Seminoles Get Away Botch-Free

There was another botched field-goal attempt in the Miami-Florida State series but, if you can believe it, this time Miami botched it.

After six losses in a row to Miami and years of suffering at Hurricane hands, Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden finally emerged without looking ashen-faced.

The man who once said his gravestone would read “but he played Miami” finally beat Miami.

Monday night the epitaph read: Florida State 10, Miami 7, in front of 84,347 at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The final minutes had the look of so many previous Florida State heartbreaks, with Miami charging down the field and Seminole fans getting queasy.

But the 50th game in a storied series had a reversal-of-fortune twist.

Setting up for the possible game-tying field goal, a 28-yard attempt by Jon Peattie, Miami holder Brian Monroe dropped a low center snap and Florida State recovered with 2 minutes 15 seconds to play.

Miami had no timeouts and Florida State had no chance to mess it up.

Bowden, major college football’s all-time win leader with 351, had a 20-29 record against Miami.

But now it’s 21-29. Bowden turns 76 in November and, in the annals of this series, now he can say it’s about time.

“I’ve been there many times,” Bowden said of being on so many losing ends against Miami. “I know exactly how it feels.”

It was grueling, sloppy, at times tedious. It was the fewest points scored in the series since 1964 but, in the end, it was still Miami and Florida State.

The teams, combined, punted 16 times for 561 yards.

“I’d rather win ugly than lose pretty,” Bowden would say.

Florida State totaled a paltry 170 yards. Drew Weatherford, making his first start at quarterback, completed only seven of 24 passes for 67 yards.

Xavier Lee, his backup, threw two passes and completed one.

“They played like freshmen,” Bowden said of his quarterbacks, who are freshmen. “Maybe they learned something.”

Florida State could have lost this game 10 ways.

There were more sacks than sizzle, but how about that ending.

Miami, down by three, took possession at its own three with 12:01 left and went on a drive that lasted almost 10 minutes.

The Hurricanes were rescued by four third-down conversions, all on Kyle Wright passes to tight end Greg Olsen, who finished with 137 yards on eight catches.

Miami drove 87 yards in 19 plays and appeared ready to tie the game and perhaps send it to overtime.

“It was a storybook drive,” Miami Coach Larry Coker said. “But you’ve got to finish it.”

Did this really happen again -- or was it a dream?

Did Florida State really escape after it looked like this game was going to be the same old story?

The Seminoles, for example, were up, 10-7, early in the second half, and recovered a blocked punt at the Miami one-yard line.

They could have put the game away right there and then.

James Coleman ran two times into the pile and lost two yards.

Leon Washington was stuffed on third and goal and Bowden shouted out the three most feared words in Seminole history against Miami: field goal team!

Gary Cismesia, who had connected earlier from 37 yards, missed a 26-yard attempt, wide left.

Here ... we ... go ... again.

In the gruesome history of Bowden losses to Miami, there has been Wide Right I, Wide Right II in the early 1990s, and Wide Right III in 2000.

In that one, Matt Munyon missed a 49-yard attempt at the end to preserve a 27-24 Miami victory that started the Hurricanes’ six-game win streak.

In 2002, Seminole kicker Xavier Beitia went wide left from 43 yards in defeat. In the 2004 Orange Bowl, Beitia missed a field-goal attempt late in a two-point loss.

Last year, Beitia had a late field-goal attempt blocked that, if made, would have put Florida State up, 13-3. Instead, Miami tied the score late, 10-10, and won in overtime on Frank Gore’s 18-yard touchdown run.

The misery seemed never-ending ... until Monday.

Since 1983, seven games in the series had been decided by three points or fewer -- and Miami had won them all.

Until Monday.

Florida State had a second-half lead in four of its previous six losses to Miami.

This time, the Seminoles held the lead.

Miami, not Florida State, missed two other field goals and also had a punt blocked.

The Florida State defense was fearsome, for sure, sacking Wright nine times -- on four successive plays in one sequence.

“I think we have the better team, I really do,” Miami Coach Coker said.

How many times did Bowden say that, or at least think it, after a loss to Miami?

Seminole center David Castillo, a fifth-year senior, thought he was going to take the Miami curse into his adult life.

“I could have been the first player ever to lose to the same team seven times and I didn’t want that,” he said.

For once, the other team’s field-goal team set up with the game at stake.

For once, the other team blew it.