'Absolute Joke,' Mike Norvell Rips Ref's Call on FSU's Negated Hail Mary TD in 2OT Loss vs. Miami

Florida State coach Mike Norvell reiterated his criticism of the holding penalty that wiped out a touchdown pass in the second overtime of a 43-35 loss to rival Miami.

"The holding call was an absolute joke," he told reporters Monday. "I called and talked to (ACC head of officiating) Gary Patterson. I've not heard his final review from it. … In that moment, that play, it's a shame. It really is.

"We (still) had to go convert a two-point play, but for those kids not to be able to finish the game on the field in that moment was really disappointing. It's a lot of judgment calls on all things, but that was bad. I haven't gotten the final response from them, but if it's anything less than what I said, then it tells me everything I need to know."

Ashton Daniels completed a 36-yard pass to Micahi Danzy on fourth down that would've put the Seminoles a two-point conversion away from tying the score. However, the officials whistled offensive lineman Xavier Chaplin for holding.

FSU's second crack at a Hail Mary wasn't without controversy, either. Hurricanes defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald was credited with an interception after battling for the ball with Seminoles wide receiver Duce Robinson.

MIAMI SURVIVES 2OT THRILLER 😅

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Norvell raised his concerns with that ruling as well, saying Monday that "simultaneous possession never even came up in the conversation of review."

To some extent, the coach's remarks may reflect the amount of pressure that he's under.

Upsetting the then-No. 3-ranked team would've been a massive result for Florida State, one that could turn their season around. Instead, the Seminoles dropped to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. Even if they qualify for a postseason bowl, they could finish with a losing record in-conference for the third straight year.

Florida State fired athletic director Michael Alford last month. The school may not be comfortable with an interim AD (Bruce Warwick) making a decision as big as firing the football coach, but Alford's permanent replacement probably won't feel all that wedded to Norvell long term, either.

Pushing Miami so hard and coming up just short reflects how players are still showing a lot of effort on the field under the current regime.

A loss is still a loss.

If major boosters are unhappy with the state of the football program in Year 7 of Norvell's tenure, they won't care too much about how close Florida State was to flipping some of its defeats.