Miami Hurricanes outlasts Florida State in double OT

Miami, Florida – The No. 3 Miami Hurricanes went from 21-point favorites to surviving Florida State 43-35 in double overtime to remain undefeated. Tied 28-28 at the end of regulation,  Miami found itself in a brutal dogfight because of self-inflicted errors and an unsynchronized offense. Ashton Daniels lobbed it to the back corner on 3rd-and-5, hitting Duce Robinson for the 20-yard touchdown to make it 35-28. A defender batted down Darian Mensah’s first pass of the drive, nearly resulting in an interception. Fortunately for the Canes, Javian Mallory saved their night, evading defenders for the 25-yard rushing TD. He had 13 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Leading off in the second overtime, Mensah found a small window of opportunity and connected with fellow Heisman candidate Malachi Toney for the go-ahead touchdown.

Rules Analyst says the correct call was made pic.twitter.com/By7v6Cq0VS

— Grant Reacts (@GrantReacts1) October 18, 2026

UM’s signal caller passed for 326 yards and three TDs, but threw his first interception of the season. Toney, meanwhile, wasn’t finished, throwing a touchdown of his own on the jet sweep to Cooper Barkate for the successful two-point conversion. Malachi caught 11 passes for 154 yards and two TDs. FSU struggled to answer, experiencing a sack, an incomplete, a false start, and a throwaway before seemingly converting on fourth-and-21 with a 36-yard score.

MALACHI TONEY MASTERCLASS!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/E21QWcHp7t

— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) October 18, 2026

Disbelief turned into hope for the home crowd when the officials nullified the play, calling a holding penalty on Xavier Chaplin. Daniels threw into the end zone again on fourth-and-31. Bryce Fitzgerald emerged with the pigskin, securing the game-winning pick, confirmed after further review. The hard-fought victory proved to be crucial in a Saturday shakeup that saw half of the Top 10 teams lose.

Cristobal on Bryce Fitzgerald's game winning INT, the offense being out of character and the team’s resilience.#GoCanes pic.twitter.com/sCQQ5E18UQ

— Gabriel Garcia (@Gabewritesports) October 18, 2026

Lots of room for improvement

Those penalties hurt a lot. Miami committed six, including a targeting infraction that led to Zechariah Poyser’s ejection in the first quarter. In fact, 21 of Florida State’s 28 regulation points came directly off Miami’s mistakes.

Bryce Fitzgerald with game winning INT and post game from Justin Scott.#GoCanes pic.twitter.com/oAFxVWnwIY

— Gabriel Garcia (@Gabewritesports) October 18, 2026

Chase Smith’s facemask gave FSU’s drive life, allowing the Seminoles to tie it 7-7 in the second quarter. Then there’s Cameron Pruitt’s facemask and Keona Davis’ personal foul on the punt. It cost the Canes 30 yards. Florida State started at Miami’s 15 and eventually scored, tying it at 14. However, it was costly. Ousmane Kromah was carted off due to injury after running over Dylan Day for a 9-yard gain. Mensah’s perfect run ended in the third quarter when he was flushed out inside the FSU 30-yard line, launching a careless interception by Ashlynd Barker in the endzone. The Seminoles scored via a 28-yard strike to Quintrevion Wisner for their first lead of the evening.

Malachi Toney: 11 receptions , 154 YDS, 2 TD, 2 point conversion TD#GoCanes pic.twitter.com/K0XnkLoQLJ

— Gabriel Garcia (@Gabewritesports) October 18, 2026

Miami opened the game with a scoring drive, keeping the chains moving with two third-down conversions before Mark Fletcher Jr. punched in a seven-yard touchdown. Fletcher finished with 66 rushing yards on 16 carries. Despite the early success, the Hurricanes only scored twice in the first half. Mensah barely evaded a disastrous sack, hitting Daylyn Upshaw downfield for the 44-yard completion. With the Hurricanes inside the red zone, Toney completed a 14-yard touchdown. Upshaw had four catches for 91 yards. Down 21-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Toney rose to the occasion with a 35-yard catch and a 30-yard run, setting up Mallory’s three-yard TD.

Javian Mallory : 13 carries, 108 YDS, 2 TD. An immediate impact his freshman year.#GoCanes pic.twitter.com/TPkLqNwChe

— Gabriel Garcia (@Gabewritesports) October 18, 2026

Bolstered by a huge defensive stop from Ethan O’Connor and Xavier Lucas, Mensah threaded the needle to Upshaw for a critical third-down conversion before finishing the drive with a go-ahead touchdown pass to Elija Lofton. However, Florida State immediately responded with a spectacular 75-yard deep bomb to Robinson, forcing overtime. Despite the many mistakes and plenty of areas to clean up, the Miami Hurricanes showed resilience. Keep in mind that the win came in front of many important recruits. They got a taste of the electric atmosphere during a big game at Hard Rock Stadium. Onward to Pitt!

About Post Author

Gabriel Garcia

Just an avid sports fan who happens to have a love-hate (mostly love) relationship with his local teams be it collegiate or professional and also happens to be a news junkie. Mix in outstanding optimism with cold realism and you’ve got yourself a balanced cocktail perfect for champions.

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