Hurricanes breeze into ACC with overtime win over FSU
MIAMI — New season, new conference, same result.
Frank Gore’s 18-yard touchdown run in overtime gave No. 5 Miami a 16-10 victory over No. 4 Florida State on Friday night.
The Hurricanes, playing their first game as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, extended their winning streak over the Seminoles to six games.
“Are all the games like this in the ACC?” Miami coach Larry Coker asked. “I may not like this league.”
The Hurricanes, who used to be in the Big East, won this one with defense.
The Seminoles’ offense did little during regulation and less in OT. After a holding call put Florida State in a first-and-20, Antrel Rolle sniffed out a screen pass for an 8-yard loss. Chris Rix connected with Craphonso Thorpe for a 15-yard gain on second down, but Rix fumbled on third down and Miami’s Thomas Carroll recovered.
Gore scored on Miami’s second play.
“We never got tired; we were hungry all the way to the end,” Coker said. “It’s a monumental experience, a game you’ll remember for the rest of your life. It was just a great finish, a great finish.”
The game was originally scheduled to be played last Monday but was postponed four days because of Hurricane Frances. A grandson and a former son-in-law of FSU coach Bobby Bowden were killed last Sunday when their car was hit a by a utility truck that was helping to restore power outages caused by the hurricane.
Miami (1-0) scored 16 consecutive points in the fourth quarter and OT after FSU (0-1) took a 10-0 lead by capitalizing on two turnovers.
The Hurricanes also got some help from a missed field goal – something that has defined this rivalry.
FSU’s Xavier Beitia had a 34-yarder blocked with 3 minutes, 58 seconds to play. The kick would have sealed a victory for the Seminoles. Instead, it gave Miami the ball back with a chance to tie the game.
“We had our chance to put them away and we didn’t,” Bowden said. “They had a chance to put us away and they did.”
Brock Berlin drove the Hurricanes 80 yards in five plays and 52 seconds. He connected with Sinorice Moss for a 30-yard TD with 30 seconds to play, and the extra point tied the game at 10.
After Miami tied the game, the Seminoles took a few shots deep, but the game went to overtime.
It was the third meeting in less than 11 months for the in-state rivals. Similar to the last two, the embattled Rix did little to help FSU.
Rix threw two interceptions and fumbled twice, including the crucial one in overtime. He finished 12 of 28 for 108 yards – and Bowden hinted that he might make a change.