Florida State's Mike Norvell rips holding call that erased tying TD in 2OT loss to Miami

Two days after a 43-35 double-overtime loss at Miami, Florida State coach Mike Norvell still had not moved past the flag that ended the game for his team. At his Monday news conference, Norvell said the holding penalty that took away a 36-yard touchdown pass from Ashton Daniels to Micahi Danzy in the second overtime was "an absolute joke," according to ESPN.

Norvell said he has spoken with Gary Patterson, the ACC's supervisor of officials, about the call. CBS Sports reported that Norvell had not yet received Patterson's final review. The touchdown would have pulled the Seminoles within a two-point conversion of sending the game to a third overtime. Norvell said the same kind of block had gone unflagged a few plays earlier, and that his players lost the chance to decide the game themselves.

The penalty was called on offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin. CBS Sports described his block as a snatch-and-trap, a move offensive line coaches teach widely: the blocker keeps his hands inside against a bull rush, then rips down on the defender's arm to pull him off balance. The technique is usually let go, but when it puts a defender on the ground in a big moment it can look like a hold, and it has drawn flags in other high-profile games. Whatever the ACC concludes after its review will show how officials plan to call the block going forward.

Norvell also had questions about the final play. On a second Hail Mary, Miami safety Bryce Fitzgerald and Florida State receiver Duce Robinson both got hands on the ball in the end zone. The officials ruled it an interception, and replay confirmed it. ESPN reported that Norvell wanted to know why the replay booth never appeared to consider simultaneous possession. CBS Sports noted that Norvell was less heated about that play than about the holding flag.

Nothing about the result will change. Florida State falls to 3-4 and has lost two straight, after giving up 44 points at Louisville and then 43 in Miami Gardens. Two of the Seminoles' four losses came by one score, to SMU by three and to Miami by eight.

What comes next

Florida State has a bye before hosting Clemson on Oct. 31 on ACC Network. The Seminoles have scored 221 points and allowed 195 this season. Every loss has come against a team that was ranked at kickoff or on the road at Louisville, and their three wins came against Virginia, Central Arkansas and New Mexico State.

Miami is 6-0, has outscored opponents 291-84 and moved to No. 1 in the AP poll this week. The Seminoles came closer to beating the Hurricanes than anyone else has this season. Only Wake Forest, in a 13-point loss, had stayed within three touchdowns.

Miami hosts Pittsburgh on Saturday on ESPN, and the board shows the Hurricanes heavily favored across 11 venues. Novig prices Miami's moneyline at -1233. Polymarket has the best Miami price anywhere at -1185, and Pittsburgh is +1150 on Novig. On the spread, Miami is favored by 20.5 at Novig at +102. The best price elsewhere is Pinnacle's Miami -20 at -108. Novig's total is 50.5, and theScore Bet offers the best under at 51.5 (-115). Sportsbook hold runs from 3.2% to 5.2% on the moneyline and 3.9% to 7.0% on the spread, so the venues are close on price. The real gap is the half-point to full point between their spread and total numbers.