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Miami Gardens, FL – Miami came into this game as a two touchdown favorite, but found themselves down 27-7 in the third quarter to the unranked Seminoles. Miami needed a spark and they got it when they needed it most.
“We gotta dominate and control what we can control,” said senior safety Jaquan Johnson to his defense after being down 20 points to the hated rival Florida State. “For us to just flip that in the second half and become a totally different team, that’s four quarters of football, that’s why we love football.”
Senior safety Jaquan Johnson @AuthenticMade_Q ranks the comeback win versus Florida State today as #1 in his career. Down 27-7, he sent a message to his team to help spark the rally. @CanesFootball @FootballHotbed pic.twitter.com/KBy4eJ2Zy8
— Marcus Benjamin (@_BenjaminMoney) October 7, 2018
Johnson plays alongside teammate Sheldrick Redwine and has played with him since their days at Killian High School in Miami. It was Redwine’s hit on quarterback Deondre Francois that started the rally. The stunning blow to the chest jarred the ball loose and the Canes senior defensive tackle Gerald Willis recovered the football for the turnover chain’s first appearance of the night.
“Everyone fought their tails off and there is no doubt that Florida State created doubt in our minds but nobody gave in,” Head Coach Mark Richt. “It took a spark and that spark turned into a flame.”
The Canes would cash in on the ensuing possession with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Lawrence Cager. Quarterback N’Kosi Perry tried to connect with Cager on third down, but the ball fell incomplete. Perry went right back to his 6’5” receiver on the fade route on fourth down getting it right the second time.
Hard Rock Stadium was alive and literally jumping once again creating deafening noise at this point in the game. On Florida State’s following possession, Francois was sacked on the first play by Pat Bethel and on the second play was intercepted on a screenplay by Michael Pinckney.
Linebacker Michael Pinckney formerly of @RainesVikings said the turnover chain has power. His interception was one of two in the second half that helped shift the momentum for @CanesFootball. @FootballHotbed pic.twitter.com/TMmCgMPT6I
— Marcus Benjamin (@_BenjaminMoney) October 7, 2018
On the very next play, Perry found his athletic receiver Jeff Thomas in the corner of the endzone for a 17-yard touchdown. In a span of about two and a half minutes, a lead that was twenty was down to six.
“The turnovers happened,” said Head Coach Mark Richt. “Obviously a motivating factor for our team and a game changer.”
Jeff Thomas was injured right before the end of the half on a kickoff return when kicker Ricky Aguayo tackled Thomas awkwardly grabbing his face-mask. Thomas’s first play after the injury was indeed his touchdown catch to trim the lead.
It is believed that Thomas hyper-extended his knee on the play. Not to anyone’s surprise a skirmish would erupt between the two rivals as a result of the play and the entire Miami team would receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for several players leaving the sideline.
In the fourth quarter, Perry made two throws that would prove to be the game winners. On 3rd and 10, Perry threw a sharp pass again to Jeff Thomas who made a great catch over the middle to keep the drive alive. On the next play he would find his freshman tight end Brevin Jordan down the sideline for a 41-yard touchdown catch and run. The score helped put the Canes up 28-27 with 11:52 to go in the fourth. Perry had an average day but made big time throws to help his team win. He went 13 for 32 for 204 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, was sacked five times and lost one fumble.
The Cane defense held the Seminoles in check for the second half not allowing any points. The one score Florida State was able to muster came from a 74-yard punt return from former Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) wide receiver D.J. Matthews.
Miami got off to a slow start offensively going three and out on their first drive of the game. Florida State was quite the contrary driving down the field and scoring on a 10-play drive that ended with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Francois to Keith Gavin to jump out to a 7-0 lead.
Miami would get on the scoreboard when Head Coach Mark Richt decided to gamble in the red zone. The Hurricanes went for it fourth down and Perry fired a bullet to Lawrence Cager on an inside slant for a touchdown to knot the score at at seven. In the second quarter, Francois found Tamorrion Terry for a 17-yard touchdown to make it a 17-7 lead for the Noles.
Miami leads the all-time series 33-30 and gets its first victory over Florida State at Hard Rock Stadium since moving from the Orange Bowl. The win was the Canes first win at home against Florida State since 2004 and the largest deficit overcome in the series’ history. The Hurricanes do not get another home game until November against Duke and four out of their next five games are away from sunny South Florida.
Defensive end Joe Jackson @Joejackson919 credits Jaquan Johnson for motivating the team for their comeback victory over Florida State. The deficit was the largest overcome in the series. @CanesFootball @FootballHotbed pic.twitter.com/Rfcn5P9XaN
— Marcus Benjamin (@_BenjaminMoney) October 7, 2018
“I’d say this is as least tied for first [in my career] as far as feeling awesome after a game,” said Coach Richt. “Especially coming back from the dead. It was pretty special.”
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