Rivalry Recap...Seminoles vs Hurricanes

'DSC02145' Photo Credit: Matthew Stinson via Flickr

Florida State Seminoles entered their game in week 11 of the college football season looking to continue their winning ways and close out their ACC schedule with a win. In their way, was in-state rival University of Miami Hurricanes. With both teams bowl eligible and the Seminoles having already set for the ACC Championship game, cliched in week 10, the rivalry game had the Hurricanes looking to play spoiler. The fourth-ranked Seminoles hung on for the victory 27-20 against the Hurricanes. Let's give this rivalry a recap.

The quarterback play was a surprise. The Hurricanes made a decision to bench Tyler Van Dyke after having 11 turnovers in the previous four games in favor of true freshman Emory Williams. While playing for the Hurricanes brings its own pressure, a true freshman making their second start in a road rivalry game adds to the difficulty. For his part, he looked promising. He kept his poise made some good throws and did well keeping his team in the game. He also made it a bit too close for comfort for a lot of FSU fans. Williams finished with 175 yards and two scores before leaving late due to injury. Jordan Travis seemed more like he was back in his comfort zone as his receiving corps was healthier (more on them later). Travis wasn't overly accurate but made plays with his mobility when needed and made throws to lead the offense. Travis finished with 265 yards and a touchdown.

Wide receivers were another group interesting to watch. For the Seminoles, Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson both returned to the lineup after missing last week's game against Pittsburgh. Wilson led the way for the Seminoles with 82 yards on five receptions while Coleman finished with four receptions for 24 yards and a key touchdown that proved to be the difference. For the Hurricanes, leading receiver Xavier Restrepo was held without a reception for the game. However, Jacolby George emerged as a favorite target for Williams finishing with 153 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions. He made some great catches and showed a good ability to catch and make defenders miss.

Running back Trey Benson for Florida State led the team in rushing with 86 yards and two scores on the day. For the Hurricanes, Don Chaney Jr led with 86 yards as well. Neither team was able to sustain momentum on the ground. Although in a rivalry game, especially with in-state rivals defenses are bound to step their game up.

Defenses were equally impressive as expected in a game like this. For the Seminoles, Kalen Deloach seemed like he was everywhere. He was a ball seeker and finished the game with 10 tackles (2 for loss) and two sacks. He set the tone early with sacks early on in the contest and didn't slow down. Jarrian Jones had the lone interception in the game to seal the victory for Florida State. For the Hurricanes, safety James Williams and linebacker Francisco Mauigoa led the way with 9 tackles each, Mauigoa added two sacks of his own.

With the win, the Seminoles move to 10-0 on the season and have a game against North Alabama before ending the regular season against another in-state rival the Florida Gators before the conference championship and a chance at the College Football Playoffs. For the Hurricanes, the loss drops the team to 6-4 on the season and they have a date next week with 11th-ranked Louisville before ending the season against Boston College. In addition to the game, Emory Williams who battled and fought for his team left late with what Coach Mario Cristobal called a "significant injury".