3 winners and 3 losers from Miami's exciting double-overtime win over FSU

The Miami Hurricanes needed two overtimes to get Florida State off their backs. It was every bit the rivalry game that we didn't expect. The Seminoles played hard, but they had a Malachi Toney problem that couldn't be solved, and the result was a 43-35 double-overtime win for the Hurricanes.

It wasn't pretty and that will show up on the stat sheet and in the infirmary. Bryce Fitzgerald ended the game when he fought off Duce Robinson for an interception, but the Hurricanes' top defensive back missed a lot of the game with an injury that we hope isn't serious.

Here are three winners and three losers from Miami's exciting win over FSU:

Winner: Malachi Toney should be going to New York City

Maybe Toney probably won't win the Heisman, but he needs to be there when the award is presented. When Miami was in trouble, Toney was there. He made a spectacular catch in the first quarter, but it was in the fourth quarter when he did everything except stop the rain. Check out the numbers! Toney had 11 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He added 31 rushing yards on two carries and threw the two-point conversion pass in the second overtime. 

Loser; Miami's discipline has taken a step back

Cristobal is a stickler for the details, but he might need to emphasize his message a little stronger in the future. The penalties were a big part of the sloppiness we saw at Hard Rock Stadium. There were some inexcusable actions by Keona Davis that put the Hurricanes' defense on its heels. The complimentary football that Cristobal demands of his team wasn't always on display Saturday.

Winner: JJ Dunnigan shows maturity beyond his years

Dunnigan is on track to be a freshman All-American. The blue-chip recruit from Manhattan, Kansas has been even better than advertised, but not every play is a sack, an interception, or even shows up on the stat sheet. When FSU running back Tre Wisner fumbled, there was a mad dash to the football and Dunnigan saw that Micahi Danzy was likely to beat him to the ball, so he tackled Danzy instead, which allowed Ethan O'Connor to grab the rock and get the turnover. That's smart football.

Losers: More injuries stretch out the secondary

Bryce Fitzgerald got hurt early Saturday—on the first play of the game and although the former freshman All-American got back in the game and tried to battle, he was re-injured and played limited snaps until the final play of the game. There was also the targeting hit that disqualified Zechariah Poyser. So that meant Miami was without four of their five players that started the season in the defensive backfield. 

That might explain some of Corey Hetherman's questionable calls in the fourth quarter, where he was leaving the corners exposed with a deep safety in the middle. 

Winner: Javian Mallory might be the man in the backfield

Mark Fletcher hasn't looked right all season, and he is usually a lot better in the final weeks of the year anyway, so when the decision was made to let the freshman from Boca Raton get sustained time in the backfield, he delivered. Mallory had 13 carries for 108 yards with two touchdowns. And they were tough, gritty yards too. Mallory was running through tackles and looked like the most explosive power back on the roster. This backfield is going to be a timeshare in the weeks ahead. 

Loser: This offensive line needs a lot of work

The offensive front has been a work in progress all season, but it looked like the unit was ready to move forward in the Clemson game when true freshman Ben Congdon replaced SJ Alofaituli at left guard. But then Max Buchanan was hurt and had to have surgery that could likely end his season. That meant Alofaituli was back in on the right side, and he struggled again. I have to believe that Alofaituli is skating on thin ice as a starter and Alex Mirabal is still trying to figure this out. 

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