Miami scores TD with 6 seconds left to break 7-game losing streak to Florida State
Miami quarterback Malik Rosier found wide receiver Darrell Langham for a somewhat-controversial touchdown with six seconds left to give the No. 13 Hurricanes a 24-20 win over Florida State.
The win snaps Miami’s seven-game losing streak vs. Florida State and drops the preseason top-five Seminoles to 1-3. It’s the first time Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has lost to Miami.
Rosier completed a third-down pass to wide receiver Braxton Berrios with 11 seconds left to set up the TD pass to Langham. Berrios slipped a tackle and got out of bounds after getting the first down. That was critical, because it left Miami a timeout and the chance to take a shot or two at the end zone.
Langham might have been down before the ball broke the goal line. But as officials reviewed if he broke the plane without his knee being down — it might have hit the turf just before the ball got to the goal line — there was no clear angle to determine if he did. So the touchdown stood.
Had it not, Miami would have been forced to call its last timeout and choose whether or not to kick a game-tying field goal right away or throw a quick pass to the end zone for the win before hoping to have enough time to kick another field goal.
Florida State took a 20-17 lead with 1:24 left when wide receiver Auden Tate somehow got behind the Miami defense for a 20-yard touchdown. But the 84 seconds left were enough time for Rosier to have a career-defining drive.
He needed it. Rosier hadn’t been sharp all day; his stat line finishes at 19-of-44 for 254 yards and three touchdowns and an interception. And he threw four incomplete passes on the game-winning drive. But two of his three completions came on third down. And both of those third down throws were to Berrios.
Florida State freshman quarterback James Blackman played better in the second half as well. Blackman finished 17-of-28 passing for 203 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Freshman running back Cam Akers had 20 carries for 121 yards for the Seminoles while Miami running back Mark Walton had just 25 yards on 12 carries.
Walton, who entered the game battling a left ankle injury, injured his right ankle in the second half and had to be helped off the field.
Miami’s win continues to cement the Hurricanes’ status as the favorite in the ACC’s Coastal Division while also extending its lead in the rivalry series to 32-30. Had Florida State won an eighth-straight game on Saturday the series would be tied at 31-31 after Miami last won in 2009 to jump out to a 31-23 lead.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
