Tallahassee, Fla. – Considering how low Florida State has sunk in its storied rivalry with Miami, please excuse the Seminoles if the end of their six-game losing streak Monday night continued their long line of offensive ineptitude.
Six games over five seasons is a long time. And maybe never in this streak has Florida State’s offense looked worse. But, possibly, its defense never looked better and finally, the place-kicking woes that have killed the Seminoles in this rivalry haunted Miami instead.
The 14th-ranked Seminoles rode a dominating defense that recorded nine sacks and survived a bobbled snap on a potential tying 28-yard field goal with 2:16 left to upset the ninth- ranked Hurricanes 10-7.
“It makes up for all the hard losses we had in the past,” Florida State rover Kyler Hall said. “This one right here truly helps.”
Before a Doak Campbell record crowd of 84,347, Florida State came in with its lowest preseason ranking in 20 years and was coming off its lowest-scoring season since 1981. Starting a redshirt freshman quarterback, the Seminoles sunk to a new low offensively.
They totaled only 170 yards, with quarterback Drew Weatherford completing only 7-of-24 attempts for 67 yards and an interception.
Give credit to the defenses, especially Florida State’s, which lost six starters off the unit that was seventh ranked in the nation a year ago. All night it harassed sophomore Kyle Wright, making his first start, until the final drive.
Wright then drove the Hurricanes 95 yards, eating nearly 10 minutes. But from first-and- goal from the Seminoles 2, Florida State pushed Miami back to the 10.
Jon Peattie, who already had missed from 47 and 39 yards, lined up for a 28-yarder. But punter Brian Monroe couldn’t handle the snap, and Miami’s streak was dashed.
“Now they know how we felt,” Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. “We went through it many times.”
At the end, Florida State senior center David Castillo lay face down in the middle of the field in disbelief.
“I could’ve been the first player ever to lose to the same team seven times,” Castillo said, “and I definitely didn’t want that.”
The cheers, however, changed from boos in the second half. They reached a crescendo after Lawrence Timmons’ blocked punt gave Florida State the ball at the Miami 1 early in the third quarter.
Florida State plunged into the line three times. Each play lost a yard, and then Gary Cismesia, continuing a long Florida State tradition against Miami, missed a field goal, wide left on a 26-yarder.
The evening started as if it would not only be a long game for the two teams, but also a long season. Weatherford and Wright lived up to their billing as the teams’ weak links as they started 0-for-5 and finished the half with three interceptions.
Wright, a little-used backup a year ago, was marginally better than Weatherford, but Hall’s interception and 25-yard return to the 19 in the first quarter set up Florida State’s lone touchdown, a 1-yard plunge by fullback James Coleman for a 7-0 lead.
Wright settled down in time in the second quarter. He hit tight end Greg Olsen for 25 yards to highlight an 81-yard drive, culminated by a 34-yard touchdown pass to split end Ryan Moore.
“I wish I’d played better than I did,” Weatherford said, “but I’m just so proud of my teammates rallying around me and having faith in me.
“They got it done tonight.”
Staff writer John Henderson can be reached at 303-820-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
