MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – It was a raucous Saturday night under the lights at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Miami Hurricanes hosted the Florida State Seminoles in an atmosphere befitting of the 67th installment of one of college football’s greatest rivalries.
But from the jump the Seminoles possessed too much firepower, racing out to an early lead, quieting the sellout crowd, and ultimately defeating the Canes 45-3, their first road win in the series since 2016.
Florida State improved to 6-3 overall, 4-3 in the ACC. Miami fell to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
After the Canes cut the Seminoles’ initial lead to 7-3, Florida State scored 38 consecutive points. The Seminoles built that cushion with a balanced offensive attack, amassing 229 yards on the ground and 225 yards in the air, while averaging seven yards per play.
“Obviously a poor performance by our program,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “As a head coach, you have to take responsibility for that. Our entire program has to take it head-on and go back to work, and build. That’s where we are. We all have work to do.”
Tyler Van Dyke returned at quarterback for Miami after sitting out last week’s Virginia game but departed in the second quarter. Jacurri Brown and Jake Garcia both saw action in his absence, but the Canes combined for just 62 total passing yards. Brown added 54 yards rushing.
Running back Jaylan Knighton rushed for 60 yards, while wide receiver Xavier Restrepo had two catches for 25 yards. Linebacker Corey Flagg paced the Canes with 10 tackles. Defensive end Mitchell Agude posted two tackles for loss and cornerback DJ Ivey had an interception.
Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis completed 10 of 12 passes for 202 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Running back Trey Benson rushed for 128 yards and two scores. The Seminoles forced four turnovers and held the Canes to just 188 total yards.