The most highly-anticipated matchup in College Football Week 6 was the in-state clash on Saturday night between the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles. In a critical game for both programs, the Hurricanes avoided a complete fourth-quarter collapse to sneak out with a win.
Let’s dive into the winners and losers from Miami vs Florida State on Saturday night on ABC.
Winner: Malachi Toney is the New Freshman Sensation
Last year it was Ryan Williams and Jeremiah Smith. This season, Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney is the freshman sensation. Only rated by 247 Sports as a three-star recruit, Toney is easily outplaying that rating this season. The Miami native ecploded in his first two games with 80-plus yards in each contest, including the victory over Notre Dame. The 5-foor-11 receiver had a career night against the Seminoles, delivering his first 100-yard game as a go-to threat for Carson Beck. Most impressively, Toney’s speed looks like it’s going to be a big problem for opponents moving forward.
Related: Week 7 College Football Rankings, see where Miami and Florida State Land after Week 6
Loser: Tomy Castellanos’ has Crashed Back to Earth
In his first three games this season, Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos had 6 total touchdowns with an ESPN QBR above 86 in each contest. The 5-foot-11 passer has struggled in the last two games, throwing 4 interceptions with a completion rate below 60 percent. It was a fun story while it lasted, and he at least backed up his talk versus Alabama—unlike a certain SEC quarterback—but the feel-good story appears to be over. Though, maybe those garbage-time stats will provide something to rebuild the confidence and rhythm of this passing game.
Winner: Carson Beck Rejoins the Heisman Race
Welcome back to the Heisman Trophy race, Carson Beck. Miami’s big investment in Beck paid off on Saturday night, with the Florida native decimating the Seminoles’ defense. Coming off a two-week stretch where he had 3 interceptions, Beck had as many touchdown passes (four) as incompletions (19-of-23) until Miami took it easy in the fourth quarter. A Heisman Trophy résumé needs both gaudy stats and a signature win. Safe to say a four-touchdown game on the road over Florida State checks both boxes.
Related: Highest-Paid College Football Players 2025, including Carson Beck
Loser: Mike Norvell’s Job Security
After going 2-10 last season, Seminoles coach Mike Norvell bought himself some time by restructuring his contract this offseason and giving up $4.5 million. That initially looked like a smart decision by Florida State after a season-opening win over Alabama and a 3-0 start that got this team back into the top 10. That now feels like a distant memory. Norvell has now lost the last two games, and while the defeat at Virginia doesn’t look as bad a week later, Miami made this one hurt. Florida State will still give him some time, but that seat is heating up again.
Related: Biggest College Football Coaches Buyouts, including Florida State’s Mike Norvell
Winner: Jakobe Thomas Leads Miami’s Suffocating Defense
Defense wins championships, and defensive back Jakobe Thomas is contributing to a unit that certainly looks like it could deliver one to Miami. A transfer from the Tennessee Volunteers, the senior defensive back generated two takeaways (a sack and a forced fumble) on Saturday night. Thomas has now recorded a sack in consecutive games and plays a vital role in a unit that held the nation’s highest-scoring offense (53 PPG) under 24 points in front of their home crowd.
Related: Worst Performances in College Football Today, including Florida State’s Offense
Loser: Mario Cristobal’s Coaching
The Hurricanes held a 28-3 lead entering the fourth quarter and nearly pulled an Atlanta Falcons. On top of that, Miami had 12 penalties for 98 yards. All of that is a reflection on head coach Mario Cristobal. We have no doubt about the talent on both sides of the ball with this Hurricanes’ roster, but the fourth-quarter implosion because Cristobal’s team completely relaxed is a reflection on his coaching ability.
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