Five Plays That Changed the Game as Florida State Embarrasses the University of Miami
“Big time players make big time plays in big time games.”
The immortal words of Miami Hurricane alum Santana Moss continually sets the stage for one of college football’s greatest rivalries: Florida State vs. Miami. Under the brightest of lights, the ‘Canes and the ‘Noles squared off in Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night with absolutely no love lost. Two programs experiencing two strikingly different trajectories in the 2022 season lined up with a level of ferocity and disdain for one another that only comes from decades of history. On one side, the Miami Hurricanes were looking to stop a series of embarrassing losses and secure a statement win in head coach Mario Cristobal’s first year. On the other side, Florida State recovered from a three game skid in the week prior against Georgia Tech and turned their focus to the heated rivals down south.
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These kinds of games typically have all of the storylines fueling a build up of pressure and excitement that only hard hitting, smash mouth football can expunge. This, however, was not that game.
The dramatic finish to 2021’s FSU-UM matchup, affectionately referred to as “4th and 14,” set in motion a chain of events that placed the next meeting between the two rivals on a pedestal of importance. For many, the result of 2022’s matchup would signal the trajectory of each program into this new age of college football; a narrative that many Hurricane fans would like to forget after Saturday, because the anticipation and drama came to an abrupt end. Let’s just cut to the chase here: this contest was over long before the clock hit zeroes. In a game this author has deemed “The Rout at the Rock,” Florida State made the “big time plays” on both sides of the ball and displayed, in front of a sell out audience, the capabilities of Mike Norvell and Co.’s system in year 3.
The ‘Noles cruised to a 45-3 victory as the War Chant echoed throughout Hard Rock Stadium. With the win, Florida State moves to 6-3 on the season (4-3 in conference play), re-enters the AP Top 25, and cements a return to bowl season after a three year absence. Let’s take a look at some of the explosive plays on a dominant night from the Seminoles. Then, we’ll quickly move on to preparing for a formidable opponent, the Syracuse Orange.
1. Jordan Travis hits Ontaria Wilson in stride to take an early lead
Florida State received the opening kickoff, and the offense wasted no time getting to work. Right out of the gate, the Seminoles took a page out of the Cobra Kai playbook: Strike Hard, Strike Fast. Assisted by two UM penalties, the ‘Noles traveled 75 yards in a span of 3 plays.
On the third play from scrimmage, quarterback Jordan Travis set up in the shotgun with two receivers spread out to each side. Wide receiver Mycah Pittman motioned from left to right, forcing the defense to adjust their look. Travis faked the handoff to Pittman, dropped back, and fired the ball 56 yards downfield on an absolute rope hitting a wide open Ontaria Wilson in stride. Wilson, who was left one-on-one coverage as a result of the defensive shift, coasted on into the endzone and gave the ‘Noles an early touchdown lead.
Florida State’s opening drive immediately set the tone for how they intended to expose UM’s defense all game long. In just three plays, the Seminoles had taken the top off of the defense and stunned the hostile Miami crowd.
2. The Florida State offense strings together a consistent drive that results in a D.J. Lundy touchdown
The final score may not show it, but this was a close game in the early moments of the first quarter. Despite falling down 7-0, the Hurricanes were quick to respond with points of their own. UM quarterback Tyler Van Dyke strung together a few completions, and the Canes were able to cap the drive off with 3 points behind the 49 yard field goal of kicker Andres Borregales. By night’s end, the field goal would prove to be Miami’s only source of points, but at the time, UM had responded with a punch of its own.
Everyone assumed that Miami was not going to just roll over right away. Instead, the Florida State faithful were once again on edge hoping that the Seminole offense could find consistency throughout all four quarters. Coming off a career-high 11 rushing yards against Georgia Tech the week prior, running back Trey Benson immediately put those worries to rest. Benson took the handoff on the next play from scrimmage and broke out for a 42 yard gain down into Miami territory. UM’s defense struggled against the FSU rushing attack yielding 229 rushing yards on an astounding 49 attempts by game’s end. The Canes struggled with the counter in specific, which the ‘Noles ran on 32 of 70 offensive snaps. Of course, Trey Benson was the primary thorn in the opposing defense’s side, but the Seminoles were able to successfully incorporate Lawrence Toafili into the mix as well. Of the 9 plays from scrimmage on FSU’s second offensive drive, 7 of them were called runs.
After an interception was called back by a pass interference call against the Hurricanes, Florida State faced 1st & Goal from the Miami 3 yard line. Jordan Travis ran for a gain of 2 yards on first down, and Benson received a handoff that went for a loss of one on the following play. On 3rd & goal from the 2 yard line, quarterback Jordan Travis lined up under center with D.J. Lundy, lined up at fullback, and Trey Benson, lined up at the halfback, in the backfield to his rear. Travis snapped the ball and faked the handoff to Benson. He rolled right and held the ball just long enough for Lundy to spring free from his defender before lofting it to the fullback, who waltzed into the end zone. Florida State answered the call and extended their lead, 14-3.
D.J. Lundy, who traditionally lines up on the defense at linebacker, has repeatedly featured at the fullback position for the Seminoles, specifically in red zone packages. Nine games into the season, Lundy has entered the ned zone a total of three times (2 rushing, 1 receiving). Offensive coordinator Alex Atkins acknowledged the frequent inclusion of fullback play, alluding to the scheme as “[Norvell]’s baby” during Monday’s press conference.
In addition to his stellar fullback play, Lundy notched 4 total tackles against the Hurricanes on Saturday night (3 AST, 1 Solo).
3. Greedy Vance forces the INT and Trey Benson capitalizes
The lead remained 11 points for quite some time as Florida State and Miami went toe to toe for a good part of the end of the first quarter. All credit to the kid for making the effort to start for his team, but it was evident that Tyler Van Dyke was experiencing some pain. He led the Canes on a quick three and out immediately following FSU’s second score, but the UM defense forced an interception as Jordan Travis attempted to connect with Ontaria Wilson deep and gave Van Dyke another opportunity to cut into the lead.
Set up in the shotgun within his own end zone, Van Dyke rolled right on 2nd & 7 and threw an incomplete pass at the feet of Jacurri Brown. Immediately following the throw, Van Dyke reached for his shoulder, wincing in pain. The broadcast continually cut back to pictures of Van Dyke attempting to throw on the sideline, but the once ACC Rookie of the Year would return for only a few more snaps before leaving the contest for the remainder of the night. An already struggling UM offense was forced to turn to backups Jake Garcia and Jacurri Brown.
While assessing the damage to Van Dyke, Miami had allowed the Seminoles to extend the lead once more. Again, running back (and certified star of the night) Trey Benson received three consecutive handoffs on the way to his first touchdown of the night. Benson would not end his reign of terror there, however. More on that later.
Deep within their own territory as a result of a Florida State punt, the Hurricanes called upon both Brown and Garcia to produce for the offense. It was evident that Brown was the rushing threat whereas Garcia would be relied on for the passing attack. Looking to provide a spark, Garcia dropped back to pass on 3rd & 5 from the Miami 7 yard line. Garcia’s pass was completely off the mark on the comeback route and flew right into the hands of defensive back Greedy Vance Jr. While it’s easy to point out the stellar play of the Florida State offense, Defensive Coordinator Adam Fuller’s group was unequivocally phenomenal on the night, and turnovers (like Vance’s interception) are what allowed the ‘Noles to jump out to such a lead.
Set up well within the red zone, Florida State’s offense returned to the field, and they had to have been thinking: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, because Trey Benson received three consecutive handoffs on his way to the end zone and his second touchdown of the night. Benson completed the game with 15 carries for 128 yards and a pair of touchdowns earning him ACC Player of the Week honors.
4. Miami wastes a scoring drive, but Florida State capitalizes on their mistake
The onslaught continued, and, as I alluded to earlier, the Florida State defense was unfazed by the Miami offense. The game was well in hand as Florida State maintained a lead of 31-3. Late in the third quarter, Jacurri Brown was able to find some success on the ground, even bringing the Canes into scoring position. Through a balance of passing and rushing, the Canes charged down to the Florida State 1 yard line with 2nd & Goal. Brown kept the ball on a read, but instantly met Jamie Robinson, who grabbed the quarterback and threw him to the ground like a grown adult playing with a bunch of toddlers. On 3rd & Goal, a bad snap escaped Brown’s grasp and rolled back to the Florida State 39 yard line before being scooped up by Jared Verse.
The goal line stand is a testament to the complete game FSU’s defense put together on Saturday night. The squad not only held UM to 3 points, but they gave up just 188 total yards, forced 4 turnovers, recorded 4 TFLs and 3 sacks, and held the Canes to a 30% 3rd down conversion rate (4-13). The University of Miami simply had no answer for the stifling Seminole defense.
Florida State’s offense, just pounding the run game at this point, wasted no time moving downfield and turning the UM mistake into points. Jordan Travis scrambled for a gain of 4, which Trey Benson followed up with a run of his own for a gain of 5. Despite being grabbed in the face mask, Benson broke off yet another explosive 26 yard gain and moved the ‘Noles further into UM territory. Toafili got into the action with a 5 yard run of his own before Jordan Travis lofted an easy touchdown pass to tight end Camren Mcdonald to extend the lead to 38-3.
Florida State’s offense was also exceptional throughout the game, finding success in a balanced attack that yielded 454 total yards of offense (225 passing, 229 rushing). Quarterback Jordan Travis continued to show his progression as a passer totaling 202 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception on just 12 total pass attempts (10 of which were completions). Surprisingly, Lawrance Toafili was the leading receiver for the Seminoles having notched 3 receptions for 75 yards, but even more astonishing is the fact that 10 different players recorded at least one reception during the game. By the numbers, the Florida State Seminoles were absolutely dominant on Saturday.
5. Azareye’h Thomas brings the rout to a merciless end with a late game INT
Look, I know it’s not really a game changing play at this point. Heck, there weren’t very many game changing plays following the second half. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least acknowledge the acrobatic interception by defensive back Azareye’h Thomas. UM quarterback Jacurri Brown threw up a prayer with less than a minute to go in the game, and Thomas turned his head, high pointed the ball, and put the nail in the coffin for the Hurricanes. From the first drive to the final interception, the Seminoles made it known that the Canes could not compete with them. In the soon to be immortal words of ESPN commentator Joe Tessitore, “They came here to break Miami’s will.”
Florida State left no room for doubt on Saturday night. Any way you look at it, they were the better team. The ‘Noles played inspired football for 60 straight minutes and absolutely embarrassed the Miami Hurricanes in front of their own fans. With a sixth rock smashed, the Seminoles find themselves eligible for postseason football once again. Until then, Florida State turns its attention to the three remaining games on the schedule, beginning with a match against a surprisingly talented Syracuse squad.
The Seminoles travel to Syracuse on November 12, 2022. The kickoff is set for 8:00 PM.
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