MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. _ There was a point, when Miami _ down by 20 points to its biggest rival _ was booed, loudly on its home field.
The Miami faithful who crowded into Hard Rock Stadium were eager to see their team win a second straight against Florida State and, just as importantly, snap a six-game home losing streak to the Seminoles.
Instead, for long stretches of Saturday afternoon, the 17th-ranked Hurricanes looked lost and listless, unable to stop an upset-minded Florida State team hoping a win over Miami could start to turn their season.
And just when it seemed as if all was lost, the Hurricanes _ fueled by a defensive turnaround _ scored two touchdowns in 42 seconds and began one of the most dramatic comebacks in the history of this storied rivalry.
First, a Gerald Willis fumble recovery led to a Lawrence Cager touchdown catch. Then a Mike Pinckney interception resulted in a Jeff Thomas touchdown catch and ultimately, the 17th-ranked Hurricanes clawed their way to a hard-fought 28-27 win that won't be forgotten in either Coral Gables or Tallahassee any time soon.
The victory was Miami's first over Florida State in Miami since 2004. It marked the Hurricanes' second straight win over their rivals and it marked Miami's fifth straight win since a gut-wrenching season-opening loss to LSU.
In that game against the Tigers, the Hurricanes (5-1, 2-0 ACC) couldn't respond after taking an early series of punches, prompting Miami players and coaches to say they needed to become mentally tougher with the rest of their season still ahead of them.
On this day, that mental toughness showed in spades throughout the second half as Miami rallied from a 27-7 third-quarter deficit.
In the end, it was Brevin Jordan's 41-yard touchdown pass from N'Kosi Perry and Bubba Baxa's ensuing extra point that were the difference on the scoreboard, but those would not have been possible were it not for the way the Hurricanes defense shut down Florida State in the second half.
Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois, who threw 109 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, had just 20 passing yards in the third and fourth quarters.
Perry, meanwhile, bounced back, finishing the day 13-of-32 for 204 yards with four touchdowns passes.
For most of the first half, it was Florida State _ not Miami _ that looked like the ranked, double-digit favorite.
The Seminoles, who came in riding some momentum after a 28-24 comeback win over Louisville last week, forced a three-and-out on Miami's first offensive possession. Then, moments later on offense, gashed the Hurricanes defense with an 8-play, 58-yard scoring drive that culminated when Deondre Francois connected with Keith Garvin on a 17-yard touchdown pass.
Two possessions later, the Hurricanes and Perry _ who made only the second start of his Miami career on Saturday _ pulled even, when on 4th-and-goal, the redshirt freshman connected with Lawrence Cager on a 10-yard touchdown play that capped a 14-play, 83-yard drive that took 7:49 off the clock.
It was Miami's longest scoring drive _ in terms of minutes _ all season.
It was also, for the Hurricanes, the only highlight of the first half.
After that, Florida State went on to score 13 unanswered points, capitalizing twice on long field goals by Ricky Aguayo, including a 53-yarder just before halftime that staked the Seminoles to a 20-7 lead.
And while the Seminoles seemingly had little trouble against a Hurricanes defense that a week ago against North Carolina forced six turnovers and scored three touchdowns, there were times Perry and the Miami offense looked lost.
Perry, who replaced Malik Rosier _ one of the heroes of last year's Miami win in Tallahassee _ was just 7-for-18 for 89 yards in the first half. He was sacked twice, fumbling and losing the ball once.
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