Florida State was two weeks removed from an impressive 51-14 victory over then No. 3 Clemson when it got set to face rival and seventh-ranked Miami on Nov. 2, 2013. The Seminoles were undefeated and ranked third in the nation.
Despite being 7-0, Miami was a healthy underdog. For a half however, the Hurricanes looked capable of standing toe-to-toe with FSU at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The contest was knotted 7-7 after one quarter as FSU running back and Miami native Devonta Freeman had his 5-yard touchdown matched by a 33-yard scoring strike from Miami quarterback Stephen Morris to Allen Hurns.
FSU went ahead for good on a short touchdown run by James Wilder Jr. in the second quarter. Eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston overcame two early interceptions to hit Freeman on a screen pass, which went for a 48-yard score to make it 21-7. Miami was able to cut the lead in half on a second Morris-to-Hurns touchdown late in the first half.
The Seminoles led 21-14 at the break, but Miami was unable to score again. Freeman and Wilder found the end zone again in the third quarter on rushing touchdowns before Roberto Aguayo added a pair of field goals in a 41-14 victory — the largest home win over Miami since a 47-0 shutout in 1997.
Freeman would finish with 176 yards of offense, including a team-high 98 receiving, and three total touchdowns. Winston would pass for 325 yards in the victory.
The FSU defense held Miami to 275 yards while P.J. Williams and Nate Andrews each came away with interceptions. The 2013 contest between the rivals would be the first meeting with both teams ranked in the top 10 since the Labor Day contest in 2004 and the only one since.
The 2013 contest between FSU and Miami wasn’t as thrilling as some of the other great contests in the series but it was a big one for the Seminoles who would go on to win a third national championship. The match-up took place on this day five years ago.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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