campbell Stadium. The contest featured two ties and six lead changes. After a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown by FSU defensive end Markus White gave the Seminoles a 31-24 lead with under 12 minutes to play, Miami answered as quarterback Jacory Harris found Graig Cooper for a 24-yard score to knot the game. After a 45-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins put FSU back in front, Cooper scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown to make it 38-34 Miami with 1:53 to play. FSU quarterback Christian Ponder was able to march the Seminoles all the way to the Miami 2-yard-line. On what would be the final play of the game, Ponder rolled to his right before firing a pass to Jarmon Fortson in the end zone. Unfortunately, Fortson could not hold on and Miami prevailed with a 38-34 victory. It is the Hurricanes’ last victory in the series. Ponder passed for 294 yards in the loss while Harris threw for 386 for Miami with 128 of those yards going to Travis Benjamin.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson