Miami 17, FSU 7: Halftime thoughts, notes and stats as the Seminoles look to rally in the second half

Florida State, which showed its life with just one offensive possession in the first half, faces another double-digit halftime deficit this season.

The Seminoles managed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time since the second quarter against Clemson (Oct. 6) and just the ninth time this season, but their ineptitude on the game's only other two drives prevented them from progressing Close the gap the Hurricanes created on their first drive of the game.

Miami has relied on its rushing attack so far in the matchup, with Damien Martinez rushing for 57 yards and Mark Fletcher Jr. rushing for 56 yards after both scored touchdowns on the ground. Heisman Trophy favorite Cam Ward is currently 11 of 19 for 141 yards, averaging 11.9 yards per completion, as he does his best to handle a Florida State rush that has the rhythm of Miami really bothers.

The Seminoles have already given up 19 first downs, allowing Miami to convert seven of nine third-down attempts — even though FSU had already had three sacks and four tackles for loss on the night.

While it's typically common to complain about officiating, especially when it comes to ACC referees who are so terrible that no one is safe from the consequences, there have been a few cases of head-scratching no-calls. However, the benefits of those penalties might have been negated as FSU did a great job racking up penalty yards of their own. Most frustrating may have been FSU's illegal substitution violations on two different crucial drives – a penalty that reflects and is directly attributable to the coaching score.

If there is to be any hope that FSU will accomplish the unimaginable, we need to see a little more spark from the Seminoles' offensive attack – the last time they took the field, Luke Kromenhoek was leading perhaps one of the best attacks ever on the season , as we showcase some wheels on a messy 4th and 1st conversion:

Florida State will start the third quarter on offense after winning the toss and missing the start of the game.

FSU vs. Miami: Halftime Stats

Total yards

FSU: 107

Miami: 240

Yards pass

FSU: 24

Miami: 131

Rush yards

FSU: 83

Miami: 109

Punish

FSU: 5-30

Miami: 2-20

1. Downs

FSU: 5

Miami: 19

3rd Downs

FSU: 1-5

Miami: 7-9

4. Downs

FSU: 2-2

Miami: 1-1

Total games

FSU: 22

Miami: 43

Avg. Yds/Play

FSU: 4.9

Miami: 5.6

Average Yds/Completion

FSU: 8

Miami: 11.9

Avg. Yds/Rush

FSU: 5.9

Miami: 4.5

Sack Adj Rush Yd(Avg.)

FSU: 83 (5.9)

Miami: 130 (6.2)

Red zone

FSU: 1-1

Miami: 3-3

Time of possession

FSU: 11:47

Miami: 18:13

Sales (Def Pts Off)

FSU: 0 (0)

Miami: 0 (0)

Fumbles lost

FSU: 0-0

Miami: 0-0

Sacks (Def Yds)

FSU: 3 (21)

Miami: 0 (0)

TFL (Def Yds)

FSU: 4 (22)

Miami: 0 (0)