The veteran, who was benched for a true freshman earlier in the week, had to come in on the Hurricanes’ final drive after that freshman, Emory Williams, suffered a season-ending arm injury. Van Dyke had to get ready quickly to try to lead a game-tying or game-winning drive.

“Mentally, I was ready to play, but physically, you kind of get tight a little bit,” Van Dyke said. “You haven’t really done any movement, especially that late in the game, for like three to four hours. I did my best to try to stretch my legs a little bit and get my arm loose and up as much as I can in the little time I had to get ready for that situation. But yeah, that’s a part of playing that role. You’ve got to be ready for that situation no matter what.”

Unfortunately for Van Dyke and the Hurricanes, there would be no storybook ending. The veteran completed 2 of 7, and FSU picked off his last pass attempt to seal the Seminoles’ rivalry game win. But with Williams out, Van Dyke is back in the starting role, looking to salvage the season in its final two games, starting with a matchup with No. 10 Louisville at home on Saturday.

“You’re not going to play your best every game,” Van Dyke said. “It’s all about how you respond. I’ve just got to be better. I’ll take ownership for it. I’ve got to take ownership for my mistakes, which I have, and I’ve just got to get better from it. We know what we’re capable of. We’ve done it before.”

Van Dyke said being benched was “tough” after having what coach Mario Cristobal said was a good week of practice. But offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson has said that every player in the quarterback room supports each other, and Van Dyke echoed that Wednesday.

“I want to be the guy out there, but at the end of the day, that’s what they had to do (to have) the best team, and I supported Emory the whole way,” Van Dyke said. “I told him right after they made the decision, ‘I’m here to support you whatever way I could do that. Just ask me questions, I’ll be watching the game as best as I can, watching their defense and help you the best as I can.’ “

Van Dyke has dealt with injuries this season. He suffered three torn ligaments in a finger on his throwing hand before the season and played through that. He suffered a leg injury against North Carolina, which kept him off the field against Clemson, as well. He said Wednesday that he feels like he has mostly healed from those injuries.

“I’m getting pretty much healed,” Van Dyke said. “Obviously, I was dealing with a lot of stuff, a lot of nicks going on. But that’s football. You’ve got to deal with it when you play. That’s no excuse. But I feel a lot better now, and I’m ready to roll.”

Van Dyke said he feels like he is in a “really good headspace” now after talking to people in his circle, including family, friends, teammates and UM’s sports psychologist.

“At the end of the day, I’m not going to let football consume my happiness,” Van Dyke said. “I love playing football, and I want to accomplish my dreams of playing college football and playing in the NFL. I’m going to do my best, and I love the game. But at the end of the day, I’m not going to let that consume my happiness.

“I don’t want to be upset the rest of my life because football didn’t go my way. Just kind of learned that throughout the process of the last few weeks. Maybe that was the life lesson that God was trying to teach me. There’s things you can be grateful for when things go badly because of the lessons you’ve learned from it.”

Van Dyke said he needs to be smarter with the football. Poor decisions and underthrows have led to 11 interceptions in the past five games, which have proven costly in losses to Georgia Tech and N.C. State.

Despite the quarterback’s struggles, his teammates continue to support him through the benching and into the home stretch of the season. They will need him to recover his form if they want to end the regular season on a high note.

“He responded extremely well,” center Matt Lee said. “He responded how and I and everyone thought he would respond: mature, never wavered in his confidence. He’s been a great teammate the whole time, still maintained the leadership that he had throughout the whole rest of the season up until that point last week. It wasn’t any different guy. Obviously, that is tough, last week, but the way he responded was extremely mature and exhibited a lot of leadership and the type of guy he is.

“This week, we’re leaning on him, and we trust him. Regardless of who’s back there, playing quarterback, as an offense, as a team, we’re all confident in whoever’s back there and we’re extremely confident in Tyler, as well.”

Van Dyke said he has watched film from past seasons, including his 2021 campaign where he was ACC Rookie of the Year, to remind himself that he can be a high-level quarterback and help build his confidence. If he can regain that form, Miami will have a good shot against Louisville and Boston College the next two weeks.

“I’ve proven that I can be one of the top quarterbacks in the country when I’m at my best,” Van Dyke said. “I’ve also proven that when I’m not at my best, I can not be in that conversation at all. At the end of the day, you’ve got to be consistent throughout the entire season. Just got to be better at not pressing and forcing throws. I think if I do that, everything else will handle itself.”

Latest line: Louisville is favored by 1 point

Dave Hyde, Sports Columnist: Louisville 24, Miami 17

Some ACC team was bound to break out of the pack with Florida State and 10th-ranked Louisville has done it. Until Miami fixes its offense, it’s hard to see it scoring enough to win against good teams. Miami’s defense, however, had an inspired effort in last week’s loss at FSU, holding the Seminoles to their second-fewest number of points and second-fewest offensive yards (322) in a game this year. UM also racked up three sacks and nine tackles for loss.

Adam Lichtenstein, Hurricanes Writer: Louisville 27, Miami 24

The Cardinals are 9-1 and the Hurricanes are 6-4. That should mean this will be a lopsided contest in favor of the visitors. But not much truly separates these teams. Louisville has excelled in its first year under Jeff Brohm, but the Cardinals dropped a game to a bad Pittsburgh team and played close games against other middle-of-the-road teams. If Miami can get average quarterback play from Tyler Van Dyke, they will be very much in this game. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, that is not guaranteed.

Keven Lerner, Assistant Sports Editor: Louisville 27, Miami 23

Louisville is one win away from clinching a spot in the ACC title game, but it is coming off one of its worst defensive performances of the season against Virginia. The Cardinals, who will get an extra couple days to prepare for UM after playing a Thursday night game, rallied for 17 fourth-quarter points to beat Virginia 31-24 on Nov. 9. Miami’s embattled quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who lost his starting job to freshman Emory Williams, will get a chance to redeem himself after throwing 11 interceptions in his last five games. The Hurricanes, who are just 2-4 against ACC opponents, play their final home game. UM, which controlled both lines of scrimmage for most of the game in last week’s loss at FSU, should keep the game close, but Louisville may prove to be too much.

Somehow, the ball got past the defenders and into George’s hands. From there, nothing but open, green grass separated him from the end zone.

“On that play, I just knew Emory was going to put it up, and I just had to fight for it,” George said. “I leaned back into the DB, and he gave me a chance, and I had to make it.”

George’s 85-yard touchdown on that play kept the Hurricanes in the game, though they ultimately lost 27-20 in Tallahassee. George scored two touchdowns in the loss and racked up a career-high 153 receiving yards, earning ACC Wide Receiver of the Week honors. It is the second time this season he has earned that award.

“It means a lot,” George said, “being recognized … It means a lot to me.”

The junior wide receiver is realizing the potential that led to him being rated a four-star prospect coming out of Plantation High. He leads the Hurricanes in receiving yards (707) and touchdown catches (seven) with two games left in the season.

“I love that guy. That guy, he’s developing so much,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “I’ve said it before. I’m going to push him hard because he carries a lot of responsibility. He really is an awesome young man. He’s a guy that sky’s the limit. The more he develops, the more you’re going to see that of him. He’s got great wiggle, he’s got unbelievable balance, body control and he can track the ball.”

George’s first touchdown against the Seminoles also showed off the work he has been putting in on the practice field. He ran a short fade route to the end zone and came down with a well-placed pass from Williams.

“That delayed fade down at the goal line, that’s hours and hours and reps and reps at practice, so it’s great to see that pay off for him and for the quarterback and for the offense,” Cristobal said.

It has not been all smooth sailing for George since he arrived in Coral Gables. After showing some sparks as a freshman, he missed five games in 2022 due to a two-game suspension and a broken thumb. He worked on getting the strength back in his hand this offseason and studied more to prepare for 2023.

“Just working and studying the details of everything, to watching film, just being a better football player,” George said.

The work is paying off. George has a 77.8 offensive grade and a 78.1 receiving grade this season, which ranks fourth in the ACC among receivers with 25 or more targets this season.

“He’s become a really steady player,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “In games like (the FSU game), man coverage, he’s got wiggle. He sticks his toe in the ground. He’s made a lot of big plays through the course of the year, and that game was one that’s been really on the verge of happening for a little while. We just need more of them. It’s needed every week. That’s the key, just consistency.”

CORAL GABLES — This time, the only punches that Miami and FIU threw at one another were theoretical. And the Panthers nearly got a stunning knockout.

Matthew Cleveland scored 23 points, Bensley Joseph and Wooga Poplar each added 18 and No. 12 Miami rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to beat neighboring FIU 86-80 on Monday night.

Nigel Pack scored 17 points and Norchad Omier had 11 rebounds for the Hurricanes (3-0).

“Very proud of our guys for hanging in there,” Miami coach Jim Larrañaga said. “And very impressed with FIU.”

Anyone who was watching would likely have said the same, after a game with some wild ebbs and flows. Consider:

— Miami started the game on a 28-11 run over 10 minutes.

— FIU answered with a 42-13 run over the next 14 minutes.

— Miami immediately came back with a 19-0 run over the next four minutes.

The Panthers fell to 0-25 all-time against ranked opponents — but made the nine-mile drive back to their campus knowing they nearly changed that.

“Had we won tonight, it would have been glorious,” FIU coach Jeremy Ballard said. “But we weren’t going to be cutting nets down. We weren’t going to be getting any trophies. We weren’t going to be getting any invitations to the big dance. So right now, it’s all about growth. And as a coach, we definitely prefer to grow through winning and that’s certainly going to be our aim going forward.”

Arturo Dean scored 19 for FIU (0-3), while Dashon Gittens added 14 and Javaunte Hawkins had 11 for the Panthers — a 21 1/2-point underdog according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

But it wasn’t decided until just about the very end. George Pridgett Jr. made a 3-pointer with 1:49 left to get FIU within 80-76, only to see Poplar hit a 3 on the next Miami possession to help seal the win.

“Being able to battle back when a team is hot like that and weather the storm … it’s really good to see,” Cleveland said.

It was the first official meeting between the programs since 2008, in part because FIU and Miami refused to play each other in any sport for years as part of the fallout from the football brawl between the schools in 2006. The brawl — which had one player swinging a helmet, another swinging a crutch and more than a few kicking opponents on the ground, led to 31 players being suspended.

Over time, relationships between FIU and Miami were restored. The schools met in women’s basketball in four consecutive seasons from 2015 through 2018, Miami going 4-0 and winning by an average of 26.8 points. The baseball teams have faced each other annually since 2017, except for 2020 because of the pandemic. And most famously, the Panthers’ football team topped the Hurricanes in 2019.

“This game is a big deal,” Ballard said. “We want it to be a big deal. We would love to play this game every year.”

BIG PICTURE

FIU: It was the second-closest game FIU played against a ranked opponent. The only one closer was an 85-81 loss to then-No. 25 Charleston on Feb. 13, 1997. Every other game against an AP Top 25 team had been decided by 10 or more points, and the average FIU margin of defeat is now 26 points in those matchups.

Miami: The 3-pointer saved the Hurricanes. Miami was 13 for 21 from beyond the arc, part of a night where the Hurricanes shot 58% from the field.

UP NEXT

Miami: Face Georgia at Nassau, Bahamas on Friday.

After picking up season-opening wins over NJIT and UCF, Miami moved up one spot to No. 12 this week. Florida Atlantic also won its first game and held steady at No. 10.

The Hurricanes cruised to a 101-60 over NJIT to start the year then picked up an 88-72 victory over the Knights.

Guard Wooga Poplar led Miami with 22 points per game, heading into Monday night’s home game against FIU. Forward Norchad Omier was averaging 19.5 points, guard Matthew Cleveland 14 points and guard Bensely Joseph 12.

Miami heads to the Bahamas to play Georgia in the Baha Mar Bahamas Hoops Championship on Friday. The Hurricanes will play Kansas State or Providence on Sunday.

The Owls opened their season with a 75-62 victory over Loyola Chicago. They play Eastern Michigan on Tuesday and Bryant on Saturday.

But Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes will look to Van Dyke again after Williams suffered a season-ending left arm injury at the end of the 27-20 loss in Tallahassee.

At his Monday press conference, Cristobal said Van Dyke will start against Louisville this Saturday.

“Tyler is going to be the starting quarterback going in,” Cristobal said.

Van Dyke entered the game against FSU after Williams’ injury. He went 2 for 7 during the Hurricanes’ final drive, throwing an interception to end Miami’s last chance. He has thrown 11 interceptions in his past five games.

Cristobal said Van Dyke handled the back-and-forth of the benching and being re-inserted as the starter well, and the veteran signal-caller “has the confidence of his teammates and the coaching staff.”

“Being a quarterback at Miami, you’ve got to be tough,” Cristobal said. “You’ve got to have thick skin. You’ve got to be a competitor. He’s all that. He handled last week like a pro, which means disappointed, upset, really fought hard all week — and it was a great week of practice by both guys. In fact, at the end of the week, the staff felt like, man, we’ve made a lot of progress.”

This season, Van Dyke has thrown for 2,086 yards with 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Miami’s other quarterback option, sophomore Jacurri Brown, has not gotten into a game this season but played in eight as a freshman in 2022. He started two games last season, picking up a win over Georgia Tech. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 230 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for 223 yards.

“He’s developed in a lot of different ways. … Everybody talks about (how) he’s a good athlete and whatnot, but he’s developed as a passer,” Cristobal said. “By that, I mean going through his progression, being accurate with the football, understanding the offense, understanding how to get us in and out of plays, understanding the protections.”

Cristobal said Williams and Van Dyke both practiced with the first-team and second-team offense last week, and that is how he handles position competitions in general.

“When you have a quarterback decision to make — really at any position — you make sure guys get the same amount of reps with the ones and also get some reps with the twos so that come game time, they’re ready to play,” Cristobal said.

Williams, who finished his second career start with eight completions on 23 attempts, racked up 175 passing yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against FSU. He was taken to a local hospital after suffering his arm injury but was released and flew home with the team. Hurricanes freshman tight end Jackson Carver posted a picture on Instagram with Williams; the quarterback had a bulky cast and a sling supporting his left arm.

“He’s going to be OK over time,” Cristobal said. “Obviously, a significant injury. He’ll be back for spring football.”

Running backs expected to play this week

Cristobal said Monday that running backs Henry Parrish Jr. and Ajay Allen are expected to return to the field for UM’s game against Louisville.

Cristobal said the two halfbacks were healthy but did not look like they were ready to play in time for the Hurricanes’ loss to FSU, so UM went with Mark Fletcher Jr. and Don Chaney Jr. in the backfield.

“I think (Parrish will) be healthy enough this week,” Cristobal said. “He was healthy enough to play, just didn’t look like he was up to full speed and the other guys were. Same thing with Ajay. Felt that they were two days away, three days away. Like they were right at the cusp, and those other guys were running the ball really well, so we went with those guys.”

Parrish is Miami’s leading rusher this season with 469 yards (5 more yards than Chaney). He has four rushing touchdowns. He has been hurt since UM played UNC on Oct. 14. Parrish played eight offensive snaps against Virginia and six against N.C. State before missing the Florida State game.

Allen has 282 rushing yards and four touchdowns this season. He last played against Virginia on Oct. 28.

Hurricanes hopeful Zion Nelson will play again

Miami offensive lineman Zion Nelson has been off the football field far longer than anyone expected. The offensive tackle had knee surgery before the 2022 season and has played only two games since then.

Nelson has not gotten back on the field this year after playing early in 2022, but Cristobal said the staff is hopeful he will play again.

“I think he is (going to play again),” Cristobal said. “I know he’s frustrated. He’s a great human being, by the way, and obviously, a really good football player, as well. The nature of his injury just requires time — time and tweaks. And I can’t get into specific detail as to what that is, but when you’re a big body, you want to make sure you get it right just because those guys have so much more stress, so much more power and force in all their movements. So we feel very confident that we’re going to get there.

“It’s certainly taken longer than all of us would’ve ever wanted or expected. … You want to do what’s best for the student-athlete and for the team, too, because the moment he gets healthy, he’s an instant boon for our offensive line and for our team.”

Before the injury, Nelson was a rising offensive tackle. He had a 73.3 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus in 2021.

Jacolby George earns weekly award

Despite Miami’s loss against FSU, wide receiver Jacolby George was named the ACC’s Wide Receiver of the Week on Monday.

George scored Miami’s two touchdowns in the loss, catching a short fade for a score and hauling in an 85-yard touchdown catch.

George has been the ACC Wide Receiver of the Week twice this season. He was previously named the conference’s receiver of the week after catching three touchdowns against Texas A&M.

George leads the Hurricanes with 707 receiving yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Miami stayed in the game and did not suffer a blowout loss like it did last year, but the Hurricanes still came up short, falling 27-20 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday.

Here are 3 things we learned — or still have questions about — from the rivalry game defeat:

Emory Williams’ gutsy night

The Hurricanes put the ball in freshman Emory Williams’ hands for the second time this year. The first time, he played because veteran starter Tyler Van Dyke was dealing with an injury. This time, it was not meant to be a stopgap measure. Van Dyke was relegated to the bench for his poor performance the past few weeks.

Williams did not have an excellent game. He missed open receivers and could not spark the offense for most of the night. He finished the game with eight completions on 23 attempts. Williams racked up 175 passing yards, more than half of which came on a touchdown pass to Jacolby George.

However, the freshman showed guts. He ran for a key first down, fighting through defenders, on a key drive. On his last play of the game, he scrambled on a broken play and dove for the first-down line. He suffered a “significant” arm injury when he landed and was taken to a local hospital.

“Gutsy. Tough,” UM coach Mario Cristobal said. “Was a little bit nervous early when it first started and then settled in. Made some big throws, some gutsy runs, as well, particularly the one where he got hurt on. But he also had the scramble where he got the first down, we ended up tying the game. Kept the drive going.”

Williams flew back to South Florida with the team, according to a statement from UM.

“We feel bad for Emory,” George said. “He fought the hardest out of all of us. And he had the most confidence. If anything went bad he would pick everybody up. He’s that young and so you can look up to somebody like that.

Quarterback question remains unsolved

Williams’ injury almost certainly means he will miss the last two games of the season, so the Hurricanes are potentially thrust back into a quarterback battle.

Van Dyke entered the game when Williams suffered the injury. Given the opportunity to lead a heroic tying or winning drive, the veteran completed a pair of passes to keep Miami’s chances afloat before throwing an interception on a fourth down, his 11th in five games.

“That’s just trying to make a play,” Cristobal said. I don’t see that as (a turnover).”

The question entering next week’s game against Louisville will be if Miami wants to give the reins back to Van Dyke or turn to sophomore Jacurri Brown. Brown played in eight games last year and made two starts but has not played a down this season.

That decision will have to be made in the next few days.

“[Brown is] doing well,” Cristobal said. “I would say he was even on the docket to play [against FSU], regardless of the situation. He’s played really well. He has. We felt that this was the best move for our team today, to start Emory. And should Emory have gotten hurt, that Tyler was [second string] — because Tyler had a really good week of practice.”

Defense steps up

Miami’s defense was up against a high-level, veteran offense, and performed admirably. The Hurricanes held the Seminoles to their second-fewest number of points and second-fewest offensive yards (322) this year.

“It was all about who wanted it more and our guys came out with fire,” linebacker Francisco Mauigoa said. “We were just motivated and trying to make plays. It was as simple as that.”

Miami also held FSU to its fewest yards-per-play (5.19 yards) out of any opponent the Seminoles have faced this season. UM racked up three sacks and nine tackles for loss.

“Defense played their butt off all night,” Cristobal said. “All night, those guys found a way to hit the quarterback, harass the quarterback.”

Miami now has two more chances to improve their record before the season ends. The Hurricanes host Louisville in their final home game next week before concluding the regular season on the road against Boston College. They can still win eight games, which would still be a marked improvement from last year’s 5-7 record.

Our goal every game is to try to win,” Mauigoa said. “And when it doesn’t go our way, we just gotta pick ourselves up and move on. We head into every game with the same mentality, to win. And we gave it our best today. I know it was a tough loss but we’ll bounce back. We’re going to learn from it and attack Louisville next week.”

Miami stayed in the game and did not suffer a blowout loss like it did last year, but the Hurricanes still came up short, falling 27-20 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday.

Here are 10 things we learned — or still have questions about — from the rivalry game defeat:

1. Emory Williams’ gutsy night

The Hurricanes put the ball in freshman Emory Williams’ hands for the second time this year. The first time, he played because veteran starter Tyler Van Dyke was dealing with an injury. This time, it was not meant to be a stopgap measure. Van Dyke was relegated to the bench for his poor performance the past few weeks.

Williams did not have an excellent game. He missed open receivers and could not spark the offense for most of the night. He finished the game with eight completions on 23 attempts. Williams racked up 175 passing yards, more than half of which came on a touchdown pass to Jacolby George.

However, the freshman showed guts. He ran for a key first down, fighting through defenders, on a key drive. On his last play of the game, he scrambled on a broken play and dove for the first-down line. He suffered a “significant” arm injury when he landed and was taken to a local hospital.

“Gutsy. Tough,” UM coach Mario Cristobal said. “Was a little bit nervous early when it first started and then settled in. Made some big throws, some gutsy runs, as well, particularly the one where he got hurt on. But he also had the scramble where he got the first down, we ended up tying the game. Kept the drive going.”

Williams flew back to South Florida with the team, according to a statement from UM.

“We feel bad for Emory,” George said. “He fought the hardest out of all of us. And he had the most confidence. If anything went bad he would pick everybody up. He’s that young and so you can look up to somebody like that.

2. Quarterback question remains unsolved

Williams’ injury almost certainly means he will miss the last two games of the season, so the Hurricanes are potentially thrust back into a quarterback battle.

Van Dyke entered the game when Williams suffered the injury. Given the opportunity to lead a heroic tying or winning drive, the veteran completed a pair of passes to keep Miami’s chances afloat before throwing an interception on a fourth down, his 11th in five games.

“That’s just trying to make a play,” Cristobal said. I don’t see that as (a turnover).”

The question entering next week’s game against Louisville will be if Miami wants to give the reins back to Van Dyke or turn to sophomore Jacurri Brown. Brown played in eight games last year and made two starts but has not played a down this season.

That decision will have to be made in the next few days.

“(Brown is) doing well,” Cristobal said. “I would say he was even on the docket to play (against FSU), regardless of the situation. He’s played really well. He has. We felt that this was the best move for our team today, to start Emory. And should Emory have gotten hurt, that Tyler was (second string) — because Tyler had a really good week of practice.”

Defense steps up

Miami’s defense was up against a high-level, veteran offense, and performed admirably. The Hurricanes held the Seminoles to their second-fewest number of points and second-fewest offensive yards (322) this year.

“It was all about who wanted it more and our guys came out with fire,” linebacker Francisco Mauigoa said. “We were just motivated and trying to make plays. It was as simple as that.”

Miami also held FSU to its fewest yards-per-play (5.19 yards) out of any opponent the Seminoles have faced this season. UM racked up three sacks and nine tackles for loss.

“Defense played their butt off all night,” Cristobal said. “All night, those guys found a way to hit the quarterback, harass the quarterback.”

Cornerbacks hold their own

The Hurricanes were down one starting cornerback after Daryl Porter Jr. suffered an injury against N.C. State. Their other starter, Jaden Davis, was limited to 21 snaps.

Miami turned to second-year transfer Jadais Richard and freshman Damari Brown, both of whom made their first starts with the Hurricanes. Richard played 53 snaps and had a 65.6 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus. Brown played 65 snaps and had a 60.1 defensive grade. They allowed eight catches on 13 targets combined.

“But Damari and Jadais, very talented young guys,” Cristobal said. “Long, big guys matched up better with their big receivers. But I thought all the guys played well.”

Jacolby George’s big game

The Hurricanes’ junior wide receiver and Plantation alumnus had a career day against the Seminoles. He racked up a career-best 153 yards on five catches and scored a pair of touchdowns.

George’s first score came on a well-run fade route to the end zone, and he reeled in the floated pass from Williams for a touchdown. The second pass somehow found its way through two FSU defenders into George’s hands, and he sprinted the rest of the way for an 85-yard score.

“Jacolby George played big, man,” Cristobal said. “He really did. Showed that he is elusive, can make people miss. Obviously, that one catch in traffic where he ends up taking it the distance, a lot of concentration involved there and got to keep finding ways to get him the ball. He ends up going for I believe 150-plus yards on a couple of touchdowns. The fade ball, great throw, great catch, great route. Just really, really proud of him, for him, and excited for his future.”

Jacolby George | #ItsAllAboutTheU®
pic.twitter.com/vtoZFW2Zxq

— GO ‘CANES! (@83_87_89_91_01) November 12, 2023

Dylan Joyce becoming a weapon

The Hurricanes turned to punter Dylan Joyce more than they would have liked to on Saturday, but he gave them a strong performance.

The freshman punter had seven punts, averaging 49 yards per kick. He had three punts of over 50 yards and had one reach 60 yards.

Joyce is averaging 43.6 yards per punt this season.

Missed tackles crop up

The Hurricanes had been better at tackling this year but they had a season-high missed 13 tackles on Saturday, according to Pro Football Focus. Their previous season-high had been 10 against Texas A&M.

The missed tackles contributed to their season-low 37.1 tackling grade. Defensive end Jahfari Harvey led the team with three missed tackles, and safety James Williams had two.

Francisco Mauigoa addition keeps paying dividends

Linebacker Francisco Mauigoa continues to show why he was such a crucial addition to Miami’s defense.

The junior middle linebacker tied for the team lead with nine tackles and notched 2.5 tackles for loss. He had two crucial sacks, as well.

Mauigoa is second on the team with 54 tackles this season and he is tied for the team lead with 6.5 sacks.

No moral victories

Cristobal was clearly unhappy during his postgame press conference on Saturday night. Part of that stems from a play that appeared to be a safety that was called a tackle at the 1-yard line. The referees’ decision left even the ABC broadcasters baffled.

“Zero, zero, zero explanation,” Cristobal said. “None. Second time. So hopefully the broadcasters got a good view of it.”

“Am I pissed?” Cristobal added. “Of course I’m pissed.”

But part of that unhappiness comes from the Hurricanes coming up just short again. Two of their four losses have been by a touchdown or less. UM had a chance to tie or win the game on their final drive, but they could not take advantage of that opportunity.

“We came here to win,” Cristobal said. “We didn’t come here for a consolation prize.”

But the Hurricanes have improved

If rivalry games are measuring sticks for programs, Miami showed that it has clearly taken a large step forward. Last year, the Seminoles pasted the Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium by six touchdowns. This year’s FSU team is better. The Seminoles are a likely College Football Playoff team, and the Hurricanes stuck with them until the end of the game.

“We mentioned earlier that we came here to win, so everybody’s upset. You wish you could play more football,” Cristobal said. “But they played their guts out the entire game. They left everything on the field, and we came here to win. We didn’t come here for anything else but to win. But they … approach every single play as if it’s the most important play of the game. And they kept stacking plays. Even when we got down by 14 points, came back and got a score then forced a punt and got the ball back again and put ourselves in position to tie or win. … We competed and we competed hard and gave ourselves a chance to win the game. Came up short.

“So they’re hurting, but they’re also enthused. They realize the truth. They realize there’s a lot of progress, and they realize that if we put together a complete game, it could be pretty special.”

Miami now has two more chances to improve their record before the season ends. The Hurricanes host Louisville in their final home game next week before concluding the regular season on the road against Boston College. They can still win eight games, which would still be a marked improvement from last year’s 5-7 record.

Our goal every game is to try to win,” Mauigoa said. “And when it doesn’t go our way, we just gotta pick ourselves up and move on. We head into every game with the same mentality, to win. And we gave it our best today. I know it was a tough loss but we’ll bounce back. We’re going to learn from it and attack Louisville next week.”

Wide Right. Wide Left. The script gave way to the bigger idea. You won or you lost. Your season still had national-championship ideas or those were left on the side of this annual Saturday.

But the idea of a national championship wasn’t a shared theme Saturday in Tallahassee, and so it’s not only fair but necessary to give Miami good credit for a gutsy 27-20 loss.

What more could you ask freshman quarterback Emory Williams to give than what he gave Saturday in a tough venue? How couldn’t you see him going off on a cart, crying, his arm apparently injured but his team still alive?

He got the start only because senior Tyler Van Dyke stumbled in recent weeks. Mario Cristobal had Williams throw a deep pass from his end zone on Miami’s first offensive play.

That was for show, though. Cristobal ran the ball up the middle most of the day and asked Williams not to make the big mistake. You had to root for Williams, though, like how he approached his offensive teammates with thumb and forefinger an inch apart in the second quarter.

“This close,’’ he said, meaning they were near to breaking out.

On third-and-4 in the next possession, Williams took off running and barreled over a Florida State defensive back for the first down. He then threw lofted a 3-yard pass at that end of that 82-yard drive to receiver Jacolby George, the first touchdown pass against Florida State at home all year.

Then after doing nothing most of the second half, Williams threaded two Florida State defenders to complete an 85-yard touchdown to George to bring Miami within a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Then came the play that defined the gutsiness of this Miami day: Williams then dove for the first down on fourth-and-2 with under three minutes to go to keep the hope going – even if he couldn’t anymore.

He didn’t get up and was carted off the field as his parents rushed from their seats to find him in the locker room. That drama was matched by what was suddenly happening on the field, too.

Van Dyke came back on the field with under three minutes left and down a touchdown.

Did you believe in another miracle Miami win in this rivalry? In the old days — and, again, we’re not there — the ABC television crew would’ve referred at that point to Miami’s Michael Irvin once telling Florida State’s Deion Sanders, “We’re coming back.”

Miami didn’t come back. Van Dyke threw two nice completions to move Miami out to its 49-yard line. But on fourth-and-10, with no one open, he threw a hope that ended in an interception.

That ended the day with a Miami loss. But this was an acceptable loss, a redeeming one even against the unbeaten and fourth-ranked Seminoles in Tallahassee.

This wasn’t the disaster against Georgia Tech or the ugliness at North Carolina State. Miami’s defense played a strong game much of the day, keeping it close for three quarters by holding Florida State’s high-powered offense to field goals inside the 10-yard line.

By then, Florida State knew it was in for a tough game. Coach Mike Norvell said as that much in a 10-10 halftime. He did something done by a coach either outmanned or needing a spark.

He called for an onside kick to start the second half. Florida State had a good chance to recover it, too, but Frank Ladson waded through the chaos and grabbed it. Miami got a 51-yard field goal out of that for a brief lead.

Did Miami put concern into the No. 4 team? Apparently.

Another question: Who was the replay official in this game? Three game-tilting plays looked like mis-rulings. Miami lost a safety. Florida State lost an interception. Miami safety James Williams then delivered a textbook definition of “targeting” — and it was ruled he didn’t target.

In the end, the No. 4 team won, just as expected. And Miami? It’s had a season with bad losses. Saturday wasn’t one of them.

Williams struggled for much of the game but had the chance to try to lead a game-tying drive. When stretching for the first-down line on a fourth-down play, the freshman suffered a “significant” arm injury and had to leave the game.

Benched veteran Tyler Van Dyke entered the game to try to complete the comeback attempt, but he threw a fourth-down game-sealing interception, and Miami (6-4, 2-4 ACC) fell to rival No. 4 Florida State (10-0, 8-0 ACC) 27-20 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday. The Seminoles have beaten the Hurricanes in three straight matchups.

“At the end of the day, we have guys that have grown to be resilient, have grown to be tough, to be callous, to take each game one play at a time,” Cristobal said. “I thought last week it got away from us there when we had a chance to keep playing. I thought that was the difference between today and last week: We gave ourselves a chance at the end. I think as a team, it’s a team that’s hurting, that’s hungry, that’s driven. We’ll get right back at it.”

The Hurricanes thrust Williams into the game as their starting quarterback, starting him over Van Dyke. The true freshman, making his second career start, protected the ball and avoided the turnovers that plagued Van Dyke. However, he completed just eight of 23 passes for 175 yards and could not spark the offense.

Cristobal said after the game Williams went to a local hospital.

“Gutsy, tough, was a little bit nervous early when he first started then settled in,” Cristobal said. “Made some big throws, some gutsy runs, as well, particularly the one where he got hurt on.”

The Seminoles initially looked like they were going to roll through the Hurricanes. Florida State got on the board with a 5-yard touchdown run by Trey Benson and added a field goal on its next drive. Meanwhile, Miami’s offense got off to a slow start.

Hard running from halfback Don Chaney Jr. helped get the Hurricanes back in the game. The fourth-year redshirt sophomore gashed FSU for runs of 26 and 29 yards, getting Miami to the 5-yard line. Williams floated a touchdown pass to wide receiver Jacolby George, cutting the Seminoles’ lead to three.

Miami flipped the momentum on the subsequent drive. A hold backed FSU up to the 15, and on the next play, Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis ran back to the end zone to try to escape pressure. UM linebacker Wesley Bissainthe sacked the FSU quarterback in the end zone for an apparent safety, but the referees (and a replay review) ruled the ball down at the 1.

Instead of getting two points and the ball back, the Hurricanes had to settle for forcing a punt. Miami drove to the 4-yard line and tied the game with a field goal by Andy Borregales to end the half.

The two teams traded field goals in the third quarter, with Borregales hitting a 51-yarder to give UM a 13-10 lead before FSU equalized. The Seminoles took the lead on a 38-yard touchdown run by Benson, his second of the game. They extended the lead on a short passing touchdown from Travis to star receiver Keon Coleman.

The Hurricanes got back into the game with a miraculous touchdown pass from Williams to George. Williams somehow got a pass between two Seminoles defenders, George made the catch and sprinted 85 yards for a touchdown. However, it was not enough for Miami’s chances Saturday.

Five takeaways

Emory Williams struggles in his second start before injury

The Hurricanes put Williams at quarterback today because Van Dyke has struggled with turnovers in his last four starts. To Williams’ credit, he kept the ball out of FSU defenders’ hands. However, he did not hit his own receivers’ hands nearly enough.

Williams missed open receivers several times and finished the game with a 35 percent completion percentage. It was asking a lot from a true freshman in his second career start to play in front of 85,000 hostile fans supporting a top-five team, but the lack of passing game kept Miami from seizing a winnable game.

“All in all, I know statistically it’s not exactly (very good), but he made a spectacular throw to Jacolby and made some other key throws,” Cristobal said.

Unfortunately for him and the Hurricanes, he had to leave the game with what appeared to be a severe injury.

Hurricanes defense came to play

Although the final score may not indicate it, Miami’s defense performed well in Tallahassee. The Hurricanes got several key stops and kept the team in the game even while the offense struggled.

Florida State managed 324 yards, which was its second-lowest total of the season.

Linebackers lead the way

The Hurricanes’ linebacker corps showed out despite the loss. Francisco Mauigoa had nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two key sacks. Bissainthe had five tackles, three tackles for loss and the near-safety.

K.J. Cloyd had four tackles, and Corey Flagg Jr. had four tackles and a tackle for loss.

No safeties for the Hurricanes

When Miami faced Clemson last month, linebacker Francisco Mauigoa sacked quarterback Cade Klubnik for what appeared to be a safety. The referees ruled him down at the 1-yard line. Cristobal said following the win that he thought it was a safety.

It was deja vu all over again in Tallahassee, as it looked like Bissainthe tackled Travis in the end zone. Again, the officials on the field and the review said it was not a safety, drawing the surprise and ire of Miami fans and college football reporters on social media.

“Zero, zero, zero explanation,” Cristobal said. “None. Second time.”

Backup corners perform admirably

The Hurricanes were missing starting corners Daryl Porter Jr. and Jaden Davis after they suffered injuries against N.C. State. Jadais Richard and brothers Davonte and Damari Brown played in their place.

Those three cornerbacks could not secure any turnovers against Travis and FSU’s passing game, but they did keep them from dominating the game.

Travis connected with Coleman and Johnny Wilson nine times for 106 yards but only one touchdown. The Seminoles had to turn to the running game for most of their points this week.

“Damari and Jadais, very talented young guys,” Cristobal said. “Long, big guys, matched up better with their big receivers. I thought all the guys played well.”