Miami vs. FSU: Live Game Grades and Analysis for the Seminoles

FINAL
Miami 14, Florida State 41

ESPN's College Gameday was in Tallahassee this weekend, as the No. 7 Miami Hurricanes made a short trip north taking on the No. 3 Florida State Seminoles.

The Hurricanes, led by sophomore running back Duke Johnson, weren't able to keep up with with freshman sensation Jameis Winston and the Seminoles.

A 21-14 game at the half was anything but close down the stretch, poor play from Miami quarterback Stephen Morris coupled with a strong outing by the Seminoles star quarterback resulted in an 41-14 rout.

Florida State's incredible season continues, and they live to see another undefeated week. The only question now is whether or not they will be No. 2 when the BCS Poll comes out tomorrow evening.

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	D	B
Run Offense	A	A
Pass Defense	D	B
Run Defense	A	A
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	C	B

Pass Offense: Winston had a rough first half, throwing two interceptions, but he responded strongly in the second half. He threw for almost two hundred yards in the second half, while not turning the ball over.

Rush Offense: The Seminole ground game strengthened in the second half as well. Devonta Freeman and James Wilder Jr. finished the night with two touchdowns each while the Seminoles, as a unit, rushed for 192 yards.

Pass Defense: The Seminole trend of second half improvement continued on the defensive side of the ball. The Florida State secondary finished the night with two interceptions. Miami quarterback Stephen Morris only threw for 75 yards in the second half.

Rush Defense: As if Morris’ half wasn’t bad enough, the Hurricanes managed only 26 rush yards on the ground in the second half. A porous running attack resulted in Miami only having the ball for 21:20.

Special Teams: The Seminoles held Hurricane kick returners to less than 20 yards a return. Normally an overlooked aspect of the game, field position mattered a lot throughout the night. Offensively, Roberto Aguayo nailed both field goals and all five extra points.

Coaching: Fisher’s Seminoles outscored the Hurricanes 20-0 in the second half, a true sign of his half time adjustments. He led and managed his team well throughout the night.

First-Half Analysis for Florida State:

Pass Offense: Winston had a pedestrian first half, something Seminoles fans are not used to seeing. He completed nine passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. While those numbers are normally good, Winston also threw two interceptions.

Rush Offense: Where Winston faltered, the ground game for Florida State did not. Devonta Freeman, Karlos Williams and Winston ran for 87 yards and a touchdown. James Wilder, Jr. added a solid 10 yards and a touchdown of his own.

Pass Defense: The Seminoles secondary was mediocre throughout the half, stumbling when it most mattered. Hurricanes quarterback Stephen Morris went 7-for-12 for 117 yards and two scores.

Rush Defense: The front seven did a much better job of limiting Duke Johnson and the Hurricane ground game. Johnson ran for 57 yards on 17 carries (3.4 yards per carry).

Special Teams: Regardless of how much a defense affects a missed field goal, Miami place-kicker Matt Goudis missed his 44-yard attempt while Seminole kicker Roberto Aguayo nailed all three of his extra points.

Coaching: Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher wasn’t faced with any difficult decisions in the first half, though his defense doesn’t seem able to handle Morris and the Canes.