Well I certainly didn't think that the 10-7 halftime score would hold up. I expected Miami to be able to move the ball effectively against the Seminoles in the second half. But a school record nine sacks given up by Miami eventually proved too much. Quarterback Kyle Wright looked very good on the Canes' final drive of the game, completing eight of ten passes for 98 yards during the 18-play, 81-yard drive that ended in a botched field goal snap on fourth down. During the drive, the Canes converted four of five third down plays after going 0-for-10 prior to this possession. All four third down conversions were passes from Wright to standout tight end Greg Olsen for gains of 15, 17, 26, and 6 yards. Expect this duo to connect a lot this season.

But in the end, the Seminoles were victorious, mostly because of what had cursed them throughout the history of this series, the kicking game. But tonight, almost in Yankees-Red Sox fashion, the tables had finally turned: Miami's Jon Peattie missed two field goals in the first half of 48 and 39 yards and then in the last minutes of the fourth quarter, holder Brian Monroe dropped the snap on what would have been a 27-yard attempt from the left hash mark; conversely, Florida State's Gary Cismesia nailed a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter and his 26-yard miss in the third quarter will never come back to haunt him.

Unimpressive was Miami cornerback and punt returner Devin Hester, the subject of much Deion Sanders-inspired hype on ESPN before the game. It would have been difficult to put up a more disappointing performance: Hester finished with three yards on one punt return and two muffed punts. He also failed to field at least one punt that he certainly should have, costing the Hurricanes valuable field position in a tight game.