Florida State finally upends Miami
Florida State finally caught a break against Miami.
After six straight years of frustrating finishes, the Seminoles found some good fortune against their rivals when the Hurricanes botched a short, potential game-tying field goal in the closing minutes of Florida State’s 10-7 victory Monday night in Tallahassee, Fla.
Jon Peattie lined up for a 28-yarder after a 19-play, 81-yard drive by Miami stalled with about 2:30 left.
But holder Brian Monroe dropped the snap and the kick never got off.
With No. 9 Miami out of timeouts, Florida State simply needed to run out the clock to secure its first win in the series since 1999.
In a series that has seen countless missed field goals by Florida State decide games, Miami missed two and couldn’t even get off the biggest one of the game.
No. 14 Florida State overcame its own inept offense with a defense that registered nine sacks and some solid special teams plays.
Both Florida State’s Drew Weatherford and Miami’s Kyle Wright were making their first collegiate start at quarterback and, at times, neither looked ready to lead a team to victory in one of college football’s fiercest rivalries.
Weatherford was awful, going 7 of 24 for 67 yards with an interception. He was pulled early in the fourth, but fellow redshirt freshman Xavier Lee had no luck moving the ‘Noles, either.
Wright wasn’t much better until the final Miami drive, when he completed six passes and converted three third downs to put the Hurricanes in position to break the Noles’ hearts again.
Wright finished 16 of 28 for 232 yards and a touchdown.
New Mexico 24, UNLV 22
Kole McKamey threw two touchdown passes and Gabriel Fulbright’s interception in the final minute preserved the Lobo’s win over the Rebels in Albuquerque, N.M.
New Mexico (1-0, 1-0 MWC) scored on its first three possessions and jumped out to a 17-0 lead, then had to hold off a UNLV (0-1, 0-1 MWC) fourth-quarter rally.
Mississippi 10, Memphis 6
Linebacker Garry Pack intercepted Will Hudgens’ pass at the goal line with about 20 seconds left to help the Rebels hold off the Tigers in Memphis, Tenn., in the season opener for both teams.
LSU-ASU game moves to Tempe
No. 5 LSU and No. 20 Arizona State have moved their football game Saturday from Baton Rouge, La., to Tempe because of Hurricane Katrina, with the Sun Devils saying they will donate most of the gate receipts to the relief effort.
“We don’t want to interfere with the recovery effort in any way,” LSU athletic director Skip Bertman said Monday.
Because of the many evacuees in the Baton Rouge area, the school does not have full use of its facilities, and “we cannot guarantee housing for anybody,” LSU chancellor Sean O’Keefe said.