Florida State, showing life on just one offensive possession in the first half, is facing yet another double-digit deficit at halftime this season.
The Seminoles managed to score a touchdown on offense for the first time since the second quarter vs. Clemson (Oct. 6) and just the ninth time this season, but its ineptitude on the only other two drives of the game rendered it unable to further close the gap established by the Hurricanes on their opening drive of the game.
Miami has leaned on its rushing attack so far in the matchup, with Damien Martinez at 57 yards and Mark Fletcher Jr. at 56 after both scored touchdowns on the ground. Heisman Trophy favorite Cam Ward is currently 11 of 19 for 141 yards, averaging 11.9 yards per completion while doing his best to navigate a Florida State pass rush that is doing a decent job of disrupting the rhythm of Miami.
The Seminoles have given up 19 first downs already, allowing Miami to convert seven of nine third-down attempts — though FSU already has three sacks and four tackles for loss on the night.
While complaining about officiating is usually cope, especially when talking about ACC referees who are so awful that nobody is safe from consequences, there have been a few instances of head-scratching non-calls. Any benefits of those penalties might’ve been nullified, though, as FSU did a great job racking up penalty yards of its own. Most frustrating had to have been the illegal substitution infractions committed by FSU on two different crucial drives — a penalty that reflects and is directly the result of coaching.
If there’s going to be any hope of FSU pulling off the unimaginable, we’re going to have to see some more spark from the Seminoles’ offensive attack — the last time they took the field, Luke Kromenhoek led perhaps one of the best drives of the season while showcasing some wheels on a chaotic 4th and 1 conversion:
Florida State, after winning the toss and deffering to start the game, will begin the third quarter on offense.
FSU vs. Miami: Halftime stats
Total Yards
FSU: 107
Miami: 240
Pass Yards
FSU: 24
Miami: 131
Rush Yards
FSU: 83
Miami: 109
Penalties
FSU: 5-30
Miami: 2-20
1st Downs
FSU: 5
Miami: 19
3rd Downs
FSU: 1-5
Miami: 7-9
4th Downs
FSU: 2-2
Miami: 1-1
Total Plays
FSU: 22
Miami: 43
Avg Yds/Play
FSU: 4.9
Miami: 5.6
Avg Yds/Completion
FSU: 8
Miami: 11.9
Avg Yds/Rush
FSU: 5.9
Miami: 4.5
Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg)
FSU: 83 (5.9)
Miami: 130 (6.2)
Red Zone
FSU: 1-1
Miami: 3-3
Time of Possession
FSU: 11:47
Miami: 18:13
Turnovers (Def Pts Off)
FSU: 0 (0)
Miami: 0 (0)
Fumbles-Lost
FSU: 0-0
Miami: 0-0
Sacks (Def Yds)
FSU: 3 (21)
Miami: 0 (0)
TFL (Def Yds)
FSU: 4 (22)
Miami: 0 (0)
