Florida State vs. Miami: Game Grades, Analysis for Seminoles and Hurricanes

For the sixth time this season, Jameis Winston and No. 3 Florida State (10-0) rallied from a dangerous deficit, coming up with a 30-26 victory over Miami (6-4) in Sun Life Stadium Saturday night.

The Hurricanes had the reigning national champs on the ropes, leading 23-7 midway through the second quarter, but the Seminoles scored 23 of the game's final 26 points to remain unbeaten and keep their playoff hopes alive.

How did Florida State and Miami grade out from an entertaining four-point game?

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

Florida State Seminoles Grade Analysis

Pass Offense: Winston struggled in a big way in the first half, missing on nine of 20 attempts for 120 yards and an interception. But much like he has all season, Winston thrived in the second half, throwing for 164 yards and a touchdown to help the Seminoles rally. The Seminoles shared the wealth as 10 different pass-catchers registered a reception against the Hurricanes.

Run Offense: Playing from behind almost right out of the gate, the Seminoles only ran the ball seven times in the first half. One of those rushes went 44 yards for a touchdown when Dalvin Cook broke free in the second quarter, but the Seminoles only gained 11 more yards on the ground before halftime. The second half followed a similar pattern. The Seminoles finished with just 19 carries, but Cook was outstanding, running for 92 yards and two touchdowns on just seven attempts.

Pass Defense: The Florida State secondary spent the better part of Saturday night being dissected by freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya. The Hurricanes consistently found big holes in the Seminoles defense, which allowed them to build a 16-point first-half lead. But Jalen Ramsey came up huge late in the fourth quarter, picking off a deep pass on fourth down to preserve the Florida State win.

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

Run Defense: The Seminoles did a pretty good job of limiting a dangerous Hurricanes rushing attack. The usually explosive Miami ground game was limited to just 4.4 yards per carry on Saturday night, and outside of a 28-yard run from Duke Johnson, there weren't many big plays from the Hurricanes ball-carriers.

Special Teams: What else can be written about kicker Roberto Aguayo? The sensational sophomore was clutch against the Hurricanes, connecting on all three of his field-goal attempts. His 53-yard kick in the fourth quarter brought Florida State within three, setting the offense up to retake the lead on the next possession. The only gaffe from Florida State's special teams came n the first half, when Jesus Wilson fumbled a kickoff return. Otherwise, it was another solid outing for the Seminoles.

Coaching: At some point, blame for Florida State's repeated slow starts has to fall on Jimbo Fisher and the coaching staff. The Seminoles act like two entirely different teams, separated by a 30-minute break at halftime. Just as much credit should be given to Fisher for his second-half sparks, but if Florida State makes it to the playoff, it'll likely be squaring off against a team that won't be so easy to rally against.

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

Miami Hurricanes Grade Analysis

Pass Offense: Johnson is the biggest talking point when it comes to the Miami offense, but Kaaya was the Hurricanes’ best player on Saturday night. The promising freshman gashed Florida State’s defense in the first half, throwing for 240 yards and two touchdowns. But the Seminoles slowed him down, as he connected on just six of 17 second-half passes. He finished with 316 yards, an interception and two scores.

Run Offense: Establishing the run is an important part of Miami's game plan, and the Hurricanes executed that effectively by piling up 176 yards on the ground. Duke Johnson battled cramps for much of the second half, but he still managed 130 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

Pass Defense: The Hurricanes did a good job of rattling Winston in the first half, limiting him to 120 yards and an interception before the break. But Miami failed to get any consistent pressure in the second half, allowing Winston to carve up the Miami secondary with underneath routes in front of Miami's zone. The sole passing touchdown the Hurricanes gave up was a bit of a fluke (as seen below), but they still allowed 181 passing yards to Winston in the second half.

Run Defense: On paper, Miami had a pretty good day against the Seminoles' rushing attack, surrendering just 115 yards on the ground. But Florida State only ran the ball 19 times, averaging six yards per carry, and Cook ran through and past the Hurricanes defense with runs of 15 and 26 yards on Florida State's go-ahead touchdown drive.

Special Teams: It was a mixed bag for kicker Michael Badgley, who connected on 45- and 46-yard field goals but had an extra point blocked and missed an easy 29-yarder in the second quarter. The Hurricanes could have used a big play in the return game, but Stacy Coley failed to break free in limited opportunities.

Coaching: Al Golden and the Miami staff called a perfect game in the first half, keeping Florida State off balance with a fantastic blend in the run and pass game. But that diversity faded in the second half as the Hurricanes tried to protect their lead, and the team as a whole lost the aggressiveness that helped it build the big lead in the first place.

All stats via NCAA.com.