Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Berrios shines as Miami beats FSU
CORAL GABLES — Ahead of his final game against Florida State, Braxton Berrios repeatedly used one word to describe the Hurricanes’ seven-game losing streak to the rival Seminoles.
“Inexcusable,” he said, describing the streak.
On Saturday afternoon at Doak Campbell Stadium, Berrios did his best to make sure the streak ended and that once again, Miami would know what it felt like to beat its biggest rival.
The senior receiver had a game-high eight catches for another game-high 90 yards and two touchdowns in No. 13 Miami’s 24-20 win over the Seminoles, his performance helping spark the Hurricanes on a memorable night.
Berrios’ first touchdown came on a 21-yard pass from quarterback Malik Rosier and it gave the Hurricanes a 10-7 lead — their first of the day — with 6:57 left in the third quarter.
With it, the North Carolina native became the first Hurricane since Reggie Wayne in 2000 to catch a touchdown pass in each of the first four games of the season.
It also extended his personal streak of touchdowns in five straight games dating back to Miami’s win over West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl last December. Berrios would add another touchdown, this one a 6-yarder from Rosier with 5:09 left, that would give Miami a brief lead in the fourth quarter.
He also added a careerlong 44-yard punt return that topped the 43-yard return he had against Florida State last year.
“Most of the people in here understand it’s been a long one for me, especially the first three years and especially with Florida State,” Berrios said. “That’s something I knew as a senior, I knew as a leader, it was going to be in my hands at one point or another. Freshman year, I still hear about that. Last year, I still hear about that. But like I said, it was everywhere and it’s been surrounding me for years. And I knew coming into this that it was do or die. I’m either going 0-4 against them or we’re flipping that page. And personally, I was flipping that page. To come out and have a game like that, I haven’t looked at any stats, I don’t care. We won. I was ready for that moment. I can’t describe how it feels.”