Florida State vs Miami: 3 things we learned

What three things did we learn from Saturday night’s Florida State vs Miami game?

Florida State entered Saturday night’s game against Miami looking for a big win over a top-10 team after a mediocre 3-2 start to the year. However, the Hurricanes presented a tough challenge and Mark Richt had been doing a knock-up job in his first year as the head coach.

Before the season it looked like the Seminoles would be the team on upset alert in this in-state matchup, but a couple of losses made the Hurricanes the favorite and the team looking to avoid an ‘upset.’

After falling behind 13-3 at halftime, it looked like the Seminoles would be heading for loss No. 3 on the year before the month of November. Florida State’s offense was just too strong to be held out of the end zone, though, scoring two touchdowns to take a 17-13 lead in the third quarter.

Florida State tacked on three points in the fourth on a field goal to make it 20-13, scoring 17 straight points in the second half. The Hurricanes still had plenty of time to march down the field and tie it up, however.

Brad Kaaya threw what would have been the game-tying touchdown pass, but the extra point was blocked by FSU with under 1:30 to play, leaving the Hurricanes behind 20-19. That’s how things would finish.

1. Dalvin Cook is getting back to dominating

After a slow start to the season, Dalvin Cook has been impressive through the last few weeks. He has excelled as a receiving back as well as one of the best rushers in the country. If Florida State was still undefeated, Cook might be the nation’s top Heisman contender, or at least close to it. He finished with 150 rushing yards on 27 touches as well as a 59-yard touchdown reception.

2. Brad Kaaya shows major potential

Despite throwing a very poor interception in the end zone which, at the time, could have extended Miami’s lead, Brad Kaaya keeps proving that he deserves a look as a potential early-round NFL draft pick. He still made some big-time throws. The junior dual-threat played well against a top defense and finished with 214 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-32 completions.

3. Deondre Francois plays well under pressure

With the exception of the Louisville game, the redshirt freshman quarterback has excelled under the pressures of halftime deficits against ranked teams. Deondre Francois came out slinging the ball around in the second half after heading into the locker room at halftime with a 10-point deficit. He closed the game out with 20-of-31 completions for 234 yards and two scores. Francois added 21 rushing yards as well.

Highlights

Florida State will be facing a much weaker opponent next weekend in Wake Forest while Miami will be hosting a North Carolina team that lost 34-3 at home to Virginia Tech this week.