As Florida State walked off Sun Life Stadium field feeling fortunate to have escaped Saturday’s showdown with Miami, coach Jimbo Fisher realized his team learned something from its lowest point of the season.
The Seminoles were in a similar position two weeks ago at North Carolina State, holding a slim lead entering the fourth quarter.
But unlike in Raleigh, where FSU sputtered and eventually was overtaken for a one-point loss, the Seminoles exploded Saturday for 17 consecutive fourth quarter points to finally put away Miami in a 33-20 victory.
“I thought it was very big for our kids to overcome what they did today,” said Fisher, whose team jumped one spot in the Associated Press poll to No. 11 Sunday. “I thought it was very big in our development. That’s something we haven’t done all year and to battle in those circumstances and with all of the things that went wrong. …
“You could have done the same thing we did up in N.C. State, but we didn’t. We stayed aggressive in what we were doing and the kids fought through it.”
Florida State overcame a sloppy start and long stretches of undisciplined play to win its third consecutive game in the series. The Seminoles (7-1, 4-1 ACC) fumbled five times (losing two) and were flagged for 12 penalties for 121 yards (they had 41penalies in their first seven games).
FSU spotted Miami a 10-0 lead on a Miami touchdown set up by a Nick O’Leary (Dwyer High) fumble and field goal following a 17-yard punt.
“Just having the maturity to stay in the game and not get into a frenzy and allow one, two, three bad things turn into four, five six,” quarterback EJ Manuel said. “We were able to control that and not let it get out of hand too much. We scored when we had to. That’s what kind of kept us in this game and got us this win.”
The win, though, did not come without a cost for Florida State. Senior Chris Thompson, the ACC’s No. 2 rusher with 91.4 yards per game entering Saturday, suffered a knee injury early in the second quarter that will require an MRI on Monday to determine the severity.
Thompson not only is the team’s most dynamic offensive player with his ability to run and catch the ball out of the backfield, but he is a leader and an inspiration to his teammates after returning this season from a serious back injury a year ago that many believed had ended his career.
“It’s scary,” said Fisher who did not want to speculate on outcome of the MRI. “It scared me a little bit.”
Thompson’s absence meant more touches for true sophomores James Wilder and Devonta Freeman. The two combined for the Seminoles’ three touchdowns, Wilder on a 17-yard run that tied the score at 10 in the second quarter and Freeman twice in the fourth quarter that helped bust open the game. Freeman led the Seminoles with 70 rushing yards.
For Freeman, especially, the performance was pleasing considering he is from Miami and his playing time has been diminished this season because of Thompson’s return and Wilder’s emergence.
Freeman also played with a heavy heart after his cousin, Anthony Darling, was fatally shot following an altercation in Miami on the night of Sept. 15.
Darling, 20, was raised by Freeman’s mother and Freeman refers to him as his brother. Freeman returned to Miami that Monday but was back in Tallahassee the next day.
“During the game I set it aside and then I talk to him after the game and let him know that was for him,” Freeman said.
The Seminoles had 447 yards of total offense, 229 from Manuel (who was 2- of-31 passing) and 218 on the ground.
While the offense awoke late, the defense was steady. Miami drove just 22 yards on its first touchdown, it was held to field goal in its next series after starting from the 34 and it had a meaningless score with 47 seconds remaining.
Miami (4-4, 3-2) had just 183 total yards entering that last drive.
“We got a tough situation with field position and they stuck one in on us,” said linebacker Telvin Smith, who forced a key fumble by Miami quarterback Stephen Morris in the first quarter that led to FSU’s first score, a 33-yard Dustin Hopkins field goal.
“We had to put our offense in good field position to score. When we settled into the game and got into our defense, we played hard.”
Fisher was not apologizing for the sloppy, yet satisfying win. He now is 5-0 against Miami and Florida and knows rivalry games, especially on the road, are not easy regardless of records.
“That’s a Florida State-Miami game,” he said. “It is one of the great rivalries and we overcame a lot of things, a lot that we caused. We did a lot of good things but we did some poor things. … uncharacteristic things. But we kept competing.
“Anytime you come to Miami and beat Miami that’s a great day.”
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