The Florida State–Miami football rivalry is an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

rivalry between the

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Seminoles The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

(FSU) and the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

, both members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and located in the state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Over the years, the rivalry has been fueled by geographical proximity, recruiting competition, and a history of high-stakes games. Since their first game on October 5, 1961, the two teams have played 99 times with Miami leading the series 36–33 as of 2024.

Notable games

September 20, 1963: FSU shuts out George Mira-led Miami

Heading into the 1963 season, Miami quarterback and 1962 All-American George Mira was the cover story of

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

's 1963 college football special edition. In that story, head coach Andy Gustafson said he put off his retirement to coach Mira. During this season-opening matchup, the Seminoles stunned the Hurricanes, 24-0. FSU quarterback Steve Tensi completed 13 of his 20 passing attempts and threw for 149 yards. Receiver Fred Biletnikoff scored three

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s: two were catches from Tensi and one was the result of an 99-yard return off of an interception. Mira ended the game with 182 passing yards but was unable to generate any meaningful offense for Miami. This win marked the first of seven straight wins by the Seminoles and the first of two 7-game win streaks for FSU in the series. All of the Seminoles' wins during this streak came on the road at the

Miami Orange Bowl The Miami Orange Bowl was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, from 1937 until 2008. The stadium was located in the Little Havana neighborhood west of Greater Downtown Miami, downtown Miami. The venue was considered a landmark and ser ...

October 3, 1987: Going for the win

During the 1987 regular season, Florida State and Miami's match up had national championship implications. Ranked 4th and 3rd in the country respectively, they featured a combined 60 future NFL players. FSU jumped out to a 19–3 lead. Miami rallied in the fourth quarter to take a 26–19 lead. FSU scored a

with 42 seconds left. FSU could tie with the extra point, but Bowden decided to go for the win. The pass was broken up and the Seminoles lost 26–25 to the Hurricanes. Miami would go on to win the program's second

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

October 28, 1989: FSU Beats the National Champions

Florida State beat Miami 24–10 as Miami was missing their starting QB and was forced to play freshman Gino Toretta (Torretta later led Miami to a national championship in 1991 and won the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

in 1992). Miami went on to win the National Championship upon Craig Erickson's return. FSU did not compete for it, as they suffered two losses at the beginning of the season to a

Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 cons ...

led Southern Miss and Clemson. Prior to the game, University of Miami mascot

Sebastian the Ibis Sebastian the Ibis is the mascot for the Miami Hurricanes of University of Miami. He is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic American white ibis, white ibis with a Miami Hurricanes football Jersey (clothing), jersey, number 0. History The ibis ...

was tackled by a group of police officers for attempting to put out Chief Osceola's flaming spear. Sebastian was wearing a fireman’s helmet and yellow raincoat and holding a

fire extinguisher A fire extinguisher is a handheld active fire protection device usually filled with a dry or wet chemical used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergencies. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which ha ...

. When a police officer attempted to grab the fire extinguisher, the officer was sprayed in the

chest The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

. Sebastian was handcuffed by four officers but ultimately released. Torretta, who started the game in place of injured Craig Erickson, told

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, "Even if we weren't bad boys, it added to the mystique that, 'Man, look, even their mascot's getting arrested.'"

November 16, 1991: Wide Right I

After being called a "key persona" by

Keith Jackson Keith Max Jackson (October 18, 1928 – January 12, 2018) was an American sports commentator, journalist, author, and radio personality, known for his career with ABC Sports (1966–2006). While he covered a variety of sports over his caree ...

for hitting his third field goal of the game, Florida State kicker Gerry Thomas missed a field goal to the right with less than a minute left, and the top-ranked Seminoles lost in Tallahassee to the second-ranked Hurricanes, 17–16. Miami went on to split the national championship with Washington, and Florida State finished the season 11–2, ending it by winning the

Cotton Bowl Classic The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its Cotton Bowl (stadium), namesake ...

against

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

October 3, 1992: Wide Right II

Seminole placekicker Dan Mowrey missed a field goal to the right, and the 1992 Seminoles lost to the defending national champion

in Miami, 19–16. Miami took an undefeated record to the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only ...

, but lost the national championship to

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

. Florida State did not lose again, and finished the season ranked second, after

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, in both major polls.

October 7, 2000: Wide Right III

Despite moving the ball at will, the defending national champion

could not score, as the

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

defense frustrated them, by stopping them twice on 4th Down near the end zone, including a Dan Morgan interception near the end of the half. After trailing 17-0 at halftime, the Seminoles came back to take a 24-20 lead in the 4th quarter after a touchdown pass from 2000

winner Chris Weinke. Then, Miami took a 27–24 lead after a

Ken Dorsey Kenneth Simon Dorsey (born April 22, 1981) is an American professional American football, football Coach (sport), coach and former quarterback who is the passing game specialist for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Dorse ...

touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey, but the Seminoles moved into field goal range during a last minute drive in Miami's

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. Played annually since 1935 Orange Bowl, January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in ...

stadium. Florida State kicker Matt Munyon missed a

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...

attempt again to the right to seal the Hurricanes' victory and end their 5 game losing streak against the

. Controversy erupted later in the season when the Seminoles were ranked higher by the BCS and picked to play in the

against

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

for the national championship despite Miami being ranked higher in both the AP Poll and

Coaches Poll In the United States, the Coaches Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football, Division I college basketball, and Division I college baseball teams. The football version of the poll has ...

. The Seminoles lost to the Sooners 13–2, while the Hurricanes defeated

37–20 in the

. Miami would finish #2 in the polls that year.

October 12, 2002: Wide Left I

The defending national champion Hurricanes staged a comeback against the underdog Seminoles to take a 28–27 lead with only minutes left in the game in Miami. The Seminoles drove down the field to give kicker Xavier Beitia a chance to win the game with a last second field goal and upset Miami. Beitia missed the kick to the left, giving Miami the victory by a narrow margin. FSU went on to win the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

title with a 9–5 overall record, but lost in the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Miami would finish the regular season undefeated and then lose in the national championship game, the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, to

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

January 1, 2004: Orange Bowl: Wide Right IV

This contest, a rematch of the regular season game won by Miami, took place in the 2004 Orange Bowl. In this contest, Beitia missed a field goal—wide right—that could have given the Seminoles the lead with about 5 minutes left. This game was of lesser importance on a national scale compared to the other Wide Right games, but continued the streak of Florida State losses determined by a single kick. With the win, Miami would finish #5 in the polls that year. It also marked the fourth loss in a streak that ultimately became the first time in NCAA History a Quarterback had lost 5 times to the same team, as FSU Quarterback Chris Rix had started and played in all 5 losses going between October 2001, and September 2004. This second win for Miami over Florida State that season made the Hurricanes the only team to ever beat the Seminoles twice in the same

academic year An academic year, or school year, is a period that schools, colleges and university, universities use to measure the duration of studies for a given educational level. Academic years are often divided into academic terms. Students attend classe ...

. They are also the only team to beat the Seminoles in back-to-back games (this Orange Bowl was the final game of the season for both teams, who then opened against one another in Miami the following season). It was the only bowl meeting between the rivals, as Miami's move to the ACC the next season would make the schools intra-conference rivals and reduce the possibility of the teams ever meeting in a bowl game again.

September 5, 2005: The Miami Muff

Miami was ranked No. 9 and FSU No. 14 in what proved to be a defensive struggle. Trailing 10–7, and with one last chance to tie the score to extend it into overtime, the Hurricanes drove down the field to set up a game-tying field goal with 2:16 left. When the ball was snapped, it was mishandled by holder Brian Monroe and the ball never reached the kicker's foot. It would be the Hurricanes' turn to suffer a defeat at the hands of a kicking team mistake. The Seminoles kept the ball for remaining two minutes and finally ended their six-game losing streak against the Hurricanes and gained their first victory in the rivalry since 1999.

September 4, 2006: Last meetup at the Orange Bowl

Florida State played their season opener against the rival University of Miami Hurricanes on Labor Day for the third straight year. It was also the third time the team opened their Atlantic Coast Conference play with Miami. Much like the previous two

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

meetings, the 2006 edition of the game was a defensive struggle for both teams. The Seminoles trailed 10–3 at the half, but held Miami scoreless in the third and fourth quarters and took the lead with a 33-yard field goal late in the game. The 'Noles preserved the win when cornerback Michael Ray Garvin intercepted Miami quarterback Kyle Wright's pass with 29 seconds remaining. This would be the last meeting at the

as the Hurricanes would move to

Sun Life Stadium Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Southeastern United States, located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the Universit ...

following the 2007 season. FSU would finish with a 15–16 record in 31 games against UM at the

stadium.

October 8, 2016: The Block at the Rock

Miami came into the game unbeaten and ranked 10th in the country, with a chance to move up in the top 10 after critical losses earlier in the day. Florida State came in ranked 23rd. The Hurricanes were looking to make a return to national prominence after recovering from the

Nevin Shapiro Nevin Karey Shapiro (born April 13, 1969) is an American fraudster who received a 20-year prison sentence for orchestrating a $930 million Ponzi scheme. The remainder of Shapiro’s sentence was commuted by President Biden in December, 2024. Acco ...

scandal, in addition to snapping a six-game losing streak to Florida State. In the first half, Miami led 13–0 early. Florida State cut that lead to 13–3 with a field goal before the end of the 2nd quarter. Miami struggled out of the gate in the second half, as Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya drove Miami down the field, but threw an

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

in the end zone. Florida State scored on their next three possessions to take a 20–13 lead. Kaaya led the team down the field once again, and Miami scored on an 11-yard touchdown reception by Stacey Coley with 1:38 left. However, defensive end DeMarcus Walker blocked the extra point. Even though they were losing 20–19, Miami eschewed an onside kick attempt because they still had three timeouts left. After returning Miami's kickoff back to their own 13-yard line, Florida State was able to run out the clock by getting two first downs, and secured the one-point victory.Deen, Safid. "'The Block at the Rock' Still Sinking in for FSU's DeMarcus Walker." OrlandoSentinel.com. N.p., October 12, 2016. Web. October 29, 2016. https://www.google.com/amp/www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/florida-state-seminoles/chopping-block/os-the-block-at-the-rock-fsu-demarcus-walker-20161011-story,amp.html?client=ms-android-verizon

October 7, 2017: The Rally in Tally

Miami entered the October 7 match-up in Tallahassee undefeated at 3–0; FSU entered 1–2, with a loss to future National Champions Alabama, a close loss at NC State, and a win against Wake Forest. The Canes, who had not beaten FSU since 2009, entered halftime trailing by three. Behind heroics from senior wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who finished with eight receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns, the Canes led the Seminoles 17–13 with only 5:09 remaining. FSU, led by true freshman backup quarterback, James Blackman, drove into Miami territory and scored what seemed to be the game-winner via a 20-yard touchdown reception from junior

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Auden Tate with 1:24 remaining. Miami quarterback Malik Rosier, though, methodically drove the Canes downfield and lobbed a 23-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Darrell Langham, who made a back-shoulder catch and lunged past the pylon with :06 remaining. The scoring play, following a five-minute review, stood. This game would end Miami's seven-year run of futility vs. FSU and against coach Jimbo Fisher.

October 6, 2018: The Comeback/Wide Left II

Florida State came into the game as 14-point

underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or wikt:top dog, top dog. In the case where an under ...

s against Miami. After two TD passes to

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

receiver Keith Gavin and wide receiver Tammorrion Terry, with two field-goal kicks from the foot of Ricky Aguayo, the Seminoles finished the first half leading 20–7 over the Hurricanes. Florida State extended the lead in the 2nd half as wide receiver D.J. Matthews executed a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown, putting the Noles in front 27–7 over the Canes. Miami's defense then caused two turnovers followed up with two touchdown passes by freshman quarterback

N'Kosi Perry N'Kosi Perry (born June 30, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Raiders Tirol of the European League of Football (ELF). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes football, Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Atlantic Owls f ...

to cut the score to 27–21. With 11:52 left in the 4th Quarter, Perry threw a pass to receiver Brevin Jordan for a touchdown, taking a 28–27 lead over FSU, erasing a 20-point deficit and claiming victory after a wide left field goal attempt by Aguayo. This game would mark Miami's first win at home against Florida State since 2004, and the first time Miami has beaten Florida State in back-to-back years since the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

November 13, 2021: "4th and 14"/"The Van Dyke Spike"

The season was not spectacular for either team, with Florida State coming in 3–6 after starting 0–4 and Miami at 5–4 after starting the year ranked #14. Florida State was playing for bowl eligibility, while Miami was seeking to maintain a four-game win streak in the rivalry. The Seminoles came out hot, scoring 14 points and forcing three turnovers in the first quarter before taking a 20–7 lead into halftime. Miami would storm back with 21 unanswered points, taking a 28–20 lead with 11 minutes left. After a lengthy drive that resulted in a field goal by the Seminoles and an excellent defensive stop led by defensive end Jermaine Johnson II, the Seminoles had the ball with 2:09 left in the game down 28–23. After a 59 yard pass caught by wide receiver Ja'Khi Douglas, the Florida State offense sputtered out to a 4th and 14 at the Miami 25 yard line. Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis would convert on a pass to wide receiver Andrew Parchment to the Miami 1 yard line before Travis would run it in himself on both a touchdown and the 2-point

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Convert'', a 2023 film produced by Jump Film & Television and Brouhaha Entertainment * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * ...

to make it 31–28 with 26 seconds left. Miami's push to tie the game was stopped short when refs ruled the game over after an attempted spike by Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke with less than three seconds left, the minimum time needed according to NCAA rules. The Noles celebrated their first win over the Hurricanes in four seasons and maintained their quest for bowl eligibility.

Accomplishments

Game results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Florida State-Miami football rivalry College football rivalries in the United States Florida State Seminoles football Miami Hurricanes football 1951 establishments in Florida Sports rivalries in Florida