FSU football isn’t playing in a bowl game this season, so we’re taking a look back at some of the best postseason games for the Seminoles by date.
For the last three seasons, the FSU football team has been plagued by slow starts to each year – coming up with at least two losses in their first five games each of the years over that span. While the last two seasons have been ones where the Seminoles were still trying to keep their heads above water, the 2016 season was a much different animal.
Four straight wins at the end of the season (three of them over bowl teams) had the Seminoles back in a major bowl game for the fifth straight season – and in another game that pretty much summed up their season in the fact that there was a roller coaster of emotion for anyone in the stands and watching at home wearing garnet and gold.
When it was all said and done, the Seminoles continued their winning ways in one South Florida stadium and celebrated what, as it turns out, was the last really great moment for the program ever since.
Here’s a look at the best FSU football bowl game the program has played on December 30th.
2016 Orange Bowl – Florida State 33 Michigan 32
After losing three of their first eight games to start the season – including two by a combined five points to ACC foes North Carolina and Clemson – the Noles went on a dominating run to end the season, culminating with a 18 point win over ranked rival Florida and (thanks to Louisville losing their final two games) a spot in the Orange Bowl for the 10th time in the program’s 70 season history.
Coming in as a heavy underdog against the sixth ranked Wolverines, the Seminoles came out on fire – starting off with a touchdown run by Miami native Dalvin Cook and a field goal set up by a long reception by Cook off one of just nine passes completed by Deondre Francois on the game.
One of those passes was a 92 yard touchdown pass to Nyqwan Murray toward the end of the first quarter – one of the longest plays in FSU football history – and after the teams exchanged field goals in the second quarter, the Seminoles went into the locker room with a two possession lead.
That lead would slowly get clawed away by Michigan as the Wolverines went on a 24-7 scoring run in the first 28 minutes of the second half – with the only Seminoles score coming on a Francois run set up by a 71 yard carry by Cook. – that gave Michigan a three point lead
Then, in what seemed to be a holiday miracle, Keith Gavin went from almost villain to hero by returning the ensuing kickoff out of the end zone and going inside the Michigan 40 yard line. Moments later, Murray hauled in his second touchdown pass – only to have Michigan block and return the extra point attempt to give the Noles just a one point lead.
The FSU football defense – which had four sacks and held Michigan to just 252 total yards – kept Michigan from doing anything and Carlos Becker intercepted a fourth down pass to seal the win and help avoid the first three game bowl losing streak in program history.
It would be the final game for Cook, who was the MVP after 23 touches for a combined 207 yards and one score, as the Seminoles won for the eight time in 11 games played inside what is now Hard Rock Stadium. It would also be the last win by the Seminoles over a ranked team until this year’s victory over Boston College – also a one point win for the Noles.