The weak 1st half, which I think was layoff-induced compared to Miami's layoff, was bad. But far and away the biggest problem that I think lost this game, and the last game, was offensive tempo. If you're up 2 TDs it's great to chew up 8 minutes in the 3Q and snap the ball with 2 seconds on the clock. They had another drive where they gained under 10 yards and still managed to eat up 4 minutes.
This issue was masked earlier in the year because teams could not move the ball, so it was slow strangulation and a 30-7 result. But when you face teams who can get a few first downs each possession and drain clock, you are putting a premium on every drive. If you don't execute perfectly, you are going to be in a coin-flip game.
With inferior talent, shortening the game is fine. With two top half of the 1st round receivers and superior overall talent, and the reality of the running clock, you need more tempo these drives to give yourself more opportunities and to overcome the inevitable mistakes college kids will make.
