Miami hosts FSU in heated homecoming matchup

In the second half of the seven-point loss against Florida State University, Head Coach Mario Cristobal watches the FSU kicker and holder intently before they extend their lead. - Photo Credit via Charisma Jones

27-20.

That was the score was last year when the Miami Hurricanes last faced the Florida State Seminoles on the road last year. The Seminoles were a contending playoff team and the Hurricanes were under .500 in the ACC starting a true freshman quarterback.

A year later, a lot has changed with these two programs.

“The Battle for the Sunshine State” is a longstanding tradition in college football. A storied matchup between two of the three Floridian powerhouse universities, this year seems to have already been decided. 

The undefeated Hurricanes (7-0), ranked 6th in the nation, head into Saturday with what many consider to be one of, if not the best, offense in the country.

FSU (1-6), who just last year led an undefeated regular season, now stands as one of the bottom teams in national rankings.

However, despite the numbers, FSU still poses a threat to Miami’s perfect season.

Cynics are quick to reference the two teams’ performances against Cal in their respective games. Both were nail-biting wins, with ‘Noles being able to hold the Golden Bears to nine points, while the ‘Canes allowed a whopping 38.

This is not an isolated incident, as Miami’s defensive woes have been on full display in their last three matchups. Along with Cal, Virginia Tech and Louisville exploited the ‘Cane’s inability to stop the short pass, averaging 5.5 and 6.7 yards per completion.

Head Coach Mario Cristobal acknowledged the struggles in an interview after the Louisville game.

“With everything we saw on film there’s certainly an urgency to get it fixed…but what you don’t see is just a lack of effort, that would be concerning”

Referencing the matchup this Saturday, Cristobal turned the focus from his time playing against FSU toward the game at hand.

“We have got to play our best football and we have got a lot of work to do.”

Being a conference game, implications are greater for both teams.

Miami, with hopes to make a playoff run, needs to remain at the top of the ACC standings.

Conversely, FSU is desperate to prove themselves within this division and regain their reputation as a winning team.