TALLAHASSEE — The Hurricanes went to Tallahassee to face their most hated rival, Florida State, in the first top-20 matchup between the two teams since 2013.
But the result was the same as last year, when Miami blew out an FSU team that finished 2-10. The No. 3 Hurricanes (5-0, 1-0 ACC) notched a 28-22 win over the No. 18 Seminoles (3-2, 0-2 ACC) at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday. It was Miami’s second straight win against Florida State.
The Seminoles got off to a quick start, driving down the field on their first possession. FSU got inside the Miami 10, but the UM defense got big stops; Florida State has to settle for a game-opening field goal. It would prove to be their best drive until the fourth quarter.
Although Miami did not get much going on offense on its first drive, the Hurricanes struck on their second. Carson Beck’s 47-yard pass to CJ Daniels highlighted the drive, and Daniels caught a 4-yard pass to put Miami ahead 7-3 late in the first quarter.
The Seminoles got aggressive in the second quarter, attempting a fourth-and-8 pass at their own 41. Freshman safety Bryce Fitzgerald picked off the pass and returned it to the FSU 44. On the next play, Miami called a flea flicker, and Beck tossed a touchdown pass to a wide-open Malachi Toney for the Hurricanes’ second score of the game.
FSU could not get any momentum for the rest of the second half. The Seminoles forced a three-and-out on a UM drive, deep in Miami territory. But when the Seminoles got the ball in good field position, they fumbled, and Miami got the ball back. Fortunately for Florida State, Miami could not do anything with the ensuing drive.
The Hurricanes’ offense could only be contained for so long. When Miami got the ball to start the half, it drove down to the FSU 40, where the Seminoles stopped them on third down. UM elected to go for it, and Beck threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Toney to push Miami out to a 21-3 lead.
Safety Jakobe Thomas recorded his second turnover of the game on FSU’s first drive of the second half. Thomas, who forced a fumble earlier in the game, picked off a pass from Castellanos in the end zone midway in the third quarter.
Miami had no issue rolling down the field on the ensuing drive, scoring on a 24-yard screen pass to Daniels — Beck’s fourth touchdown pass of the game.
The Seminoles did score their first touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter as Castellanos connected with Lawayne McCoy in the back of the end zone. He added a second touchdown to Duce Robinson late in the fourth quarter. But it was too late for FSU to complete a comeback.
Five takeaways
1. Beck bounces back
Beck struggled in UM’s win over Florida two weeks ago. He bounced back well on Saturday.
The veteran quarterback, playing in his first Miami-FSU game, completed 20 of his 26 passes for 246 yards. He threw four touchdowns without throwing an interception.
2. Defense excels again
The Seminoles entered the game as the nation’s top offense in yards and points per game. The Hurricanes shut that offense down.
FSU managed just three points through the first three quarters. Florida State ended the game with 19 points after averaging 53 in their first four games.
3. Miami shuts down Castlellanos
A key part of the Hurricanes’ plan for Saturday was to limit Castellanos, the Seminoles’ mobile quarterback. Miami accomplished that.
Castellanos ended the game with 25 completions on 45 attempts for 272 yards, many of which came at the end of the game — as did his two touchdowns. He had 57 rushing yards. Crucially, Castellanos threw two interceptions and, and the Hurricanes turned both into touchdowns.
4. Receivers make plays
The receiver duo of Daniels and Toney dominated the FSU secondary Saturday night.
Toney led the team with seven catches for 107 yards, recording his first 100-yard game as a Hurricane. Daniels was not far behind, notching five catches for 78 yards. Both receivers scored a pair of touchdowns.
Toney also had another touchdown that was called back on a penalty.
5. Fitzgerald is a menace in the secondary
Fitzgerald was the last Miami freshman to arrive on campus; the rest of the class enrolled in the spring, but he did not arrive until the summer.
It hasn’t mattered much. Fitzgerald snagged his team-leading third interception on a key fourth-down play, setting up the Hurricanes’ second touchdown of the game.