RECAP: Florida State shutters the Hurricanes, 45-3

A dominating rivalry win earned the Seminoles bowl eligibility for the first time under Norvell in the process.

The Florida State Seminoles (6-3, 4-3 ACC) made a statement on Saturday night with a dominating 45-3 victory against the Miami Hurricanes (4-5, 2-3 ACC) inside Hard Rock Stadium.

Not only has FSU won two straight against one of its bitter rivals, but the team is also now bowl-eligible for the first time under third-year head coach Mike Norvell.

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Throughout the contest, the Seminoles were the more physical, decisive, and cleaner football team. The offense found a rhythm early and never looked back while the Hurricanes were plagued by injuries to starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and two starting offensive linemen.

Miami won the coin toss and deferred as FSU began the game at its own 25. Following a run for a loss by Lawrance Toafili and a short pass to Johnny Wilson, it looked like the Hurricanes would get off the field early. Instead, a pass interference penalty extended the drive and quarterback Jordan Travis delivered a perfect deep ball to wide receiver Ontaria Wilson a post-route for a 56-yard touchdown. A swift strike from the Seminoles.

The Hurricanes have some early momentum with Van Dyke back in the lineup. He completed his first three passes to three different receivers. True freshman quarterback Jacurri Brown got a look early and ran for 18 yards on a keeper to drive Miami into field goal range. The 'Noles responded as defensive end Patrick Payton batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage and made a shoe-string tackle on running back Henry Parrish Jr. to prevent a long gain. 

Following a field goal from Miami, the Seminoles didn't blink. On the first play of their second drive, running back Trey Benson followed blocks from D'Mitri Emmanuel and Darius Washington for 42 yards. Holding on offensive tackle Robert Scott pushed the drive back but Travis hit tight end, Markeston Douglas, on a screen pass for a first down. He was intercepted in the end zone on a third down throw to Johnny Wilson but pass interference gave the offense another chance. 

FSU was eventually able to punch it in after a play-action pass to linebacker/fullback DJ Lundy from Travis. It was the third touchdown for Lundy this season and his first career score through the air. Miami was forced into a quick three-and-out thanks to a powerful hit by linebacker Tatum Bethune, who collided with a running back in the hole and drove him backward.

The Seminoles started moving again as Toafili and Travis each earned first downs on the ground. Travis stepped up in the pocket on third down later in the drive before dodging a defender and sliding for another first down. On the second play of the second quarter, the redshirt junior was intercepted by cornerback DJ Ivey after a pass to Ontaria Wilson sailed too far. Miami had the ball but with a long way to go, beginning the drive at its own 2.

Facing a second a long, the Hurricanes elected to put the ball in the air. Van Dyke rolled to his right and tried to throw the ball away with defensive end Jared Verse in pursuit. The quarterback grabbed at his shoulder, clearly in pain, and had to come off the field. Safety Jammie Robinson brought down Brown short of the line to gain to force another three and out.

Veteran punter Lou Hedley shanked the kick and it traveled just 29 yards as Florida State took over inside the Miami 40. Benson made short work of the Hurricanes as he got to the outside for 21 yards and into the red zone behind another strong block from Emmanuel. Two players later, he bounced off a tackle for 13 yards and a touchdown to the left side. The Seminoles had built a 21-3 advantage with 12:11 remaining in the second quarter.

Gutting it out, Van Dyke remained in the game for Miami. The Hurricanes went to the air again and the redshirt sophomore fell to the turf before he was touched as defensive tackle Fabien Lovett and others closed in. Lovett deflected Van Dyke's pass on the ensuing play and he left the contest once again. This time, he wouldn't return. In his place, backup quarterback Jake Garcia entered for the first time but the offense went three and out for the third straight possession.

It didn't take long for Florida State to advance over midfield once again as Travis connected with Johnny Wilson for 18 yards on the sideline and Toafili went right up the middle for 17 more. However, three straight short plays forced the Seminoles to bring out Alex Mastromanno, who promptly pinned the Hurricanes at their own 2 again with a 37-yard punt.

Two short runs forced Miami into third and long. Garcia threw to the outside but his pass went right into the hands of cornerback Greedy Vance for an interception. The sudden change of possession gave the Seminoles the ball inside the 10. Benson spun off a defender's back to get on the edge of the goal line before getting into the end zone a few plays later for his second touchdown of the night. FSU's lead was extended to 28-3 with 5:13 to play in the half.

The first completion of Brown's career gave Miami a conversion on 3rd and 7 for 15 yards. The Seminoles quickly shut down any life the Hurricanes had with a sack by Verse off the edge. The redshirt sophomore threw the 'U' down as he provided the offense with one more possession prior to halftime.

On the opening play of the drive, Travis took a huge shot on a blitz but was able to find Toafili out of the backfield. The redshirt sophomore cut back across the field for 65 yards to get into the red zone. Florida State settled for a field goal as the quarter expired to take a 31-3 advantage into the break.

At the half, Florida State had outgained Miami 304-76 in total yards of offense. Shockingly, Benson produced more yards and points (94 yards and two touchdowns) than the Hurricanes' entire roster in the opening two quarters.

Regardless, the Seminoles were well aware that Miami could get going at any time and did a good job of not losing focus. Linebacker Kalen DeLoach made a stop on Parrish to bring up 3rd and 3. A false start moved the Hurricanes back before Robinson tackled Parrish again to force another punt.

Benson continued right where he left off in the first half. Travis dumped down a screen pass and the Mississippi native cut upfield and ran through a tackle for 25 yards. Toafili got a touch before Travis kept the ball himself on third down for a conversion. The Hurricanes brought pressure off the edge for a sack to bring up 3rd and 24 for Florida State. The Seminoles played it safe with a run and a punt. Once again, Mastromanno dropped the kick in a bucket to the Miami 3-yard line.

The Hurricanes found their longest play of the night on a run up the middle by Knighton that went for 45 yards. Knighton gained 13 more yards to the right before another first-down scramble by Brown. Robinson and Gainer got to Brown to make it 3rd and 3 at the FSU 5. Miami ran the same exact play to make it 1st and goal. 

The defense piled together to hold the Hurricanes out before Robinson stuck with Brown for a tackle for loss that pushed Miami back to the 6. The ball was snapped early by the center behind Brown and Verse was able to come away with it for an improbable goal line stand after the Canes worked all the way up to the FSU 1.

Benson ran through multiple Miami defenders for 26 yards down the right sideline. A facemask penalty pushed the ball to the Hurricanes' 13. Toafili worked his way inside the 10 as the Seminoles put themselves in scoring position again as the third quarter came to a close.

The Seminoles opened the final frame with a play-action pass as Travis lofted a throw to tight end Cam McDonald for an eight-yard touchdown. The score gave Florida State a 38-3 lead with 14:55 remaining and all but wrapped up Miami's chances.

On the ensuing possession, Miami worked downfield but turned the ball over yet again. Payton was able to smack the ball out of Garcia's hand and defensive tackle Malcolm Ray recovered it. Backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker took over for Travis with 11:10 left in the game. 

Wide receiver Deuce Spann, running back CJ Campbell, and tight end Brian Courtney were among the younger players to get involved later in the game. The first catch of Courtney's career came on fourth down to keep the reserves on the field. Campbell fought in with under two minutes on the clock to make the final score a little prettier.

True freshman Azareye'h Thomas added an interception for Florida State's fourth forced turnover of the night with 49 seconds left.

On offense, Florida State finished with 456 yards total yards, including 231 yards on the ground. Travis completed 10/12 passes for 202 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Benson led the running attack with 15 carries for a career-high 128 yards and two touchdowns. Toafili added 14 attempts for 52 yards and 3 catches for 75 yards. 10 different players caught a pass for the Seminoles; three wide receivers, three running backs, three tight ends, and a fullback/linebacker.

Defensively, the Seminoles limited Miami to 188 yards, including just 62 yards through the air. The majority of the production came when the game was far out of reach. Safety Jammie Robinson led the unit with 7 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Fabien Lovett added 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass break-up. Patrick Payton and Jared Verse each added sacks. Greedy Vance and Azareye'h Thomas both pulled down interceptions.

Florida State hits the road for the second consecutive week for a test against Syracuse at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 12.

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