Amid the mud, the rain and a thick rivalry, the ‘Canes gave FSU their first defeat of the season (and their fourth straight loss to Miami) this weekend, despite the fact that the ‘Canes went into the game as six-point underdogs.
“When we missed that first field goal wide left I thought we were done,” Hannah Sampson, sophomore, said. “But then we pulled through.”
Doubters were everywhere, although few would admit it before kickoff.
“I thought they were going to lose,” Diego Meza, freshman, said. “They really surprised me.”
According to fans, the doubts were largely based on this season’s performances of both teams.
“After seeing how our season has been, especially the West Virginia game, and seeing how FSU dominated every game they’ve played, I didn’t think this was going to happen,” Thomasz Modzel, senior, said.
The West Virginia game haunted many ‘Canes fans who wondered if it was possible to beat the then fifth-ranked team on the road when they were barely able to beat an unranked team at home.
“I didn’t think that we were going to win,” Kelly Leng, freshman, said. “When we play better teams we play better.”
Others agree with Leng.
“When we want to play good we can, but sometimes we just don’t,” Rachel Cope, freshman, said.
Some students found themselves caught up in the excitement, despite not being interested.
“Some people didn’t really care,” Andrew Maiorano, sophomore, said. “A lot of us hide under the guise of caring because it’s easy to get sucked in.”
And sucked in they were.
“I bet that one out of every three people that were screaming in the halls were only screaming because everyone else was,” Maiorano said. “But, hey – screaming is fun.”
If FSU was the first battle that Miami faced, then the rain was the second, leading to countless turnovers and hydroplaning.
“If I’m not mistaking, we weren’t going to be playing in the swamp this year,” Alex Cardenas, junior, said.
Despite the swimming pool-like conditions, UM swam by like a seasoned fish.
“Given the conditions, our game was just better,” Cardenas said.
“The only part of the game that I watched was the last 12 seconds, so I was pretty happy,” Dan Mannina, freshman, said. “We are going to keep playing like this and become national champions.”
In the end, the rain fell, the ‘Noles fell and so did the doubts.
“This game taught Miami fans to always have faith,” Cristina Suarez, junior, said.
Leigha Taber can be contacted at l.taber@umiami.edu.