Langham’s TD with 6 seconds left lifts Miami to stunning win

TALLAHASSEE – This was supposed to be their best opportunity, their chance to end a maddening streak that has haunted so many of them and so many of their former teammates.

And when it looked as if their hearts would be broken again, the Miami Hurricanes finally got the win they have so long wanted over the Florida State Seminoles.

With six seconds left, Darrell Langham caught his only pass of the day — one that will live in Miami lore for years.

Langham snagged a throw from Malik Rosier, went 23 yards, outstretched his arms and got the ball into the end zone just before his knee tou-

ched the ground.

The play gave No. 13 Miami a 24-20 win over Florida State and set off a wild celebration on the Hurricanes sideline, while silencing most of the crowd of 78,169 that had crammed into Doak Campbell Stadium.

It also snapped a sevengame losing streak to the Seminoles and gave Miami a 32-30 lead in the all-time series.

As they made their way off the field, some of the Hurricanes couldn’t help but sit down in the garnet painted end zone and soak up the moment. Above them in the stands, hundreds of fans that made the trek from South Florida to Tallahassee cheered, took pictures and reveled with the Hurricanes.

“We had a wonderful celebration in the locker room, said coach Mark Richt. “It was a long time coming for our players, coaches, administration, but certainly, a long time coming for our fans. I’m probably most happy for them. They’re a true orange and green fan base.”

Langham’s dramatic touchdown, which was reviewed and ultimately upheld, came after it appeared Miami would have its heart broken again when with 1:24 left, Seminoles receiver Auden Tate — playing with a shoulder injury — caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback James Blackman that gave Florida State the lead.

But instead of folding, the Hurricanes responded with their most remarkable drive of the season. And it came in a game where, early on, they looked lost offensively.

Miami, which was favored by a field goal on the road, never crossed midfield in the first half. The Hurricanes managed just 57 yards, were 1 of 8 on third down conversions and had just four first downs to Florida State’s 10.

And some of Miami’s key contributors couldn’t execute on routine plays. Ahmmon Richards, a freshman All-American last season, had a couple of drops on passes that hit his hands. And Braxton Berrios, a senior known for his poise on punt returns — botched one return, losing six yards and then getting called for a facemask penalty that flipped the field 73 yards and put Miami’s offense deep inside FSU territory.

While Miami’s offense struggled, though, its defense kept Florida State from truly taking control of the game. The Seminoles dominated in every stat- istical category through the first half, but their only score was a 27-yard field goal from Ricky Aguayo late in the first quarter.

“Credit to our defense. They kept us in that first half,” Berrios said. “That’s incredible. It’s inexcusable for us as an offense, but the way the defense fought, we gained confidence from that.

After that, Florida State and Miami traded possessions, their punters emerging as the standouts in a game filled with former five-star prospects and candidates for nearly every major award in college football.

But as they have so often this season, the Hurricanes found life in the second half, making adjustments that sparked the offense.

On their opening drive of the second half, the Hurricanes drove 62 yards — five more than they had in the entirety of the first half — and capped their 12-play drive that lasted nearly four minutes with a 31-yard field goal from Michael Badgley.

After that, cornerback Dee Delaney — a graduate transfer from The Citadel that has been maligned for some early-season struggles, intercepted a Blackman pass. And while quarterback Malik Rosier turned it over on the ensuing possession, more big plays would come for Miami.

After Rosier was intercepted, the Hurricanes forced a three-and-out from Florida State and on the Seminoles ensuing punt, Berrios atoned for his earlier mistake, returning the punt 44 yards to put Miami deep inside Florida State territory.

One play later, Rosier hit Berrios on a 21-yard deep pass that led to Miami’s first touchdown — and lead — of the day.

It marked the fifth consecutive game, dating back to last season, that Berrios has caught a touchdown pass and he’s the first Hurricane since Reggie Wayne in 2000 to catch a touchdown in each of Miami’s first four games to start a season.

But in rivalry games like this one, momentum rarely stays on one side. And Florida State, which came into Saturday’s game having won the last four matchups in the series by a combined 10 points, scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to regain the lead.

First, Blackman — who led a fourth-quarter gamewinning drive for FSU last week at Wake Forest — capped a six-play, 77-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Ryan Izzo that tied the game at 10 with 12:17 left.