South Florida Local News

Tell me you turned it off.

Tell me you saved your Sunday and your sanity.

Tell me you didn’t go the entire, embarrassing distance to witness the Miami Dolphins being penalized for 12 men in the huddle on fourth down from the 2-yard line in the 54th minute of a 30-0 disaster at that point. Twelve men!

And tell me didn’t have to see — after De’Von Achane ran 11 hard yards for their best play and lone score —  that Tua Tagovailoa called time-out before running the 2-point play. A timeout? Is that a first in NFL history?

See, they were awful all the way to the very end of this dismal beginning. You waited eight months for that? Indianapolis 33, Dolphins, 8 said they’re worse than last year if it sticks. What’s clear is they had the worst opener of any NFL team — and, yes, I know all the games aren’t over as I type.

Sunday confirmed a lot of the doubts about the Dolphins and none of the hopes. That’s all the further you go right now, though the real question by the end was whether having 16 games left is the good news or bad news.

“It was a group effort of failure,” coach Mike McDaniel said about one play in particular, a communication breakdown in the secondary leading to another Indianapolis score.

But you can just use that line for everything, everyone, everywhere for the Dolphins’ Sunday. Start with Tua. When you’re in the $50 million Quarterback Club you’re paid to prevent days like this. That’s just how it is. But Sunday was his hands-down worst day as a Dolphin for how he opened his sixth season.

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• Dolphins Deep Dive: Breaking down Miami’s disastrous loss in season opener at Colts | VIDEO
• Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has opener marred by turnovers in loss to Colts
• Things we learned in Miami Dolphins’ 33-8 season-opening loss at the Indianapolis Colts
• Hyde10: Tua’s worst day, that first-half disaster — 10 thoughts on Dolphins’ opening mess

Where do you even start with it? He threw an interception and fumbled across three, first-half plays. He threw that second interception to start the second half and bump the Colts up to 17 points off his turnovers.

He had a measly 114 yard passing, too. Forty yards went to Tyreek Hill and 30 to Jaylen Waddle. So after spending the offseason solving that pesky, two-deep-safety defense of opponents, the answer is the Dolphins have no answer.

Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, the former Dolphin assistant, just seemed to tighten the screws on Tua more over the offseason.

“We don’t’ want to overreact, don’t want to under-react to this,” Tua said. “We want to get this right so that this never happens again.”

Sounds right. But if he wanted to overreact, he now has five interceptions and three fumbles in his past three games — two losses.

“We need to look I the mirror, continue to hold each other accountable and I’d definitely say it starts with me,” he said.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Breaking down Miami’s disastrous loss in season opener at Colts | VIDEO

If it was only him, though.

If only this game could be explained by poor quarterback play.

It was everyone, everything and everywhere.

The defense made New York Giants reject and Colts starter Daniel Jones look like a first-round pick again. Here’s the Colts possessions: Field goal, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, field goal, touchdown, field goal. Seven possessions, seven scores.

To be fair, the Dolphins defense stopped Indianapolis once. But then Matthew Judon was penalized for running into the punter, the Colts got a first down and, yep, they scored again.

“It was a collection of how to lose a football game in the National Football League,” McDaniel said.

And then some. Guard James Daniels, Miami’s big free-agent buy despite an Achilles’ injury last season, entered the game uncertain with a foot injury and lasted five plays due to a pectoral injury.

Storm Duck, the cornerback replacing Jalen Ramsey, was picked on by the Colts until he left injured on a golf cart in the second quarter. Ramsey, by the way, won his opener in Pittsburgh by causing a game-cementing hit for an incompletion.

Darren Waller, the Dolphins’ listed starting tight end, was inactive after not practicing all summer and getting hurt in practice last week. So the Dolphins entered the opener with two tight ends. Oh, and did you see the departed Jonnu Smith run for a touchdown for Pittsburgh?

Could you script a worst opener?

It was the first time of extended play for a lot of players in a game setting, and you either leave feeling your game was appropriately displayed or you leave thinking, ‘What was that?’ ” McDaniel said.

That was a disaster.

The good news: There are 16 games left.

Or is that the bad news?

In this Dolphins Deep Dive video, the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Chris Perkins and David Furones discuss Miami’s blowout loss in its first game of the season at the Indianapolis Colts.

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INDIANAPOLIS — The first thing Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel pointed to in terms of reasons for his team’s disastrous season-opening defeat against the Indianapolis Colts was that the Dolphins were minus-3 in turnover margin.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw two interceptions and had a lost fumble on a strip-sack, all in a first half of a season debut that quickly got out of hand on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“We don’t want to overreact. We don’t want to underreact to this,” Tagovailoa said of the turnovers. “We want to get this right so we make sure this never happens again.”

First, Tagovailoa missed high to wide receiver Tyreek Hill on the Dolphins’ opening drive for an interception. He then had a fumble forced by nickel cornerback Kenny Moore that was recovered by former teammate in cornerback Xavien Howard.

“That’s just not how you start the game,” Tagovailoa said. “Interception. We come back out the next drive, turn the ball over with the strip-sack. Next drive, we just can’t get anything going. How do you build off of that, is what we’re looking forward to.

Tagovailoa was seen tapping Hill on the helmet

“Just a throw I sailed on Tyreek. I maybe hung on to it a little longer, probably should’ve progressed on that. My feet were telling me to progress on that. Probably would’ve had Jaylen (Waddle) on that throw.”

Early in the second half, Tagovailoa was intercepted by defensive end Laiatu Latu dropping back into coverage.

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• Things we learned in Miami Dolphins’ 33-8 season-opening loss at the Indianapolis Colts
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“I did see him,” said Tagovailoa, who off the high throw to Hill didn’t didn’t get it over the underneath defender. “That was terrible, is what it was.”

McDaniel noted his quarterback’s underwhelming play but didn’t pin all the blame on him.

“Without watching the tape, it was something that was left to be desired,” McDaniel said. “It’s definitely not all on him. I think there’s just throws that I know he makes nine times out of 10 and he didn’t make them (Sunday).”

McDaniel also pointed to the “surprise pressures” the Dolphins saw.

Tagovailoa took sacks and hits, specifically as the Dolphins didn’t pick up certain blitzes from defensive backs. He pointed to communication up front at fault on that front and said he handled the hits fine. McDaniel attributed it to mental mistakes against Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s pressures.

Tagovailoa pushed back Sunday against a question stating his turnovers tend to come in bunches, saying it was merely how Sunday went.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Breaking down Miami’s disastrous loss in season opener at Colts | VIDEO

MIAMI (AP) — Otto López homered twice and the Miami Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 on Sunday, avoiding a three-game sweep by the NL East leaders.

Troy Johnston had two hits for the Marlins, who snapped a five-game skid.

Ronny Henriquez (7-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, and Lake Bachar escaped a jam in the ninth for his third save.

Trea Turner homered and Brandon Marsh had three hits for the Phillies. Turner exited because of a right hamstring strain after he legged out a grounder and reached on a throwing error by López in the seventh.

Phillies slugger Key Schwarber hit an RBI single in the ninth. Schwarber, who leads the National League with 49 homers, has not gone deep since he did it four times against Atlanta on Aug. 28.

The Marlins sent 10 batters to the plate in a four-run first against Taijuan Walker (4-8). López hit a three-run homer and Máximo Acosta added an RBI single.

Turner greeted reliever Calvin Faucher with a homer to lead off the sixth. Faucher also allowed an RBI single to Marsh.

López hit a solo drive off Philadelphia reliever José Alvarado in the seventh to make it 5-3.

Walker (4-8) worked six innings and held the Marlins scoreless after the first.

Key moment

Bachar walked Max Kepler and pinch-hitter J.T. Realmuto to start the ninth. Bryson Stott popped out and pinch-hitter Harrison Bader lined out before Schwarber’s run-scoring single. Bachar then retired Bryce Harper on a groundout to end it.

Key stat

López became the sixth Marlins player with a multi-homer game this season.

Up next

The Phillies return home for a four-game series against the New York Mets on Monday with RHP Aaron Nola (3-8, 6.78) scheduled to start the opener. The Marlins have not announced a starter for the opener of a four-game series against visiting Washington on Monday.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

INDIANAPOLIS — This was as ugly as it gets for the Miami Dolphins in their 33-8 loss at Indianapolis on Sunday. The offense wasn’t a threat, the defense wasn’t a threat, and a special teams penalty opened the door for a Colts 17-play drive that resulted in a field goal at the halftime buzzer. Game-ending injuries to cornerback Storm Duck (left ankle) and guard James Daniels (pectoral) made things much worse.

Beyond that, however, coach Mike McDaniel had no answers for what Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen cooked up.

Here’s what we observed:

Tua was awful

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa ended 14 of 23 for 114 yards, two interceptions, a lost fumble and a 51.7 passer rating. His first interception resulted in a 14-play, 84-yard Colts touchdown, his lost fumble on the next possession ended in a five-play, 42-yard touchdown drive, and his second interception resulted in a seven-play, 48-yard field goal drive and a 23-0 Colts lead. Tua didn’t do much right on Sunday.

That’s three turnovers, 17 points. Obviously, that’s an ugly start to the season. — Chris Perkins

OL still hasn’t had time together

The first-quarter pectoral injury to right guard James Daniels means the Dolphins’ starting offensive line, a focal point of the offseason, still hasn’t spent much time together. Early in the offseason center Aaron Brewer was sidelined, then right tackle Austin Jackson missed time with a toe injury. And now Daniels, Miami’s big-ticket free agent with his three-year, $24 million deal, is injured.

Daniels, of course, was limited to four games last season with Pittsburgh before being sidelined with a right Achilles injury. He was questionable for the game with a left ankle injury.

Youngsters get early action

The Dolphins are now trying to win with youth and draftees, and it didn’t go well Sunday. Among first- and second-year players cornerbacks Storm Duck and Jason Marshall, running back Ollie Gordon II, wide receiver Malik Washington, safety Dante Trader Jr., defensive tackles Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips, and left guard Jonah Savaiinaea all got early, significant action.

Duck left the game with an ankle injury. Savaiinaea seemed to do OK and Marshall ended with one tackle, Grant had four tackles, Gordon ended with two carries for four yards, Washington had one reception for nine yards, Phillips had five tackles.

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• Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has opener marred by turnovers in loss to Colts
• Hyde10: Tua’s worst day, that first-half disaster — 10 thoughts on Dolphins’ opening mess

Tua-to-Tyreek off to shaky start

The Tagovailoa-to-wide receiver Tyreek Hill connection, which was shaky to end last season in games at Houston and against San Francisco, was shaky to start the game Sunday as they sustained a first quarter interception when Tagovailoa overthrew Hill. Hill ended with four receptions for 40 yards.

The two hardly spent time together in the offseason as Hill had right wrist surgery and an oblique injury. 

The Tagovailoa-Hll on-field relationship is a bigger concern than the off-field relationship.

Sloppy play crushes Dolphins

The Dolphins were incredibly sloppy among three turnovers by Tagovailoa (two interceptions and a lost fumble), a coverage bust that allowed a touchdown reception and outside linebacker Matthew Judon getting called for running into the punter that gave the Colts a first down that eventually resulted in a field goal and a 20-0 Colts halftime lead.

The Judon penalty allowed the Colts to have a 17-play, 72-yard drive that included, after the penalty, a 14-yard completion on third-and-10 from the Colts’ 36-yard line, and a six-yard completion on fourth and 2 from the Dolphins’ 42-yard line.

Edge rushers largey negated

The Colts offensive line is regarded among the best in the league and they lived up to that billing against Dolphins edge rushers Bradley Chubb (one sack), Jaelan Phillips, Chop Robinson and Matthew Judon. The Dolphins hardly touched Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. Meanwhile, the left side of the Colts offensive line — guard Quenton Nelson and tackle Bernhard Raimann — were as good as advertised.

The edge rushers were unable to buy time for the under-construction secondary. Jones went to work early and ended 22 of 29 for 272 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 115.9 passer rating.

Cornerbacks get tested in a couple of ways . . . and fail

The cornerbacks were a huge question mark entering the game and they failed the test as far as performance and health. Starters Storm Duck and Jack Jones and nickel/slot Jason Marshall Jr. didn’t have much success early. After Duck went down in the second half with a left ankle injury, cornerback Rasul Douglas got some playing time. It didn’t matter.

The cornerbacks failed to make plays and failed to cover receivers. There’s a lot of room for growth.  

The Kenneth Grant-Tyler Warren question

The Dolphins drafted defensive tackle Kenneth Grant at No. 13 and the Colts quickly drafted tight end Tyler Warren No. 14. Grant ended with four tackles. Warren ended with seven receptions for 76 yards.

In light of the Dolphins’ tight end issues with veteran Darren Waller, who was inactive Sunday (he was declared ‘out’ Friday due to a hip strain), there’s room to question the Dolphins’ selection.

Of course, there was room to question the Dolphins’ selection on draft night, too. Sunday shined a brighter light on the situation as Warren, the rookie from Penn State, had five receptions for 57 yards in the first half alone. He arguably should have had a third quarter touchdown but safety Minkah Fitzpatrick slipped and seemed to interfere with Warren. No penalty was called.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Breaking down Miami’s disastrous loss in season opener at Colts | VIDEO

It’s another Dolphins rough opener; the reasons vary

The Dolphins are becoming known for rough starts. This year, outside linebacker coach Ryan Crow was arrested for battery a little more than a week before the opener and then the Dolphins laid an egg in the opener at Indianapolis. The two events aren’t related but both happened.

Last year, of course, Hill was detained by law enforcement prior to the opening game. In 2019, they were blasted, 59-10, by Baltimore. In 2018, they defeated Tennessee, 27-20, but the game took seven hours and eight minutes and was the NFL’s longest game thanks to two lightning delays. In 2017, the scheduled opener against Tampa Bay was postponed due to the threat of a hurricane and prior to the de facto opener at the Los Angeles Chargers an assistant coach was involved in an infamous video and linebacker Lawrence Timmons went AWOL.

Dolphins’ offense falls flat, credit Lou Anarumo

The much-hyped Dolphins offense didn’t do anything Sunday. No fireworks, no big plays, no excitement. McDaniel, offensive cooridnator Frank Smith, quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell and senior pass game coordinator Bobby Slowik were all outsmarted by Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, the former Dolphins secondary coach.

By the way, Anarumo had a similar result in 2022 when he was Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator and the Bengals defeated the Dolphins.

Tagovailoa’s ball-security issues are as pronounced as ever

In his past 2 3/4 games, Tua Tagovailoa has five interceptions and three fumbles. If you go back to his second diagnosed concussion of 2022 against the Packers, Tagovailoa has played 31 games. He has thrown an unsightly 27 interceptions and fumbled 21 times (1.55 per game). He had 20 picks and 16 fumbles in his first 35 games (1.03 per game). By comparison, in his 82 career games, Justin Herbert, who the Dolphins passed over to pick Tagovailoa, has 77 interceptions and fumbles combined (0.94 per game). — Steve Svekis

First-quarter scoring has become a problem for the Dolphins

In Miami’s past eight games, the Dolphins have only scratched across 18 points in the opening 15 minutes, a paltry average of 2.25 per first quarter.

An athletic tight end gouged the Dolphins yet again

In the first half, when the Colts blew the doors off Miami to the tune of 20-0, rookie tight end Tyler Warren piled up six touches for 60 yards. The game was basically over at that point. Warren ended up with 79 yards on eight touches. Last year, players such as George Kittle, Brock Bowers and Trey McBride combined for 356 yards in their three games.

The back of Tyreek Hill’s head bounced hard off the turf

Hill made a catch for 4 yards, getting toppled backward by Charvarius Ward on the Colts sideline. The back of his helmet bounced off the turf with major force. Something to monitor.

That was as far west as the Dolphins will go this season

Yes, as incredible as that sounds, the Dolphins will play east of Indianapolis the rest of the year. The last time Indy was the farthest west Miami traveled was 35 years ago.

Is Achane’s usage in the passing game evolving?

Dolphins’ fleet-footed third-year running back has caught 89 passes in his career from Tua Tagovailoa. On average he has caught those passes 1.71 yards behind the line of scrimmage. However, that number was a massive minus-2.37 yards per catch heading into Thanksgiving last year, but in Tagovailoa’s final four games of the season, Achane grabbed 27 passes at a cumulative mere 5 yards behind the line (minus-0.19 per reception). It will be interesting to see if that was a product of the hip issue that eventually sidelined Tagovailoa for the season’s final two games, or something more macro from Mike McDaniel.

Tagovailoa ticked off another first-time opponent

Tagovailoa had seen injuries rob him of his first two opportunities to play against The Horseshoes (2021 and 2024), before suiting up at Lucas Oil Stadium. That leaves the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers still to play to complete his NFL tour. The Buccaneers visit Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 28.

Tua and McDaniel had been a lethal combo in road openers

Heading in to the Colts matchup in Indianapolis, Tua Tagovailoa had been dominant in his first road game of a season under Mike McDaniel, averaging 35 points per game. After Sunday, that average was reduced to 28.3.

On deck: New England Patriots, Hard Rock Stadium, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Patriots fleet-footed rookie passer Drake Maye was handled by the Dolphins last year at Hard Rock, as the defense piled up four sacks, with Zach Sieler stripping Maye on one of them (recovered by Jordyn Brooks). Also after New England had scored 15 fourth-quarter points to make the score 31-15, Tyrel Dodson, in his first game taking defensive snaps with the Dolphins, made a spectacular interception to close out the 34-15 Miami win.

You couldn’t script a worse start. Dominated. Embarrassed. And injured at their most vulnerable positions, too.

Indianapolis 33, Dolphins 8. And that eight for the Dolphins didn’t come until 55 minutes into a long-settled game.

Here are 10 thoughts on the dismal day:

1.That was Tua Tagovailoa’s worst game as a Dolphin. His 14 completions in 23 passes for 114 yards don’t tell how bad it was. He had two turnovers — an interception and fumble — over three first-half plays. He opened the second half with another interception. Those turnovers became 17 Indianapolis points. He was sacked three times in the first half, once when he in some form didn’t recognize a blitzing cornerback and another time when he seemed to be scrambling in mud he was so slow. That just gets to his passing: Five of seven for 42 yards in the first half when Indy sealed the game. His worst day? He had a four-turnover day in Houston in December. And he has had five other three-turnover games in his career. But considering this was an opener against a mediocre Indy team in his sixth season, it doesn’t get worse than this.

2. How bad was that first half? It wasn’t just Indy led 20-0. Mike McDaniel’s team wasn’t ready to play when you look at the first-half stats:

First downs: Colts 17 to 3;

Total yards: Colts 255 to 43;

Yards per play: Colts 5.9 to 2.9;

Third down conversions: Colts 6-10 to 1-3;

Turnovers: Colts 0 to 2;

Time of possession: Colts 20:40 to 8:20.

3. Tyreek Hill had four catches for 40 yards, and Jaylen Waddle had four catches for 30 yards. Their long catch was 21 yards. So, no, an offseason spent trying to get the ball to your best players in deeper parts of the field wasn’t seen on this day. Give a tip of the cap to former Dolphins secondary coach Lou Anarumo, the Colts defensive coordinator. Whatever he did worked. But what he did seemed to have the same results for the deep ball as many defenses against the Dolphins last season.

4. Daniel Jones made his first start as the Colts quarterback and had the kind of first day you’d want kick-start a struggling career. He completed 22 of 29 for 272 yards and a touchdown. Just in the first half, he was 17 of 22 for 197 yards — or more yards than five of his 10 games last season with the New York Giants. Of course, that means the Dolphins secondary that was a prime worry entering this season officially turned the corner to a major problem. Indianapolis, whose strength is running the ball, threw on its first five plays with Jones completing four for 57 yards. The Dolphins played a lot of zone, but that didn’t work when Storm Duck thought he was handing off Colts receiver Michael Pittman to safety Ifeatu Melifonwu …. and Melifonwu wasn’t there. Pittman caught a 27-yard touchdown. Another lowlight: On first-and-30 at the end of the third quarter, Jones scrambled for 11 yards, but a holding penalty on cornerback Jack Jones gave first down to the Dolphins 49. Repeat: First-and-30.

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• Dave Hyde: An opening disaster that confirmed every doubt of Dolphins
• Dolphins Deep Dive: Breaking down Miami’s disastrous loss in season opener at Colts | VIDEO
• Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has opener marred by turnovers in loss to Colts
• Things we learned in Miami Dolphins’ 33-8 season-opening loss at the Indianapolis Colts

5. Throw the special teams into the mix of this mess, too. The Dolphins defense forced Indy to punt on fourth-and-2 with 4:16 left in the half. Matthew Judon promptly ran into Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez to give the Colts a first down at their 36-yard line. The Colts kept the ball all the way to kicking a field goal to end the half at 20-0.

6. Give De’Von Achane some credit in a 30-0 game for taking a short pass in the flat and running 11 hard yards for the lone Dolphins score. Even that score was wrapped in confusion. On fourth-and-goal at the 6, the Dolphins were flagged for having 12 men in the huddle. You can’t make that up. Then, on the two-point conversion, Tua called a timeout after watching the play clock run out. That’s was some run by Achane, but ….

7. The Dolphins suffered injuries in their most vulnerable areas in Sunday’s first half. Guard James Daniels, who was uncertain for the game, left early after a reported pectoral injury. Cornerback Storm Duck was injured in the second quarter, walked to the sideline with trainers and later was carted into the locker room. Kion Smith replaced Daniels, who was signed as a free agent after suffering a torn Achilles in Pittsburgh last season. Rasul Douglas replaced Duck.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Breaking down Miami’s disastrous loss in season opener at Colts | VIDEO

8. Stat of Sunday: Tua entered 4-0 in openers and the Colts were on a run of 0-10-1. Not anymore.

9. Quick Hits:

A.The odd handling of the tight end position and Darren Waller means the Dolphins had just two tight ends active with Julian Hill and Tanner Conner. Hill caught the two-point conversion and Conner had two catches for 20 yards.

B. Minkah Fitzpatrick made the tackle on the game-opening kickoff, showing everyone is available for special teams.

C. Talk about a taxed research department. CBS announcer said the Dolphins 42 yards of first-half offense was their lowest in a half since “at least 1991.” Everyone was scrambling trying to find where there was a lower half.

10. Next Week: Patriots at Dolphins. The home opener brings the new-look Patriots to Hard Rock Stadium for an endangered 1 p.m. start. The Dolphins only have two such hot-yoga starts in September and October. Mike Vrabel knows all about the heat, having been a Patriots player and Tennessee coach. The Dolphins swept New England last year, winning 15-10 at New England in October and 34-15 in Hard Rock Stadium in November. The Dolphins have won the past four games against the Patriots and five out of the last six. Tom Brady, indeed, has left the building.

TALLAHASSEE — Mike Norvell often picks the Seminoles player who had the greatest impact on a win to break a rock for the celebration in the locker room. After FSU’s 77-3 victory Saturday over East Texas A&M, he chose Ethan Pritchard’s father.

“A lot of great performances today,” Norvell said as he spoke to the Seminoles. “But if you guys are good —”

The team erupted with a “Yeah!” as they gave Earl Pritchard the sledgehammer. It’s been a miserable week for Earl, who has been by his son’s side in the hospital after the FSU freshman, a star at Sanford Seminole, was shot on Aug. 31 while driving his aunt back to nearby Havana not far from the state capital.

Earl wanted to be on the sideline on Saturday to represent his son, who is in critical but stable condition as he recovers from a gunshot wound. FSU players wore wristbands with “35” on them in honor of Pritchard. A team captain, Earl Little Jr., walked out to midfield holding a No. 35 jersey.

“It’s something that made us go out there and play for him today,” quarterback Tommy Castellanos said. “We’re praying for Ethan. We wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully God upstairs gives him a second chance at life.”

The Seminoles have formed a close bond and played with heavy hearts on Saturday. Here are five takeaways from the game:

Depth developing at skill positions

One of the big storylines for FSU going into 2025 was the lack of depth. But it’s also one where the Seminoles have young talent on the second and third teams with little college experience.

FSU was able to play nearly 90 Seminoles. That included 11 pass catchers, eight running backs and four quarterbacks. On defense, 17 players had two or more tackles.

“There’s no substitute for experience,” Norvell said.

These Seminoles go into the bye week with film to analyze with teammates and coaches, which helps in their development.

Early signs of development on offensive line

FSU has started four first-year transfers on the offensive line, with Richie Leonard (a 2024 transfer from Florida) joining them. There’s a definite need to develop high school prospects into dependable backups and potentially future starters.

True freshman center Chavez Thompson of Cocoa was in on 17 snaps in the second half, an encouraging sign for a lineman who didn’t enroll early but is developing quickly. Redshirt sophomore Lucas Simmons played 30 snaps at left tackle while redshirt freshman Jonathan Daniels played 30 snaps at right tackle.

True freshmen enjoy playing time

FSU hauled in a top-20 class in December, and a number of them impressed. Running back Ousmane Kromah had five carries for 37 yards as well as a 43-yard touchdown reception.

Jayvan Boggs of Cocoa had his first college catch, a 3-yard touchdown. Teriq Mallory and Chase Loftin had a catch apiece. Safeties Max Redmon (three tackles) and Antonio Cromartie Jr. (two tackles) also saw playing time.

Backup quarterbacks earn opportunities

True freshman Kevin Sperry entered the game with FSU ahead 42-0 and under six minutes until halftime. He led a 10-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown pass to Boggs. Sperry completed 4 of 5 passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns.

Redshirt sophomore Brock Glenn completed three passes for 56 yards, including a touchdown.

While Sperry entered the game first, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the No. 2 quarterback. Glenn missed both preseason scrimmages due to injury. But now both have game experience in Gus Malzahn’s offense to help prepare them if needed.

Versatility on display

Amaree Williams reclassified, expediting his schoolwork so that he could graduate in May 2024 and enroll at FSU. But the defensive end was behind from a strength and conditioning standpoint, so he played tight end and produced two touchdowns in the fall.

What would he be in 2025? On Saturday, he played both positions. Williams caught a 35-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and a few minutes later he had a sack.

This is not a cornerback who has a side gig as a receiver. It’s relatively unheard of for a college athlete to be a tight end and defensive end, but that’s what Williams is doing.

Quick thoughts from South Florida Sun Sentinel staffers on the Miami Dolphins’ humbling loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday:

Dave Hyde, Columnist

Could you script a worse start for the Dolphins? Tua Tagovailoa with his worst day as a pro? The Colts scored on every possession? The Dolphins secondary exposed, their offensive line suffering an injury to James Daniels? Can we get a rewrite on the day?

Chris Perkins, Dolphins Columnist

The Dolphins didn’t even compete. This was a rough one on offense, defense and special teams. Coaching won’t get a break here, either. This was a total system failure. The Dolphins now face a near must-win game next week at home against New England because they go to Buffalo in Week 3. The Dolphins are 0-4 in Buffalo in the coach Mike McDaniel era.

David Furones, Dolphins Writer

Disastrous start to the season, rivaled only by the 59-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in 2019. Lack of preparation and execution on both sides of the ball. The seat only gets hotter by the minute for coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier after an embarrassing season opener.

Steve Svekis, Assistant Sports Editor

One of the true opening-day debacles in Dolphins history. Daniel Jones dissected Miami’s defense with short and intermediate passes and threw in some mobility, and Tua Tagovailoa looked utterly unprepared for what the Colts defense brought at him. This was really one of the more winnable games on paper. Gulp.

Keven Lerner, Assistant Sports Editor

The Dolphins offense somehow looked worse than the Tua-less version that trundled to Indianapolis last year, and the defense was annihilated, where last year, they held up. Where will the wins come from on the rest of this schedule?

Dolphins Deep Dive: Breaking down Miami’s disastrous loss in season opener at Colts | VIDEO

INDIANAPOLIS — If the Miami Dolphins’ brass was already on the hot seat entering the 2025 season, that was merely the preheat.

After just the first half of their season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, the seats for coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier were in full-fledged cooking mode.

The Dolphins had three turnovers, couldn’t otherwise move the ball down the field offensively and couldn’t stop Colts quarterback Daniel Jones defensively in an overall disastrous 33-8 defeat at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Dolphins (0-1) had their streak of four consecutive Week 1 wins snapped. Meanwhile, the Colts (1-0), who were honoring late owner Jim Irsay, earned a win in an opener for the first time in their past 12 tries.

McDaniel understands the magnitude of the microscope he’s under with his job.

“I don’t see this job void of pressure,” McDaniel said. “I don’t see entitlement in this job.”

Miami looks to make sure one terrible loss doesn’t compound into more down the stretch early in the season.

“It’s a tough loss, but we still got 16 more guaranteed games,” said running back De’Von Achane, who scored the team’s lone touchdown, to go with 55 rushing yards and 20 receiving.

Added McDaniel: “The taste is terrible, and they’re eager to fix it.”

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Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw two interceptions, fumbled away another possession and finished 14 of 23 for 114 yards and a late touchdown with the game out of reach. Backup quarterback Zach Wilson finished off Sunday’s game for Miami.

“This was a lack of a lot of things,” Tagovailoa said of the result.

Jones, maligned for his failed tenure with the New York Giants, was magnificent in his Indianapolis debut. He was 22 of 29 for 272 yards, a passing touchdown and two rushing scores.

The Dolphins’ wide receiver combo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle had four catches each. Hill went for 40 yards and Waddle 30.

“This was a big kick in the balls for us,” Hill said.

Indianapolis outgained Miami, 418-211, in total yards Sunday, winning the time of possession battle by nearly double, 38:43-21:17 and the the turnover margin, 3-0.

“It was a collection of how to lose football games in the National Football League,” McDaniel said. “We got a great lesson and pretty much covered all the bases. We have one direction to go, and it’s going to be through work and nothing else.”

Dolphins Deep Dive: Breaking down Miami’s disastrous loss in season opener at Colts | VIDEO

The Colts, with a 20-0 halftime lead, were outgaining the Dolphins yards, 255-43, at that point. They had 17 first downs to three for the Dolphins.

Indianapolis built its early lead by picking on the Dolphins’ unproven secondary and forcing Tagovailoa into turnovers.

Starting with an early 3-0 lead, the Colts intercepted Tagovailoa on Miami’s first drive of the new season. A third-down pass from Tagovailoa sailed high to Hill, and safety Camryn Bynum was over the top to snatch the interception. Tagovailoa said it was simple high-sailing errant pass.

“The first throw that we had, I wish the connection was there,” Hill said, “but it’ll get there with time. We obviously know what we have to fix and get better at. So, that’s what we’re going to continue to attack.”

Jones then led a 14-play, 84-yard drive that resulted in a 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Pittman was wide open down the right side. Storm Duck, who was injured later in the half, appeared to be sitting in a shallow zone on his side expecting safety Ifeatu Melifonwu to help over the top.

“The safety could’ve saved the play, but it wasn’t solely on him,” McDaniel said. “A group effort of failure, starting with communication.”

Pittman led the Colts with 80 yards on six receptions. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren caught seven passes for 76 yards.

“Trying to make our own thing up and not playing team football,” said outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, who had a sack for the Dolphins defense. “At the end of the day, that’s what we watch the film for. That’s where we sit back and learn, see what we did wrong and correct it come next week.”

Two plays from scrimmage after the touchdown surrendered, Tagovailoa was the victim of a strip-sack from blitzing Colts nickel cornerback Kenny Moore. The Indianapolis defender there to recover the fumble: longtime Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard, who was making his Colts debut after missing the 2024 season.

It then took Jones five plays to march down 42 yards for another score, a 1-yard quarterback sneak that put the Colts in front, 17-0.

On the ensuing offensive series, Tagovailoa took multiple hits as Miami, with right guard James Daniels exiting early, struggled to pick up blitzes from defensive backs in Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s scheme.

The Colts ate up the final 6:46 of the first half to go into the locker room up, 20-0, off a 35-yard field goal from Spencer Shrader. The Dolphins had them stopped earlier in the series, but veteran outside linebacker Matthew Judon was penalized for running into the kicker on the ensuing punt.

The second half didn’t start much better for Miami. Tagovailoa was intercepted targeting wide receiver Malik Washington, with defensive end Laiatu Latu undercutting the route as he was dropped back in coverage. The Dolphins later drove into Colts territory in the third quarter, but turned the ball over on downs.

Jones scored his second rushing touchdown from a yard away early in the fourth quarter, putting Indianapolis up, 30-0. The Dolphins later got on the board with Tagovailoa swinging out a fourth-down pass to Achane, who made a strong effort to break a tackle for an 11-yard touchdown that had a 2-point conversion to tight end Julian Hill tacked on.

Warren, who was picked after the Dolphins selected defensive tackle Kenneth Grant in the past draft, carved up the Dolphins defense for three catches and 43 yards on the opening series, which resulted in one of four field goals for Shrader. Grant had four tackles Sunday.

Chubb’s sack in the first half Sunday came in his first game since Dec. 31, 2023 after missing the entire 2024 season rehabbing from his knee injury.

The Dolphins now prepare for their home opener against the New England Patriots next Sunday, which starts to feel like an early must-win as it’s quickly followed by a Thursday night game at the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 18.