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A state championship isn't what Miami was seeking from this season. That said, it provided something for Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal to savor.
For a moment, anyway.
Cam Ward passed for 208 yards and caught a touchdown pass, Damien Martinez ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns and No. 6 Miami remained unbeaten by beating rival Florida State 36-14 on Saturday night.
Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for a score and Andres Borregales kicked three field goals to help Miami (8-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) snap a three-game losing streak against the Seminoles (1-7, 1-6).
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“It's critically important to go out there and beat this program and be undefeated in the state of Florida,” said Cristobal, whose team improved to 4-0 in in-state games this season — having beaten Florida, Florida A&M, South Florida and now Florida State. “I think it sends a strong message. All recruits, in-state, out of state, can now clearly see the trajectory of this program versus the trajectory of the other programs.”
And with that, he slammed the lectern for emphasis, the last hit of a night that Miami controlled.
The Seminoles — who started 13-0 last season and won the ACC — are assured of their fifth losing season in the last seven years, the third in five seasons under coach Mike Norvell. Luke Kromenhoek took over at quarterback off the bench and rushed for 71 yards.
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“Just a disappointing result in that game,” Norvell said. “The game means so much to this program, to our university, past players and all Seminoles. I apologize for the outcome of that game.”
Fletcher opened the scoring for Miami on a 1-yard run to cap a 67-yard drive — an emotional moment for the sophomore, whose father died this week. He crossed the goal line, took a knee and pointed to the sky in tribute.
Martinez made it 14-0 with an 18-yard run early in the second quarter. Miami didn't find the end zone again until 4:32 remained, when tight end Elijah Arroyo connected with Ward — two Texas natives, on a play Miami calls “Texas” — for an 8-yard touchdown pass.
Martinez scored again with 1:51 left, running in from 12 yards out. His 148 yards was the second-most by any Miami rusher in the rivalry series; Stephen McGuire ran for 176 in 1990.
“He's a very physical, tough dude who's hard to bring down,” Cristobal said. “You're not going to arm-tackle him.”
The Seminoles turned their hopes over to Kromenhoek in the first half. The true freshman's numbers entering the game: 3-for-7 passing for 19 yards, seven carries for minus-2 yards, all done in his college debut last week against Duke.
He made immediate impact.
Kromenhoek ran 14 yards for a first down on his first carry, somehow squirted free of a mass of humanity for a 42-yard keeper on fourth-and-1 to keep a drive alive, then added a 12-yard run down to the 1. Caziah Holmes burst in on fourth down to finish what Kromenhoek started, getting FSU within 14-7 midway through the second quarter.
But the Seminoles didn't score again until 18 seconds remained, when Brock Glenn found Malik Benson with a 5-yard pass. It was just Florida State's 13th touchdown of the season.
The takeaway
Florida State: The Seminoles are still the only FBS team yet to score more than 21 points this season. They haven't scored more than 16 in any of their last nine games in the U.S.; the 21-point effort came in the opener this season in Ireland against Georgia Tech.
Miami: WR Xavier Restrepo passed Michael Irvin and Reggie Wayne on the same play. A 13-yard catch in the third quarter pushed Restrepo to 174 catches (passing Wayne for No. 2 on Miami's career receptions list) and 2,427 yards (passing Irvin for No. 3 on Miami's career list).
Poll implications
The Hurricanes will remain somewhere around No. 6. Miami will remain on pace to be in the poll from start-to-finish for only the second time since 2005; it last happened in 2017.
Up next
Florida State is at home for the first time in nearly month, hosting North Carolina on Nov. 2. Miami welcomes back former coach Manny Diaz when Duke visits Nov. 2.
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