Florida State University Athletics
After Satisfying Win Over Cuse, Noles Turn Focus To Miami
10/27/2019 2:57:59 PM | Football
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The chant was both brief and faint, mostly drowned out by the sounds of the FSU Marching Chiefs playing the fight song at the end of the Seminoles’ 35-17 win over Syracuse.
But as Florida State’s players and coaches made their way to the locker room, a few dozen fans crowded in the sections behind the home sideline began, in unison:
“Beat Mi-am-i … Beat Mi-am-i.”
As usual, head coach Willie Taggart and the Seminoles will take 24 hours to celebrate their homecoming win over the Orange, and that period is well-earned after a comprehensive victory that snapped a two-game skid and calmed their critics for an afternoon.
For everyone else, though, it’s officially Miami week.
Florida State will host the Hurricanes on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ABC) in what will be the 63rd meeting between the longtime rivals.
“When you play a rivalry game like that, both records go out the window,” FSU defensive end Janarius Robinson said. “I’m happy about playing those games. That’s what you come to Florida State for.”
After seven years of dominance from the Seminoles, the series has turned in Miami’s favor in each of the last two years.
The Hurricanes have won back-to-back games – by a total of five points – against FSU for the first time since 2004, which was the last of six consecutive Miami victories dating back to 2000.
The Seminoles, of course, want to reverse that trend for obvious reasons – bragging rights and their place in the state’s college football pecking order among them.
But a win over the Hurricanes would also bring about a more immediate benefit by improving the Seminoles’ overall record to 5-4. With another home game against FCS Alabama State on the horizon, beating Miami would all but guarantee that FSU will finish no worse than .500 in the regular season and earn a trip to a bowl game after missing the postseason a year ago.
“I don’t think I have to get our guys up for this game,” Taggart said. “They’re going to be fired up. They’re going to be ready to go. I think it’s just important that our guys understand the kind of week they had last week (leading up to Syracuse) and the work they put in.
“And we’re going to need that same kind of focus, but even more this week, to be able to go out and execute and play well and take care of business in Doak Campbell.”
In their first year under coach Manny Diaz – an FSU alum and graduate assistant in 1998 and 99 – the Hurricanes find themselves in a similar scenario as the Seminoles.
Miami is 4-4 and in need of some wins to boost its postseason chances, and has battled bouts of inconsistency throughout the season.
The Hurricanes played eventual top-10 team Florida tough in their season-opener, and have wins over the first- (Virginia) and third-place (Pittsburgh) teams in the ACC Coastal Division.
But they also lost at home to a Georgia Tech team that seemed destined for a winless conference slate before stunning Miami in overtime.
Diaz said the Hurricanes came closer together following that loss, and that it made them “a little tougher” in their win at Pitt on Saturday.
“Some guys opened up their hearts to each other,” he said, “and I think we made some connections this week that made us a little tougher to beat.”
The Seminoles certainly don’t need any extra motivation when the Hurricanes are on the other sideline, although they are looking forward to a chance to set things right after letting last year’s edition get away from them.
FSU led by as many as 20 points at Sun Life Stadium and was cruising toward a signature victory in Taggart’s first season before turnovers and a costly officiating decision helped swing things toward a 28-27 victory for Miami.
“It ain’t going be like last year,” FSU running back Khalan Laborn said. “It’s going to be a different game.”
Whether the Seminoles can make good on Laborn’s declaration remains to be seen. But having the game inside Doak Campbell Stadium won’t hurt their chances.
Since dropping its opener to Boise State – game in which it led by as many as 18 points – FSU has reeled off four consecutive home wins.
The Seminoles are 8-4 in Tallahassee under Taggart, and the head coach on Saturday implored the FSU fan base to pack the stadium and help make life difficult for their arch-rivals.
“We’re going to need everybody here again,” he said, “to make Doak Campbell rowdy next week.”