abcnews
In a thrilling back-and-forth battle that extended into two overtimes, No. 3 Miami emerged victorious over archrival Florida State, 43-35, on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium. Darian Mensah led the Hurricanes with 326 passing yards and three touchdowns, the final one a 3-yard strike to Malachi Toney in the second overtime that proved to be the difference.
Mensah completed 23 of 34 passes and praised his team's resilience. "This is what great teams do, find a way to win," he said. Toney was instrumental, hauling in 11 receptions for 154 yards and two scores, and also threw a 2-point conversion pass to Cooper Barkate after his overtime touchdown.
The Hurricanes (6-0, 4-0 ACC) sealed the win when Bryce Fitzgerald intercepted a pass in the end zone on the final play. Fitzgerald, who had left the game earlier with an injury but returned, secured the victory amid protests from Florida State (3-4, 1-3) that the play should have been ruled a touchdown.
"I thought it was a touchdown .. but we're not the ones out there calling the shots," said Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels, who threw for 298 yards and four scores. "We can't control the decisions and all that. We don't understand it. It hurts, but there's nothing we can do about it."
Miami's win, combined with losses by No. 1 Georgia (to Auburn) and No. 2 Notre Dame (to BYU), positions the Hurricanes to potentially claim the top spot in the AP poll for the first time since 2002. It marked the first time since Nov. 17, 2012, that the nation's top two teams fell on the same regular-season day, according to Sportradar.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal downplayed the significance of the rankings. "We have a good enough sample size of 2026 to know that's absolutely insignificant and irrelevant with the changing of the guard from week to week," he said. "It just has no value to our processes and whatnot. I'll focus on the real 1 that's important — the 1-0."
Javian Mallory added 108 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Miami, including one in the first overtime, while Mark Fletcher Jr. also found the end zone on the ground. The Hurricanes have now won seven of their last 10 meetings against the Seminoles.
Florida State's Duce Robinson had two late touchdown catches, including a 75-yarder that tied the game with 2:49 left in regulation and a 20-yard score to open the first overtime. Robinson was also the intended receiver on the final play.
"This rivalry is bigger than me," Toney said. "I haven't been alive for half of it, but I'm still playing for the standard that the generations before me created."
The Seminoles appeared to have a chance when Daniels connected on a fourth-and-21 heave for 36 yards that would have made it 43-41, but the play was negated by a holding penalty. Florida State disagreed with that call as well.
"Go watch the film," said Florida State coach Mike Norvell, whose team is now 10-22 in its last 32 games. "Since the start of football, if it's a tie it goes to the receiver. I guess they had a different angle."
The game featured multiple lead changes, with each team answering the other's scores. Miami led 7-0 and 14-7, but Florida State tied it both times. The Seminoles went up 21-14, and Miami responded. The pattern continued into overtime.
Florida State lost top rusher Ousmane Kromah late in the first half to a left leg injury, and the Seminoles' inability to convert on fourth downs inside the Miami 5-yard line proved costly.
For Miami, Mensah's interception-free streak to start his career ended at 153 passes when Ashlynd Barker picked him off in the end zone in the third quarter, preserving a 14-14 tie at the time.
"We overcame the adversity," Toney said. "That says a lot about our identity."
Key Analysis
Miami's victory not only keeps its undefeated season alive but also shakes up the national championship race. With Georgia and Notre Dame falling, the Hurricanes are poised to take over the No. 1 ranking, a position they haven't held in over two decades. The win also extends Miami's recent dominance in the rivalry, having won seven of the last 10 against Florida State. For the Seminoles, the loss adds to a disappointing season and raises questions about late-game decision-making, particularly the choice to go for it on fourth down rather than kick field goals. The controversial ending will likely fuel debate, but Miami's resilience and big-play ability were undeniable.
Originally reported by abcnews.