A state championship wasn’t the goal for Miami this season, but it still gave Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal something to celebrate, at least for a moment.
Cam Ward threw for 208 yards and caught a touchdown pass, while Damien Martinez rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns, helping No. 6 Miami stay unbeaten with a 36-14 victory over rival Florida State on Saturday night.
Mark Fletcher Jr. added a rushing touchdown, and Andres Borregales kicked three field goals to aid Miami (8-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) in breaking a three-game losing streak against the Seminoles (1-7, 1-6).
“It’s critically important to go out there and beat this program and be undefeated in the state of Florida,” Cristobal said. His team is now 4-0 in games within the state this season, having also beaten Florida, Florida A&M, and South Florida.
“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.”
With that statement, he slammed the lectern to emphasize his point, marking a night that Miami dominated.
The Seminoles, who started last season 13-0 and won the ACC, are now guaranteed their fifth losing season in the last seven years, and the third in five seasons under coach Mike Norvell. Luke Kromenhoek came off the bench at quarterback and rushed for 71 yards.
“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 got Miami on the board first with a 1-yard run to finish a 67-yard drive, which was an emotional moment for the sophomore, whose father passed away this week. After scoring, he took a knee and pointed to the sky in tribute.
Martinez increased the score to 14-0 with an 18-yard run early in the second quarter. Miami didn’t reach the end zone again until there were 4:32 left in the game, when tight end Elijah Arroyo caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Ward on a play Miami calls “Texas”—both are from Texas.
Martinez scored again with 1:51 remaining, running in from 12 yards away. His 148 rushing yards were the second-most by any Miami player in this rivalry; Stephen McGuire had 176 yards 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 to Kromenhoek in the first half. The true freshman had only 3 completions on 7 attempts for 19 yards and had run for minus-2 yards in his college debut against Duke.
He made a quick impact.
Kromenhoek gained 14 yards for a first down on his first carry, then broke free for a 42-yard run on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive going, followed by a 12-yard run to the 1-yard line. Caziah Holmes then rushed in on fourth down to bring FSU within 14-7 midway through the second quarter.
However, the Seminoles didn’t score again until just 18 seconds were left in the game, when Brock Glenn completed a 5-yard pass to Malik Benson. That marked just Florida State’s 13th touchdown of the season.
