TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State delivered a comeback that belongs among the great down-to-the-wire finishes in the history of the rivalry with Miami. And Mike Norvell has a signature win to continue building the Seminoles’ foundation.
Jordan Travis completed a fourth-and-14 pass to Andrew Parchment and two plays later ran it in from 1 yard out with 26 seconds to go as Florida State defeated Miami 31-28 on Saturday.
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Trailing 28-23 and taking over at the Seminoles’ 20-yard line, Travis dropped back and connected with Ja’Khi Douglas on a 59-yard catch-and-run. After two incompletions and a false start, Travis connected with Parchment on the 24-yard reception to the goal line.
“Wow, what a game,” Norvell said. “So proud of our team. The coaches, everybody involved in the program. The work, the investment, responding to adversity. The way that we work. Everything that we do within our program is there to prepare you for a moment like that. … It’s been a challenging road. We’ve had some real ups and downs. But these kids, they’ve just continued to work, they’ve continued to believe.”
Florida State (4-6, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) has had a roller-coaster season, beginning 0-4 before winning three straight and then dropping two in a row. But now the Seminoles have picked up their first victory over a rival — Miami, Florida or Clemson — since a Nov. 25, 2017 win over the Gators.
Travis completed 18 of 26 passes for a career-high 274 yards and he ran 22 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns for Florida State.
A year after Miami routed FSU 52-10, in what was the second game of the Norvell Era but also one he missed on the road after testing positive for COVID-19, the Seminoles showed just how much progress they have made.
“They stomped us last year,” Travis said. “That’s not a good feeling at all. This is a big game for us. This shows where we’re headed, the fight we have, the brotherhood we have, the commitment we have.”
Tyler Van Dyke threw four touchdown passes as Miami rallied from a 17-point deficit. After a shaky first half, Van Dyke regrouped and completed touchdown passes to Key'Shawn Smith, Mike Harley, Will Mallory and Jaylan Knighton for the Hurricanes (5-5, 3-3).
Van Dyke completed 25 of 47 passes for 316 yards with two interceptions for Miami.
Florida State clearly frustrated the Hurricanes, forcing three turnovers in the first 15 minutes.
Jermaine Johnson forced a fumble that set up Florida State with a short field, setting up Jashaun Corbin’s 12-yard touchdown run that put the Seminoles up 14-0. Johnson, a defensive end, had three sacks — giving him 11 on the season. Five of his seven tackles were for losses.
In a game that swung with big plays on offense and defense, Miami made too many mistakes with the three early turnovers, 14 penalties and early drops.
“Tough one to swallow there,” Miami coach Manny Diaz said. “Another classic Miami-Florida State game. This time we ended up on the wrong side of it.”
MISSION? TAKE IT AWAY
Florida State now has an interception in six straight games and 10 picks in 2021 after Omarion Cooper, who was making his first career start, and Jammie Robinson picked off Van Dyke in the first quarter. Van Dyke had just one interception in a three-game win streak over NC State, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech.
TAKEAWAYS
Miami: Van Dyke threw for 300 yards for a fourth straight game, but the Hurricanes managed just 43 rushing yards on 23 carries (1.9 yards per carry).
Florida State: The Seminoles shook off a sluggish third quarter to snap a four-game slide in the series.
UP NEXT
Miami: Plays host to Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Florida State: Plays at Boston College on Saturday.
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