Miami football players have remained tight-lipped this week, careful not to give Florida State any bulletin board material.
So the Seminoles have turned to yesteryear for a little extra motivation.
While watching a 2009 documentary about Miami titled “The U,” FSU players noticed that UM alums from the 1990s referred to FSU as their “little brother.” The phrase has stuck with the Seminoles throughout the week.
“It’s a brotherly game,” FSU quarterback Jameis Winston said with a coy smirk. “It’s just like we’re going to be in the backyard, playing against each other. We want to beat our brother and if they want to be the big brother, we want to be the little brother, it’s still a friendly competition.
“It’s going to be a battle.”
As if the rivalry needed a spark, it got one.
No. 3 FSU (7-0, 5-0 ACC) hosts No. 7 Miami (7-0, 3-0 ACC) Saturday at 8 p.m., with the game slated to be broadcast on ABC and featured on ESPN’s College GameDay. It is the first time since 2004 that the storied programs have met while both are ranked in the top 10.
“Miami-Florida State has always been a great rivalry. Since I’ve been here, it’s always been a game that everybody has gotten up for,” FSU offensive tackle Cam Erving said. “It’s just amazing that we’re going to be able to go out there and play this game. First time in a long time it’s been this “important.”“
Bad blood began developing between the two teams in the late 1980s when FSU and Miami were each reaching the pinnacle of their success. The Hurricanes claimed national titles in 1987, 89 and 1991. FSU won it all in 1993.
A slew of memorable games came in that span, while the state of Florida became the gold standard for football.
By the mid-2000s, Miami and FSU lost their aura of invincibility.
Because of that, the national audience and media lost interest in the rivalry.
But don’t tell that to Sunshine State native Timmy Jernigan, who grew up watching FSU-Miami games.
“Not in the state of Florida, it hasn’t,” said Jernigan, FSU’s starting nose tackle. “It probably lost its relevance a little bit throughout the country, but in the state of Florida, we look forward to it every year.”
As is the case with most in-state rivalries, proximity plays a huge role in the energy surrounding the game. FSU has nine players on its roster from Miami. Both teams place a major emphasis on recruiting South Florida, meaning each squad consists of players who were former teammates or opponents in high school.
Miami holds the all-time series lead over FSU, 31-26. The Seminoles, however, have won the past three games by a combined score of 101-56.
“Despite all the other wins, we have won three in a row, for this team, for the bigger picture, this is the most important game I’ve ever played in against UM,” said FSU defensive back Lamarcus Joyner, who went to school at Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas. “No disrespect to the tradition and the legacy that this rivalry game carries.”
With FSU legitimately entering the national championship picture for the first time in more than a decade, Winston and other Seminoles are looking to forge a new legacy in the rivalry instead of rehashing past games.
“I watched the ESPN 30-for-30 (documentary), they said how Florida State stole the swag from Miami,” Winston said. “So that’s going to be a big thing for us, obviously trying to bring the swag back, Miami saying that they got it back.”
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