Miami beats Florida State 43-35 in double overtime thriller
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Number 3 Miami beat Florida State 43-35 in double overtime on October 17.
- Malachi Toney scored the winner and threw the two-point conversion.
- Two late Florida State scores were wiped out by the officials.
Number 3 Miami beat Florida State 43-35 on Saturday night. The game went to double overtime. It took place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Miami stayed unbeaten with six wins. Florida State fell to three wins and four losses. The finish was wild and full of debate.
What happened
Rain fell for much of the night in South Florida. Both teams made mistakes. The game stayed close from start to finish.
Florida State had chances in the first half. The Seminoles went for it twice on fourth down near the goal line. Miami stopped them both times.
Florida State also lost a key player during the game. Lead running back Ousmane Kromah left with an ankle injury. He left the field on a cart.
Daniels scored on the next play. He held up three fingers and then two. The gesture honored Kromah's Number 32.
Florida State led 21-14 in the third quarter. Miami fought back in the fourth quarter. Javian Mallory tied the game at 21-21.
Darian Mensah then found Elija Lofton for a four-yard score. Miami led 28-21 with 2:49 left. The game looked over at that point.
It was not over. Ashton Daniels hit Duce Robinson for a 75-yard touchdown. The score tied the game at 28-28.
Double overtime means two extra periods. The first overtime ended tied at 35-35. A second overtime decided the winner.
In overtime, teams take turns from the 25-yard line. Each team gets a chance to score. In the second overtime, teams must go for two points after a touchdown.
Florida State struck first in overtime. Daniels found Robinson for a 20-yard touchdown. The Seminoles led 35-28.
Miami answered right away. Mallory ran 25 yards for a touchdown. The game went to a second overtime at 35-35.
In the second overtime, Miami scored first. Mensah found Malachi Toney for a three-yard touchdown. Toney then threw a pass to Cooper Barkate for two extra points.
Miami led by eight points. Florida State had one last chance. The Seminoles faced fourth-and-21.
A fourth down is the last chance to keep the ball. If a team fails, the other team takes over. Florida State had to score or lose.
Daniels threw deep to Micahi Danzy. Danzy caught the ball in the end zone. But officials called holding on Florida State.
Holding means a player grabbed an opponent in an illegal way. The penalty wiped out the touchdown. Florida State now faced fourth-and-31.
Daniels threw deep one more time. Duce Robinson reached for the ball. Miami defender Bryce Fitzgerald grabbed it instead.
Officials ruled it an interception. An interception means the defense catches the pass. A video review kept the call, and the game was over.
The flag on the wiped-out touchdown was on lineman Xavier Chaplin. The final review took a long time. The home crowd went wild at the final call.
Why it matters
Toney was the star for Miami. He caught 11 passes for 154 yards. He scored two touchdowns.
Mallory was the surprise star. The freshman ran 13 times for 108 yards. He scored two touchdowns as well.
Mallory took over in the second half. He replaced Mark Fletcher as the main runner. His late runs kept Miami alive.
Mensah threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw one interception. It was his first of the season.
Daniels was strong in defeat. He threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for one more score.
Robinson finished with 113 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came late in the game.
Miami gained 583 yards in the game. Florida State gained 443 yards. Miami held the ball for nearly 15 minutes more.
The finish sparked debate. Florida State coach Mike Norvell disagreed with both late calls. He told reporters to go watch the film.
Daniels felt the last play was a score. "I thought it was a touchdown," he said. But he added that the team could not control the calls.
Mensah saw it in a different way. "This is what great teams do, find a way to win," he said. Miami found a way once again.
Miami is now the top unbeaten team left. Georgia lost on Saturday, and so did Notre Dame. Miami could rise to Number 1 in the next poll.
It was one more wild finish on a busy college football weekend. For another wild finish from the same weekend, see BYU beats Notre Dame 28-24. Read our recap of Washington vs Purdue for another game with a late push.
NBC Sports called it one of the greatest games in the rivalry's history. Miami and Florida State are old rivals. Their games are often close.
It is Miami's second 6-0 start in three years. The Hurricanes keep finding ways to win. This one took everything they had.
What happens next
Miami hosts Pittsburgh next week. The Hurricanes will try to stay unbeaten. A Number 1 ranking would bring more pressure.
Florida State must regroup fast. The Seminoles fell to 3-4. They will want a cleaner finish next time.
Fans will keep talking about the final calls. The debate will run all week. But the result will not change.
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