MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – It’s a rivalry that has been defined by its competitiveness.

For much of their shared history, when Miami and Florida State have met the stakes have usually been high, no matter either team’s record or ranking.

Pride, passion and bragging rights have long been at the forefront and on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium, the annual meeting between the Hurricanes and Seminoles was as gritty and hard-fought as many of the rivalry’s past matchups.

This game, though, brought with it something rare: overtime.

For just the second time in the series’ 71-year history, Miami and Florida State needed extra time to decide things and ultimately, it was Malachi Toney – one of the Hurricanes’ hometown stars – that helped deliver Miami’s most emotional win of the season.

Moments after catching a 3-yard touchdown pass from Darian Mensah during the second overtime, Toney tossed a 2-point conversion to Cooper Barkate that was eventually the difference in No. 3 Miami’s 43-35 win over Florida State.

The Hurricanes defense held the Seminoles on their ensuing possession, with Bryce Fitzgerald intercepting Florida State’s fourth-down Hail Mary attempt on the game’s final play.

The pick sealed the victory and kept the Hurricanes unbeaten on what turned out to be a chaotic day of college football across the nation.

“When you get to play in this game, this special rivalry, it means a lot to everybody,” said Miami head coach Mario Cristobal. “And to find a way to win, like we did, it speaks loudly to the fact that this team has the confidence, despite errors made, despite issues that we caused ourselves, that we can find a way and we found a way.”

Said Toney, “That experience was amazing. Just for all the kids out there, that’s what you come to Miami for, to be a part of games like that. No ranking, nothing mattered in that type of football game. It’s who wants it the most.”

And Toney, who was playing in his second installment of the rivalry, certainly looked like someone who wanted this win plenty.

The sophomore wide receiver had a game-high 193 all-purpose yards with 11 catches for a game-high 154 yards, two carries for 31 yards, an eight-yard punt return, two touchdowns and his 2-point conversion.

Mensah, meanwhile, completed 23 of 34 passes and threw for 326 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Running back Javian Mallory had a game-high 108 rushing yards with two touchdowns, and fellow back Mark Fletcher Jr., who opened the scoring for Miami in Saturday’s rivalry game, added 66 rushing yards.

There was plenty of drama late, but early on, the game started the way so many have for Miami this season – with the Hurricanes (6-0, 4-0 ACC) scoring first.

After forcing Florida State to punt on the game’s opening drive, Miami wasted little time getting into Seminoles territory when Mensah connected with Toney on a 30-yard highlight-worthy pass play.

Then, the Hurricanes put the ball in Fletcher’s hands, with the back delivering a 7-yard touchdown run after three straight carries.

The touchdown was the 32^nd of Fletcher’s career, tying him with Edgerrin James for second on Miami’s all-time career rushing touchdowns list. The senior now needs just four more scores to take the top spot from former Miami back Stephen McGuire.

But Florida State, which came into the game an upset-minded underdog, answered – as it would so many times on this night.

The Seminoles tied it when quarterback Ashton Daniels connected with Desirrio Riles on a 23-yard pass play that capped a 7-play, 53-yard scoring drive early in the second quarter.

For much of the night after that, the Hurricanes and Seminoles went back and forth.

Miami regained the lead when Toney caught a 14-yard pass from Mensah later in the second quarter, but Florida State would close the half out by capitalizing on some crucial Miami miscues.

A series of Hurricanes penalties shortened the field and set the Seminoles up on the Miami 15 with 2:08 left before halftime.

Florida State (3-4, 1-3) needed just three plays and 28 seconds after that to get in the end zone, with Daniels running it in from 2 yards out to send both teams into the locker room tied at 14.

“We were very out of character for a large part of this game,” Cristobal said. “And when that happens, you’ve got to keep playing and you’ve got to find your way back. You’ve got to regain your focus on what has allowed you to be successful.”

It took a bit even in the second half for the Hurricanes to find their way back.

Florida State took the momentum from the final moments of the first half and carried it into the second, taking its first lead of the game when Quintrevion Wisner caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Daniels with 4:09 left in the third quarter.

The Hurricanes would finally answer in the fourth, tying the game at 21 when Mallory scored on a 3-yard run. They’d retake the lead later when Miami’s offense capitalized on a Florida State turnover.

After defensive back Ethan O’Connor forced a Seminoles fumble, Xavier Lucas recovered the ball and put it back in the hands of the offense.

Miami then marched down the field on a 10-play, 61-yard drive that took 6:08 off the clock and ended when Elija Lofton caught a 3-yard scoring pass from Mensah that gave the Hurricanes a 28-21 lead with 2:49 left.

Many of the 66,790 fans who filled Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday celebrated wildly, figuring the Hurricanes were on their way to earning the win, but in this rivalry, nothing is a given.

Immediately after the Miami touchdown, Daniels connected with Duce Robinson on a 75-yard scoring play that tied it again and set the two teams up for the overtime ending.

Florida State scored first in the first overtime, with Daniels and Robinson connecting again – this time on a 20-yard pass play.

Miami answered with a 25-yard touchdown run from Mallory, then the Hurricanes went up for good when Mensah and Toney connected again and Toney found Barkate on the 2-point conversion attempt.

“It was a great call from [offensive coordinator Shannon] Dawson,” Mensah said of Toney’s 2-point conversion throw. “I mean, the kid is special, so credit to him.”

Said Toney, “I’d been wanting that the whole game.”

After the Hurricanes took the lead in the second overtime, Florida State had an opportunity to try and tie the game.

Instead, the Seminoles quickly found themselves in a 4^th-and-21 situation after Daniels was sacked by Omar Thornton and then threw two incompletions.

Daniels heaved the ball into the end zone, where it was caught by Micahi Danhy, but a holding penalty negated the would-be touchdown. That set up the game’s final play, on 4^th-and-31, and ultimately, Fitzgerald’s game-sealing interception.

“Credit to Florida State. They certainly played their tails off,” Cristobal said. “And then credit to our guys, because I could sit here and rattle off a million mistakes and errors that we need to correct, but we just kept playing. We just kept battling, just kept on finding a way until we finally got the momentum and made a couple plays that were the difference in the game.”

Said Toney, “It says no amount of self-inflicted wounds, no matter how much adversity we face, nothing can hold us back. Like you saw out there, we trailed in the game. We cost ourselves [with] penalties, got ourselves out of field goal range and stuff like that, turnovers, and we still overcame the adversity. That just says a lot about our identity.”