How FSU football is graded after losing to No. 3 Miami, 28-22.
A bloodbath occurred at Doak Campbell Stadium, but unfortunately, it was all caused by No. 19 Florida State football.
In front of a sold-out crowd, FSU played its worst game of the season in its 28-22 loss to its rival and third-ranked Miami in a primetime game.
Not only will the Hurricanes hold bragging rights for the second year in a row, but they also solidify themselves as a superior team in the ACC.
Meanwhile, for FSU, after a 3-0 start, it has lost back-to-back ACC games, dropping to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
Tommy Castellanos: D+
Tommy Castellanos is trending backwards since the start of the UVA game.
He didn't look as confident as we envisioned, and, granted, Miami's defense brought a ton of heat, but the senior had made forced throws and inaccurate throws that hurt the Seminoles.
For the second week in a row, Castellanos was responsible for two interceptions. His worst one was an underthrown pass to Squirrel White.
Miami was able to score off Castellanos' turnovers. But as a gamer, he rallied back and set two up two scoring drives in the fourth quarter.
He finished the night completing 21 of his 40 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Castellanos now has five interceptions this season.
Offense: C-
After scoring three points on the opening drive, the offense regressed afer each series. Gus Malzahn's trick didn't rattle Miami plays, and the offense struggled to execute reverse plays consistently.
FSU took a hit on the offensive line when Micah Pettus went to the locker room in the second quarter and never returned, having to shuffle the line throughout the game. The Seminoles allowed two sacks.
There were some positives. After being down 28-3, FSU managed to make a last-minute comeback by scoring 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
Wide receiver Lawayne McCoy showed some flashes in the fourth quarter and even scored his first career touchdown as a Seminole. He finished with three catches for 39 yards.
Defense: D+
FSU's defense didn't look any better. While the defense was solid against the run, it wasn't as effective in the pass. Quarterback Carson Beck had a field day as he threw four touchdowns against the Seminoles.
They were also put in a tough spot due to the offense's turnover woes.
Miami's wide receivers tormented the secondary, especially from its freshman Malachi Toney. Toney scored on two deep-ball throws, finishing the night with seven catches for 107 yards and two TDs.
Miami took the lead after Jerry Wilson gave up a slant to wide receiver CJ Daniels inside the five. The next drive, the Hurricanes ran the flea-flicker to the freshman wide receiver, Malachi Toney.
Not much pressure came from FSU's front six, only recording one sack, which came from linebacker Blake Nichelsen.
Special teams: B
Kicker Jake Weinberg went 2 for 2 in his field goal attempts. He set the tone with a 23-yard field goal in the opening drive that gave FSU its only lead of the night, and then hit a 35-yarder in under 30 seconds left to make a one-possession game.
Punter Mac Chuiumento had his longest punt of 50 yards, which put Miami at the 20. There were opportunities for Seminoles to recover onside kicks, but they didn't deliver in all three attempts.
Coaches: F
For the second week in a row, the coaching staff was outcoached. While Mike Norvell ensured his team continued to play hard all the way to the end, there will be questions about why the Seminoles were down big in the first place.
On the offensive side, Miami was not fooled by Malzahn's trick plays. Some plays were questionable calls, such as going for it on fourth down, which turned into an interception, and a double reverse pass play on third down also raised an eyebrow.
Defensive coordinator Tony White and his defensive staff couldn't do enough to put the defense in a position to execute against Miami.
Florida State football 2025 schedule
- Aug. 30,Alabama, W, 31-17
- Sept. 6, East Texas A&M,W 77-3
- Sept. 20, Kent State, W,66-10
- Sept. 26, atVirginiaL 46-38 double OT
- Oct. 4,Miami, TBA
- Oct. 11, Pittsburgh, Noon
- Oct. 18, at Stanford, 10:30 p.m.
- Nov. 1 Wake Forest, TBA
- Nov. 8 at Clemson, TBA
- Nov. 15 Virginia Tech, TBA
- Nov. 21 at North Carolina State (Fri.), 8 p.m.
- Nov. 29 at Florida, TBA
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football grades vs Miami, defense, coaching fail in loss
Category: General Sports
