On Saturday, Miami fell short of pulling off the upset over No. 4 Florida State.

Before the game, Miami made headlines by benching starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke in favor of true freshman Emory Williams. With how the game unfolded, five takeaways stood out.

The most positive sign from Saturday's game was that Miami competed until the end against the number four team in the country. What was more glaring is that the Hurricanes are a serviceable quarterback away from becoming competitive with college football's elite.

The true freshman was underwhelming when completing passes, only completing 35 percent (8-23). Unfortunately, we will never know if Williams would have completed the comeback, because, on a 4th and short, Williams reached the football for a first down run but injured his arm in the process and would not return.

Van Dyke came into the game and had an opportunity to rewrite his narrative. Still, unfortunately, the turnover rhetoric continued as he threw an interception on fourth down that would ultimately end the game.

Despite Williams' horrendous completing percentage, he made big throws and often made the right decisions with fewer mistakes than his predecessor.

Williams's best throws were touchdown throws to Jacolby George. The first was a beautiful three-yard fade in the end zone, and the other was a deep 85-yard throw down the sideline to pull Miami within a touchdown late in the game.

It only asks what record the Hurricanes would have if Williams started the entire season. In Miami's losses this season, Van Dyke has thrown nine interceptions, and in two starts, Emory throws one pick.

Miami has the elements to be a consistent winner with a defense that keeps them in games and a running game that can control the clock. The most crucial position, however, Miami has yet to fix.

Of all the quarterbacks Miami has on the roster, Brown has the most upside. Miami has three games remaining (including a bowl game), and Brown can play the remaining games and preserve his redshirt.

Brown saw action in eight games, making two starts last year. He threw for 230 yards on 27-for-45 passing (60.0 percent) with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

What stands out for Brown is his athleticism. He's arguably the fastest player on the team, and his mobility can be a game-changer.

It's time to see what you have in Brown and keep Van Dyke on the shelf.

Once again, the Miami defense played above and beyond expectations and put the team in a position to win the game.

James Williams registered nine total tackles and led with six solo. Kiko Mauigoa added two sacks with nine total tackles, and Kamren Kinchens had six total tackles (five solo). The most impressive was holding the high-powered Florida State offense to 3-12 on third-down conversions.

Outstanding FSU wide receiver Keon Coleman was held to just 24 yards on four receptions, and Jordan Travis had an average game for his standards, throwing for 265 yards, completing 61 percent of his passes, scoring one touchdown, with zero interceptions and was sacked three times.

The defense is elite, but how many will return for the next season? Safeties Kinchens and Williams will undoubtedly have decisions to make, and so will defensive tackle Leonard Taylor. Taylor should be a lock to enter the 2024 NFL Draft, but all other impact players could return.

That said, the high-level defensive production should be here to stay, and the scheme has worked with Defensive Coordinator Lance Guidry at the helm.

It wasn't the first time Cristobal's injury reports burned us. Cristobal suggested that Daryl Porter, Jaden Davis, and Elijah Arroyo would start for the Florida State game, but not one of those players started; two didn't dress.

Being tactful in this regard so the opponent does not get a competitive advantage is common, but leading the public to believe an entirely different scenario that is far from reality is the Cristobal way.

So, if anyone hopes for an update on Emory Williams's status from Cristobal on Monday, it will very likely not be the entire truth.

If Don Chaney is correctly called down against Georgia Tech, Miami has another win on its record. If the ACC referees correctly called Mauigoa's safety against Clemson, that game likely would not go into overtime.

Against Florida State, the ACC refs struck again with another egregious call. Wesley Bissainthe tackled Travis in the end zone, and the referees marked the ball down at the one-yard line.

There should be some explanation or discipline because the fan base, coaching staff, or players can't bear through another inexplicable gaffe.

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