On 4th and 31 from the Miami 49-yard line in double overtime, Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels rolled to right, avoided a defender and heaved an off-balance prayer into the endzone down 43-35.
14 hands jumped up and reached for it, but it came down to Miami’s Bryce Fitzgerald and Florida State’s Duce Robinson, both grabbing the ball at the same time.
After officials parted the pile of bodies, they determined Fitzgerald came away with the interception — confirmed after a lengthy review — sending an already antsy Hard Rock Stadium into bedlam with a 43-35 rivalry win.
“I saw the ball in the air and knew I had to go get it,” Fitzgerald added. “I went in and gave it my all.”
Tied 35 in double overtime, Miami looked to take the lead and hold on to it for the rest of the game. On second and goal from the 3-yard line, Darian Mensah hit star wide receiver Malachi Toney in the back of the endzone to give the Canes a six-point lead.
And in the most fitting way for Toney, he converted the two-point conversion with his arm, hitting Cooper Barkate on the run to give Miami the 43-35 lead.
“It’s who wants it the most,” said Toney. “For all the kids out there, that’s what you come to Miami for.”
Toney finished the night with another game-changing performance. The sophomore wideout totaled 154 receiving yards on 11 catches and two touchdowns, with 100 yards coming in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The Seminoles walked into Hard Rock off 11-straight road losses as the Canes waltzed in as the No.3 team in the country.
That confidence — mixed with some bye-week rust — nearly cost the Canes who had a sluggish return to the field and spent most of the game chasing after FSU.
Heading into the fourth quarter FSU led 21-14, the Hurricanes looked lost in all facets of the game as they trailed in the second half for the first time this season.
“We were very out of character for a lot of this game,” said Cristobal. “It doesn’t always just end up being perfectly synchronized.”
With just under eight minutes left in regulation, both sides traded blows as Miami tied up the affair on a Javian Mallory three-yard touchdown run.
Mallory led the way in the UM running back room, totaling 108 yards for two touchdowns on 13 carries.
“We just kept playing, we just kept battling, and we just found a way,” said Cristobal.
The Hurricanes then took the lead after a forced fumble by Ethan O’Connor led to a 3-yard Elija Lofton touchdown Miami fans thought sealed the game.
“Everyone knows when these two teams get together, it’s a bloodbath,” Cristobal finished.
That hope was short-lived as FSU launched a one-play, 75-yard touchdown to Robinson, tying the game — ultimately sending it into overtime.
Heisman candidate Mensah faced his first real struggles of the season after a spotless first five games as a Cane.
After struggling in the first three quarters with his first interception of the season, Mensah found his old self when it mattered most. In the 4th quarter and overtime, the redshirt junior completed 9 of his 11 throws for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
“We’re the only team that can beat us,” said Mensah.
Following the victory, Miami has taken three straight in the rivalry against Florida State and extended the lead in the all-time series to 38-33.
In a weekend where five of the top-8 ranked teams in the AP Poll lost, the Hurricanes could’ve easily been the sixth on that list — and will likely be ranked No.1 in the country for the first time since 2002 following Georgia and Notre Dame’s losses.
“We’re the hunters,” finished Toney.
Miami will turn the page to hosting Pittsburgh next week at home, with kickoff set for noon on Oct. 24.
