Tensions between Florida State University (FSU) students and University of Miami students were high this past Saturday, Nov. 13. After a long year of waiting, FSU football played at home against UM in their annual game. A long-standing and established rivalry between the two universities led to a packed stadium full of fans of both teams. In 2020, the Canes crushed the Noles 52-10, but this year, the Noles came back with a vengeance, winning the 2021 game 31-28. Here is a quick recap of the game.
FSU utilized an early strong defensive presence to accumulate a 17-0 lead. Being the underdogs, this was an incredibly strong start; However, the error made by FSU here was not turning enough turnovers into touchdowns. FSU scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, but they only scored seven points from three turnovers which hurt them later when Miami started to gain on them.
In the second quarter, Miami gained traction in the game when Key’Shawn Smith scored a touchdown with a five-yard pass from Tyler Van Dyke. At the end of this quarter, the score ended up being 20-7 for the Seminoles after FSU’s Ryan Fitzgerald kicked a 22-yard field goal. The third quarter is when Miami really started to gain on FSU, getting another touchdown bringing the score to 20-14 for the Seminoles.
Two touchdowns from Miami early in the fourth quarter had Canes fans ecstatic while Seminoles fans sat on the edge of their seats. Another field goal by Fitzgerald brought the score of the game to 28-23, with the Canes in the lead. The game seemed just about over when FSU used the final minutes to score their final touchdown with a one-yard run from fan-favorite quarterback Jordan Travis. The score was 31-28, with just 26 seconds left for Miami to try to turn it back around. Miami got one first down on fourth and ten, but Tyler Van Dyke was too late to snap the ball, attempting to do it with less than three seconds left. This led the referee to call the game off with one second left for an official win by FSU against Miami for the first time since 2016.
This was a long-awaited win for Florida State, and it could not have come on a better night. Since this was the last home game for the FSU football team, it was a senior night to celebrate players who are graduating this year. There’s no better way to have your last home game of college than with a win against one of your biggest rivals. Not only were the players and coaches excited, but the stadium erupted with cheers from fans, and a post-game firework show lit up the sky.
After breaking their losing streak with Miami, FSU will go on to play the University of Florida on Dec. 5 for their last game of the season. Hopefully, the energy from this win will carry them onto another victory against the Gators.
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