After taking Miami down to the wire, Florida State had to witness the course of what would be the final overtime period shift due to two key plays. Left tackle Xavier Chaplin was blocking a Miami defender when the player slipped and fell in front of Chaplin, resulting in a controversial holding call that erased a ridiculous touchdown by Micahi Danzy.
On the very next play, the Seminoles launched another throw into the teeth of multiple defenders, and wide receiver Duce Robinson appeared to catch the football initially. The call on the field was an interception after Robinson fought for the ball, and upon review, the call was upheld, ending the game for Florida State.
When asked about the holding call on Xavier Chaplin in overtime, coach Mike Norvell did not hold back and stated that the call was "an absolute joke" after previously ripping into the referees directly after the game. Norvell previously stated that the officiating crew should "go watch the film," and then the error in the call would be seen.
Norvell on the Xavier Chaplin holding in OT:
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) October 19, 2026
"It's an absolute joke."https://t.co/HV5jTl9BQo pic.twitter.com/eBODfjVmjZ
Mike Norvell addresses the "absolute joke" of a holding call against Xavier Chaplin in overtime against Miami
Sometimes it just takes a few days for any sort of heightened emotions to cool off, but with a massive upset over a conference rival on the line, Norvell is not going to calm down anytime soon. Florida State had battled adversity from the start of the game, from being near three-touchdown underdogs to overcoming a terrible season-ending injury to running back Ousmane Kromah. The loss is not the issue, but rather the manner in which the game ended for Florida State.
To lose a very gritty, hard-fought game at the hands of two controversial overtime calls is deflating for the Seminoles, to say the least. Florida State certainly made mistakes, but for a team that often is its own worst enemy, the performance against Miami was rather clean. If Florida State was beaten from start to finish, that is one thing, but this team battled far too hard to see the game end in controversy.
Norvell was still visibly upset with the brutal holding call during his Week 8 press conference, but the coach did not forget about the second controversial call.
Directly after the holding call on Chaplin erased a touchdown from Micahi Danzy, a touchdown pass to Duce Robinson was ruled an interception as the defensive back appeared to have possession of the ball while being downed. Norvell argued that because the two players had possession of the ball in the air, simultaneous possession would come into play, and Robinson would have been awarded a touchdown.
Norvell was less than pleased to discover that the officiating crew did not factor simultaneous possession into their decision. The interception effectively ended the game for Florida State, despite there never being a clear picture of the defender with sole possession of the football.
Florida State now needs to find a way to put the brutal loss behind them, with another difficult ACC game coming up. The Seminoles will take Week 8 off before returning in Week 9 to face the Clemson Tigers, who have won nine of the last ten meetings.
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