Too little, too late.
Florida State lost to the Miami Hurricanes for the second season in a row on Saturday, falling into a 28-3 deficit before a furious fourth-quarter rally made it 28-22.
The Seminoles were kept out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, turning the ball over three times and failing to shut down Miami’s passing game (12.1 yards per completion, 4 touchdowns for Carson Beck) as they struggled for the bulk of the matchup.
With Florida State now 0-2 in conference play for the second
straight season as well (1-9 in its last 10 games), the Seminoles now have to once again re-establish after flying high for the bulk of September.
What’s there to take away from FSU’s loss? The Tomahawk Nation staff breaks it down below.
- What was the main reason behind FSU’s loss today?
TimScribble: That’s tough because I could point to several different reasons. Honestly, I think it’s the lack of development over the last few years (and that’s on coaching). FSU has athletes, but Miami looked stronger and faster. FSU dug itself into a hole early in this game, which is a bit of a microcosm of what’s gone on with the program in general. It’s a good team, but still unrefined.
NoleThruandThru: Pressing too hard on offense in the first half. Virginia and Miami both showed a blueprint on how to beat FSU- force Tommy Castellanos into thinking he has to be Superman. TC is at his best when he’s calm and focused. When he tries to do too much, he turns the ball over instead of what the defense gives him.
FrankDNole: A) 3 turnovers
2) What I had once believed to be a defensive strength has turned out to be a liabilty. I am talking about the FSU secondary.
D) As much as I hate to admit it because I appreciate Castellanos coming to FSU to earn his paycheck this year, he just does not have the arm strength to be a FSU QB who will take FSU to the next level. I understand the market, what was available at the time, and the money restrictions, but this ain’t it.
evenflow58: Recruiting. FSU didn’t have the talent to overcome the mistakes they made. Miami didn’t make as many disastrous mistakes but has a lot more talent to overcome those mistakes.
Jordan Silversmith: Agree with Evan. The talent gap was obvious. And not just recruiting, but having misses that went to Miami. Mario stockpiled talent and the Seminoles are short in top-end talent and the reserves. Just two different teams on two different timelines.
Perry Kostidakis: Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. There are more than a few things to point at, both in the macro and micro when it comes to this team, but 14 points for Miami off of Castellanos’ interceptions was way too big a swing to overcome.
- Does the fourth-quarter comeback inspire any hope, or was it too little too late?
TimScribble: You can’t and shouldn’t ignore it. Young receivers stepped up (McCoy, Boggs), the OL played through injury, and Tommy looked comfortable. Just have to figure that out earlier in the game.
NoleThruandThru: Bit of both. Where was that 96-yard drive in the first half? It’s a shame that so many good things happened late, likely after the recruits in attendance had either tuned out or left. But it does show that FSU can move the ball on anyone, and the defense deserves a lot of credit for its response to the disaster in Charlottesville.
Jordan Silversmith: I am glad that Mike Norvell instilled a new level of competition in this team from last year. It proves he has his finger on the pulse, which matters.
FrankDNole: The 4th quarter comeback was too little too late, however, it was such a pleasure to see the Noles not completly fold, ala 2024, and fight to the end . This was progress in term of team culture.
evenflow58: From a season perspective, it was nice to see them continue fighting. From a “this game” perspective, it was too little too late. Miami was playing safe and I never thought FSU really had a chance to come all the way back.
Perry Kostidakis: It does show you that this team is clearly built with a different mentality from last season — one that does reflect the mindset that Norvell looks to implement in his squads. There aren’t many teams that would still be fighting facing a 25-point deficit to a rival that is outclassing you in all aspects.
- What do you make of the FSU offense’s showing today?
TimScribble: Gus definitely got too cute at times and that hurt them. Tommy tried too hard as well and hurt them with turnovers. He needs to take what’s there, which is what he did in the fourth quarter.
NoleThruandThru: As Castellanos goes, so go the Seminoles. When he’s dialed in and in command, the entire team feeds off him. When he isn’t, guys start making sloppy mistakes. I also continue to be flummoxed by the running back rotation strategy. Every time a back not named Sawchuk strings together a couple of good plays, they disappear for a while. I also really hope Pettus can return quickly. The OL needs him desperately.
Jordan Silversmith: Not enough explosives. After blowing the top off the defense the last month, FSU did not have a rush over 20 yards or a pass over 30. Miami let its pass rushers eat and play deep on the back end, and it worked.
FrankDNole: The Gus Bus has a flat. Gus has been great with scripted opening drives, but after that, it seems like the bus blows a gasket and goes in the shop for a while, putting even more pressure on the defense.
evenflow58: It looked early like Malzahn didn’t think FSU could just run straight up on Miami and I agree with that but the OL played pretty well and FSU had some nice gains. Too many mistakes ultimately doomed them. It seems like Castellanos was just trying to do too much, and that really put them behind the eight ball.
Perry Kostidakis: You’re living and dying by two boom-and-bust factors — Gus Malzahn’s playcalling and Tommy Castellanos’ play. We saw what happened when both fell flat in the first, and we saw the result of them getting into a flow in the fourth. There was no need to lean on the trickery so early, especially since Miami’s speed neutralized any deception that FSU tried to pull off.
- Did Florida State’s defense do enough to help win the game?
TimScribble: If this defense showed up last week, I think FSU runs away with that one. So why didn’t White and co adjust last week? Linebackers are still a mess, but the line looked better. Amaree Williams could turn into a really nice piece. The Desir twins continue to impress. Nice game from DJax as well.
NoleThruandThru: Jerry Wilson was a complete liability in coverage, which was shocking to me, but otherwise, I think the defense responded nicely from last week. They did better against the run than I thought they would, but the lack of a pass rush allowed Beck to look better than he really is. The Desir twins continue to punch above their weight, and Amaree Williams showed why he needs to focus on defense from now on. He could be special.
Jordan Silversmith: They were average. Only one sack, five tackles for loss and one quarterback hit. Just did not change the game in the way Tony White needed them to do.
FrankDNole: I did not know this would be a question when I answered question No. 1 about the secondary, but no, our defense has terrible eye-discipline, and terrible tackling and wrapping up skills.
evenflow58: Yes. I was really impressed with the way they stymied Miami’s run game. Had they had a bit more discipline and tackled better in the secondary, they might have had a good shot at this game.
Perry Kostidakis: On paper, yes — but man, FSU’s inability to finish tackles played a huge part in the small gains Miami was able to piece together, killing clock and keeping Florida State’s offense on the field. Tony White and his unit deserve credit for shutting down a lethal Miami rushing attack, but the secondary once again was exposed on explosive plays.
- FSU is 3-2, like most expected before the season — do you feel encouraged, neutral or resigned by FSU through 5 games?
TimScribble: Neutral. I think how they show up against Pitt will be telling.
NoleThruandThru: Encouraged, despite the bitter taste of going 0-2 the past two weeks. I thought this team had a seven-win ceiling at best before the season started. They could go undefeated the rest of the regular season, or they could go .500 and I wouldn’t be shocked either way. Tonight was the type of game that exposed the prep recruiting deficiencies under Norvell. The depth just isn’t where it needs to be for FSU to be a playoff team, but I still think they’re better than seven wins.
Jordan Silversmith: I am still encouraged because of the intangibles shown in the players. Coming into the year, 7-5 with a win over one of the big four on the schedule would be a success. So far, the Noles are still on track for that.
evenflow58: Neutral. I don’t think the 3-2 record is bad at all and is what I expected, but the way they played against Bama compared to the last two games is somewhat disconcerting. If they can win their next three (PITT, Stanford and Wake) and have a bowl game wrapped up going into Clemson, I’ll be much more encouraged.
Perry Kostidakis: I’m encouraged, but only slightly. A few plays here and there have you sitting at 4-1, and that knowledge should ideally be proof of concept to FSU moving forward. The Seminoles have a chance to be favored in every game moving forward (Clemson and Florida being the big questions) and have plenty to play for (aka my dream of being able to see a Pop-Tart murdered in person).
