Florida State Seminoles Dominate Miami Hurricanes, 45-3
In front of their first sold-out crowd at Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Hurricanes (4-5, 2-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) were controlled by their rival, the Florida State Seminoles, 45-3.
This was UM's largest deficit in a loss to the Seminoles (6-3, 4-3 in the ACC) since 1997, when the Hurricanes were defeated 47-0.
Florida State took command of the game from the opening possession, as quarterback Jordan Travis found senior receiver Ontaria Wilson for a 56-yard catch and touchdown that gave the Seminoles a 7-0 lead with 13:22 remaining in the first.
The Hurricanes answered with a 49-yard field goal, but this momentum was short-lived. Florida State responded with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown reception by sophomore DJ Lundy.
After this touchdown, the Seminoles scored 17 more consecutive points to take a 31-3 lead at halftime.
In the second quarter, Miami's Tyler Van Dyke left the game with an injury to his right arm. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Jake Garcia, who was then substituted out for true freshman Jacurri Brown.
Brown started the second half for Miami at quarterback and played the rest of the game.
Florida State scored an additional two touchdowns in the second half, as the Hurricanes remained scoreless.
Miami's passing offense struggled, with the three quarterbacks who played combining for only 62 yards. Van Dyke completed four of his eight passes for 24 yards before he was forced to miss the rest of the game. Garcia threw for a yard and an interception in his two passing attempts, and Brown connected on five of his nine passes for 37 yards and an interception.
Brown also made an impact in the run game, rumbling for 54 yards on 14 attempts. He had been used in situational running packages in the games leading up to this matchup against Florida State.
Third-year sophomore Jaylan Knighton was the Hurricanes' leading rusher. The South Florida native ran for 60 yards on his four carries.
The running back's 45-yard run in the third quarter was his longest of the season.
As a result of a quiet night from the quarterbacks, UM's wide receivers were not that productive. Third-year sophomore Xavier Restrepo led the unit with 25 receiving yards.
In contrast to Miami, Florida State's passing offense was explosive.
Travis completed 10 of his 12 passes for 202 yards, good for 16.8 yards per attempt. He also threw three touchdowns and a second-quarter interception, as well.
Running back Trey Benson torched Miami's defense, rumbling for 128 yards on 8.5 yards per carry. He also caught one pass for 25 yards.
Sophomore Lawrance Toafili led the Seminoles with 75 receiving yards. His 65-yard reception was the longest play from scrimmage on the night for either team.
Next up, Miami will travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech next Saturday, while Florida State continues its road trip by traveling north to play Syracuse.
The Hurricanes will need to win two of their last three games to become eligible to play in a bowl game.
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