MIAMI GARDENS – Aside from a career-high 49-yard field goal made by Miami kicker Andres Borregales with 9:16 left in the first quarter, it was all Florida State in this one.
From the first snap until the final buzzer – save for a few moments – the Seminoles completely dominated the Hurricanes in every facet of the game, resulting in a 45-3 blowout win last night (Nov. 5).
Junior quarterback and Benjamin alum Jordan Travis had a great outing in his return to South Florida. He completed 10 of his 12 passes for 202 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
Florida State (6-3; 4-3 ACC) began the game with the ball and made the offensive drive a quick one to the end zone.
In only three plays for 75 yards, Travis completed a 56-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Ontaria Wilson.
Right after that, kicker Ryan Fitzgerald connected on an extra point to make in 7-0 in favor of Florida State over Miami with 13:22 left in the first quarter.
And then later in the opening frame, Travis was at it again in his takedown of the Hurricanes defensive unit. He completed a pass and gained some yardage on the ground in his team’s nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown pass to DJ Lundy on third and goal.
With another extra point by Fitzgerald, Florida was up 14-3 over Miami (4-5; 2-3 ACC) at the 4:51 mark of the first quarter.
In all honestly, this game quickly had the feel of an embarrassing blowout at Hard Rock Stadium.
We could simply call this game the Jordan Travis and Friends Show because it really was from that point on.
The second quarter was all about sophomore running back Trey Benson (15 carries, 128 yards, two touchdowns), as both of his scores were on the ground. One of them came as a result of an interception thrown by a Miami quarterback, making the scoring drive so easy that it lasted for three plays and seven yards, culminated by a 1-yard touchdown run from Benson.
With Fitzgerald’s extra point, Florida Stats was up 28-3 over Miami at the 5:13 mark of the second quarter.
To add injury to insult, Fitzgerald connected on a 41-yard field goal at the first half’s buzzer for a 31-3 halftime lead.
The second half got no better for Miami in any way, shape, or form.
Travis placed the dagger on any comeback hope for Miami early in the fourth quarter.
How did our guy do it?
This killer drive was a team effort, as Benson had two positive plays of five and 26 yards on the ground, while Travis finished up Florida State’s scoring drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Camren McDonald.
At the 14:55 mark of the fourth quarter, an extra point by Fitzgerald extended Florida State’s lead to 38-3.
The final score of 45-3 came at the 1:36 mark of the fourth, highlighted by a 3-yard touchdown run by CJ Campbell and an extra point by Fitzgerald.
Florida State totally outgained Miami in yardage, 454-188.
In addition to that, Florida State won the turnover battle over Miami convincingly, as it forced four turnovers – two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
The Seminoles had more first downs than Miami, as they won that category over the Hurricanes, 22-13.
“I’m just so proud of our football team,” Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said. “The way they prepared this week, we knew it was a big game. It means so much to our program, so much to our fanbase, to these players. We talked about this opportunity—you get a chance to leave a legacy because everybody will remember this game. To be able to go out there and see the way that they prepared throughout the week and the way that they applied tat for 60 minutes. We didn’t play a perfect game, but the thing I was so proud of was just the physicality, the toughness. We were able to dominate that game with the true character of what this team is all about and I thought that was something that really just showed throughout.”
On the other hand, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal was point blank with his assessment of the hometown program’s performance against Florida State.
“Obviously a poor performance by our program,” Cristobal said. “As a head coach, you have to take responsibility for that. Our entire program has to take it head-on and go back to work, and build. That’s where we are. We all have work to do.”
NEXT GAME FOR FLORIDA STATE: Saturday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. on the road against No. 20 Syracuse (6-3; 3-2 ACC); ACC Network
NEXT GAME FOR MIAMI: Saturday, Nov. 12 at 3:30 p.m. on the road against Georgia Tech
PHOTO CREDITS: Chuck Bethel
