There isn’t much I really can say about the Miami vs. Florida State rivalry that hasn’t been stated before. It is the epitome of epic showdowns in college football. All of Florida and the nation for that matter turns in to watch Miami vs. Florida State. Hell, there is no better football than watching Miami vs. Florida State.
I knew the Miami vs. Florida State game was going to be epic; I just didn’t know to what scale. I guess when it took me over an hour to go 10 blocks to the stadium is when I realized how big this game was. I knew it was big for both teams, but it seemed it was an even bigger deal to the fans of each school.
When I finally made it to the sea of fans to the stadium, I was exhausted. Carrying my camera gear and dodging footballs and intoxicated people was a workout in itself. Once inside I do my normal pre-game routine and head to the press box and get all the printed materials for the game like roster sheets etc. I went down to the photo room and that placed was packed. Wall to wall of photographers. Local guys, national media etc. You name it, they were there.
I ended up retreating to the field were it was all quiet since that game wasn’t for another 3 hours plus. I got all zen and sat in the endzone and closed my eyes and just soaked in all the calm in the air before Sun Life Stadium became a loud ruckus of screaming fans wildly cheering for their team.
When the Miami vs. Florida State game finally kicked off it was a battle on the sidelines for position to photograph. I was running up and down the sidelines, bobbing and weaving the ESPN camera crews, spinning around security and squeezing my way onto the sideline to get an angle for a shot. Of course every photographer at the Miami vs. Florida State game was doing the same.
The game action was a see-saw battle. In the first half Miami dominated and in the second half it was FSU. Great game all around.
I was rooting for Miami on the inside so when they lost I was hurt, but you can’t win them all.
The Miami vs. Florida State game is like my SuperBowl and this year it sure lived up to the height. The game literally came down to the last minute. It was one for the ages that is for sure.
