Miami entered its clash with Florida State as a 20.5-point favorite, riding an undefeated record with Heisman buzz building around star quarterback Darian Mensah. What looked like a comfortable outing on paper, however, quickly turned into a fight. The Hurricanes pushed all the way to double overtime before escaping with a 43-35 win. And while Mensah delivered on the field, it was something else entirely that put him under the spotlight.
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Footage from the game has sparked controversy over an apparent confrontation between Mensah and a referee, and when no flag followed the incident, it raised a lot of eyebrows, considering what could have been.
It all happened just before a crucial two-point conversion, moments after Miami took a 41-35 lead. Mensah was seen arguing with an FSU defender when a referee stepped in to break things up. The ref tapped him on the shoulder, and Mensah turned around rather aggressively, looking ready to throw a punch.
Thankfully, he backed off. Possibly because it was the moment he realized it was an official. Miami escaped a 15-yard penalty and went ahead with the conversion attempt.
“Darian Mensah just did this to the ref and doesn’t get flagged?? Keep in mind, this should’ve been a 15-yard penalty before a crucial 2 pt conversion. Anybody else in the country, and that’s a personal foul. How is this not called?” an account on X noted.
The frustration is understandable, especially given similar incidents in American football. During a 2017 NFL game between the Chiefs and Raiders, star running back Marshawn Lynch rushed in from the sidelines to break up a scuffle.
In the chaos, he shoved past an official to reach the pile. Although he did not punch the referee or appear to intend to hurt him, the NFL took the incident seriously, ejecting Lynch and suspending him for one game without pay for putting an official’s safety at risk.
At Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, a flag could have pushed the Hurricanes back to the 18-yard line. Instead, they ran a trick play, with wide receiver Malachi Toney throwing a successful two-point pass to Cooper Barkate to extend Miami’s lead to 43-35. That was a massive blow to Florida State.
The Seminoles now needed a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion just to tie the game. There was no room for error, and they had to find a way into the end zone. Alas, FSU’s final drive quickly fell apart.
After a series of sacks and a costly holding penalty wiped out an initial touchdown, the Seminoles found themselves facing a desperate 4th-and-31. With the game on the line, quarterback Ashton Daniels had little choice but to heave a low-percentage pass toward the end zone.
Miami defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald came up with the interception amid a scramble for the ball, sealing the Hurricanes’ 43-35 win after a review.
Miami had survived the late scare. But getting there was anything but easy. The Hurricanes had spent much of the game struggling to shake off Florida State, which had repeatedly found ways to put them under pressure.
The game was tied 14-14 at halftime after FSU scored following a run of Miami penalties that gave it the ball at the 15-yard line with 2:08 left. Florida State took its first lead in the third quarter after a turnover on downs, and it also picked off Mensah for the first time this season. Miami went through a stretch of punts, an interception, and two turnovers on downs. Then the fourth quarter turned.
Mensah hit Toney for 35 yards, and Javian Mallory ran it in to tie it at 21. The defense forced a fumble, and Mensah found Elija Lofton for a 28-21 lead. Duce Robinson answered with a 75-yard touchdown on one play to tie it at 28. In overtime, Robinson caught a 20-yard touchdown for FSU, and Mallory scored for Miami.
“Darian is about as resilient and as tough as it gets,” Mario Cristobal said after the game about his QB.
Mensah had completed 23 of 34 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns despite throwing his first interception of the season. The third-quarter pick by FSU’s Ashlynd Barker snapped Mensah’s streak of 153 consecutive passes without an interception to start his Miami career.
Had Miami lost, the program would have seen its undefeated run end at 6-0, likely costing it a chance to climb to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time since 2002.
By Mensah’s own standards, it was not a clean night. His season line still holds up: an 80.8% completion rate, 1,764 yards, 18 touchdowns, one interception, plus 85 rushing yards and two scores.
Miami has the highest-scoring offense in the country at 48.5 points per game. His Heisman odds at FanDuel moved up after Week 7, behind only Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. Now, Miami hosts Pitt next Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium, then travels to North Carolina on October 31.