Cam Ward tossed for 208 yards and a score, Damien Martinez ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 6 Miami defeated Florida State 36-14 on Saturday night. Mark Fletcher Jr. raced for a touchdown, and Andres Borregales kicked three field goals to help Miami (8-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) end a three-game losing streak to the Seminoles (1-7, 1-6).
The Seminoles, who started 13-0 last season and won the ACC, will have their fifth losing season in seven years and the third in five under coach Mike Norvell. Luke Kromenhoek took over as quarterback off the bench and rushed for 71 yards. Fletcher opened the scoring for Miami with a 1-yard dash to finish a 67-yard drive, which was a bittersweet occasion for the sophomore, whose father died this week. He crossed the goal line, dropped to one knee, and pointed to the sky in honor.
Martinez extended the lead to 14-0 with an 18-yard run early in the second quarter. Miami didn’t score again until 4:32 when tight end Elijah Arroyo connected with Ward for an 8-yard touchdown throw. Martinez scored again with 1:51 left, this time from 12 yards out. His 148 yards were the second-most by a Miami rusher in the rivalry series; Stephen McGuire had 176 in 1990. In the first half, the Seminoles relied on Kromenhoek to deliver. The true freshman’s stats entering the game were 3-for-7 passing for 19 yards, and seven carries for minus-2 yards, all accomplished in his college debut against Duke last week. He made an immediate impression.
Kromenhoek rushed 14 yards for a first down on his first carry, squirted clear of a crowd for a 42-yard keeper on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive alive, and finished with a 12-yard run down to the 1. Caziah Holmes rushed in on fourth down to finish what Kromenhoek started, pulling FSU within 14-7 midway through the second quarter. However, the Seminoles did not score again until 18 seconds, when Brock Glenn connected Malik Benson with a 5-yard pass. It was only Florida State’s 13th touchdown of the season.
Florida State: The Seminoles remain the only FBS team yet to score more than 21 points this season. They haven’t scored more than 16 points in any of their last nine games in the United States; the 21-point outburst came in Ireland’s season-opening against Georgia Tech.
Miami’s wide receiver Xavier Restrepo passed Michael Irvin and Reggie Wayne in the same play. Restrepo now has 174 catches and 2,427 yards after making a 13-yard catch in the third quarter. The Hurricanes will remain around No. 6. Miami is on track to stay in the poll from start to finish for only the second time since 2005, the last time being in 2017. Florida State returns home for the first time in over a month, hosting North Carolina on November 2. Miami will welcome former coach Manny Diaz back when Duke returns on November 2.
