Final takeaways in Florida State football's loss to Miami

Florida State fell to in-state rival Miami on Saturday night, 28-22, marking its second consecutive loss to the Hurricanes. The defeat drops the Seminoles to 3-2 overall, and they remain winless in ACC play. Florida State has now lost nine of its last ten conference games and will need to regroup quickly as their College Football Playoff hopes continue to fade.

After Jake Weinberg's 23-yard field goal on the opening drive, Miami responded with 28 unanswered points. Explosive plays told the story early, as the Hurricanes connected on three plays of 40 yards or more to build a commanding lead. The Seminoles eventually capitalized on the Hurricanes' conservative play-calling later in the game, putting together a 19-point run to make the score more respectable.

One of the most questionable moments came in the first quarter, when head coach Mike Norvell elected to go for it on 4th and 8 from the Miami 41. The decision backfired as quarterback Tommy Castellanos threw an interception, giving the Hurricanes prime field position. This shifted the entire momentum of the game as Miami quarterback Carson Beck connected with freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney on a 44-yard flea-flicker touchdown on the next play. The Seminoles went on to turn the ball over two more times in the game, compared to Miami's zero.

While those mistakes proved costly, and there's plenty to critique in execution and play-calling, the larger issue is talent disparity. Simply put, Florida State doesn't have the same caliber of player that Miami does right now. This was evident in the trenches and at the skill positions. Florida State had a pass blocking grade of 21.9, their lowest since 2018. Offensive linemen Gunnar Hansen, Adrian Medley, and Jacob Rizy all had the lowest grades of their careers. On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Tony White committed to loading the box and stopping the run, which often left defensive backs on islands, exposing the talent gap further against Miami's playmakers.

Florida State had just 47 combined snaps played by Blue Chip recruits along the offensive and defensive lines on Saturday night; Miami, meanwhile, had 319. The contrast speaks volumes. It's become a growing consensus that Mike Norvell's staff fails to recruit with the intensity or success as Miami's. That will need to change if Florida State wants to avoid results like this in the future.