The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Florida State Seminoles 2024 edition

Miami handled business against an overmatched and undertalented FSU team to keep the undefeated season going.

BACK ON THE GOOD FOOT AGAINST THE NOLES!!!!

Miami ends a 3 game losing streak to the hated rival Florida State Seminoles with a workmanlike 36-14 win on Saturday night.

Mike Schiffman chimed in with his 3 stars from the win:

And now, let’s dive into The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly:

The Good

• A Win! I keep telling you winning isn’t easy and I’m going to enjoy every single one of these!
• BEATING FLORIDA STATE!!!!!!!! I HATE THOSE BASTARDS AND I DELIGHT IN THEIR DOWNFALL!!!!!!!
• Ending a 3 game losing streak to those bums from Tallahassee! Feels GREAT!
• Mark Fletcher Jr., after scoring the opening touchdown of the game, pointed to the sky in honor of his father, Mark Fletcher Sr, who tragically passed away this week. RIP, Mr. Fletcher.

• Fletcher ended the game with 15 carries for 71 yards and the above-embedded touchdown.
• Miami walking down the field on a 14 play, 95 yard drive, capped by a NASTY Damien Martinez 18 yard TD run to go up 14-0.

• Martinez ended the game with 15 carries for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns. This was his best game as a Cane by far.
• Miami’s run game was dominant against FSU. 40 carries for 230 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 3 touchdowns.
• WR Isaiah Horton continues to improve week after week. 6 catches for 65 yards.
• QB Cam Ward was….average. FSU was intent on NOT letting him run up huge numbers, and their plan worked. Ward went 22/35 passing (63% completions) for 208 yards with 0 touchdowns or interceptions. Ward also ran for -4 yards on 7 carries, and caught 1 pass for 7 yards and a touchdown.
• Updating the Cam Ward season stats: 191 for 281 passing (68.0% completions) for 2,746 yards with 24 TDs and 5 interceptions. He’s also added 186 yards and 3 TDs rushing, and 1 catch for 7 yards and 1 touchdown.
• Miami’s LBs — Kiko Mauigoa and Wesley Bissainthe — led the team with 7 and 6 tackles, respectively.
• K Andres Borregales. 3/3 on FGs, perfect on PATs, and dominant on kickoffs. That’s what you want to see from one of the best kickers in America.
• Miami finally made a stop on 4th down. Mesidor and Baron combined for a sack on Kromenhoek to give Miami the ball back across their own 40.

• WR Xavier Restrepo passing Michael Irvin “The Playmaker” for 3rd all-time in receiving yards at Miami. Only Reggie Wayne and Santana Moss stand between Restrepo and the #1 spot in Canes history.

• LB Kiko Mauigoa with a nice PBU on 4th and 7 to give Miami the ball back.
• Miami Special!!! TE Elijah Arroyo THROWS a touchdown pass to QB Cam Ward. After the game, Mario Cristobal said this play was called “Texas to Texas”, since both Arroyo and Ward are native Texans.

• 445 yards of offense
• 215 yards passing
• 230 yards rushing
• Allowed 248 yards of offense — lowest number in 5 games, and 13 fewer yards than Florida had against Miami in the opener.
• 76 plays offense
• 5.9 yards per play
• 8/14 on 3rd down
• 3/3 on 4th down
• Held FSU to 3/13 on 3rd down
• 31 first downs
• 9.3 yards per completion
• 5.8 yards per carry
• 13 chunk plays — 4 passes (15+), 9 runs (10+)
• 35:23 time of possession
• 5-5 in the redzone
• 4 TFL
• 3 sacks
• Advanced stats show a dominant Miami win.

The Bad

• Allowed 5 TFL
• Allowed 14 first downs
• Allowed 4/7 on 4th down
• Allowed 10.5 yards per completion to THIS FSU team
• Defensive havoc rate, run stuff rate, explosive play rate from the advanced stats snapshot above.

The Ugly

• 7 penalties for 85 yards. Seriously, this has to be better.
• Allowed 4 sacks — a season high.
• Following this up: Matthew McCoy trying to block Darrell Jackson. McCoy got WHIPPED by Jackson time and time and time again.
• Miami has allowed 13 sacks in the last 4 games — 3, 3, 3, and now a season-high 4.
• Allowing FSU true freshman QB Luke Kromenhoek to covert a 4th and 1 near midfield….for 42 yards because of stupidity. WHAT ARE WE DOING?!

• Missed tackles, about a million of them.
• Bad pursuit angles on more plays than I can count.
• FSU went for it on 4th down multiple times, but this one right here should have been a touchdown. Another broken coverage by the Miami defense. Lucky that Kromenhoek is a true freshman otherwise this scores. EASILY.

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Team Grades

Offense: C+

445 yards of offense and 36 points, and this wasn’t really a good offensive performance. FSU was playing to curtail the explosive passing plays, and they did. But, Miami took advantage of that by running the ball down their throats all day long. Cam Ward had his most pedestrian game as a Cane, and this game still wasn’t close. Miami knows they can play better than this, and they will.

Defense: B

There was A LOT to like, but still room for growth. FSU’s OL is putrid, but Miami wasn’t able to get the kind of pressure they should have. And, while FSU’s young QBs missed throw after open throw, there were receivers they could have hit, if they had the skill. Again, it was fine and good enough to beat this version of FSU — and it was a step forward from last week — but it’s not where things need to be, yet.

Special Teams: A-

Borregales was perfect kicking. Joyce was good on his only punt attempt. Chris Johnson had some nice kick returns. But there was another penalty on kick return, and Ray Ray Joseph still hasn’t found a way to rekindle his punt return magic from high school. Good, but room for growth.

Coaching: A-

Look, this team was prepared, adapted when FSU decided to play drop coverage all day, and successfully navigated the challenge at hand. Game operations were solid. But penalties persist and at this point, either you coach it, or allow it.

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That’s it for this installment of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Hop in the comments and keep the conversation going.

Go Canes