Jarrett Payton ran for 131 yards, Jon Peattie kicked three field goals and Miami shut out the Seminoles in the second half to give the Hurricanes a 16-14 win Thursday night in the Orange Bowl.
It was No. 10 Miami’s fifth consecutive victory in the heated series — its longest winning streak since 1957. No. 9 Florida State lost consecutive bowl games for the first time since the 1979 and 1980 seasons.
Like several other memorable games in this storied rivalry, the outcome was decided by a kicker.
Not only did Peattie hit a career-long 51-yarder to give the Hurricanes the lead in the third quarter, but Florida State’s Xavier Beitia missed a 39-yarder with 5:30 to play.
And yes, it was wide right.
It was the fifth time a Florida State kicker has missed a decisive kick in this rivalry. Beitia also missed a 43-yarder wide left against Miami as time expired in 2002, and the Hurricanes won 28-27.
Miami (11-2) sealed the latest victory with a defensive stand with less than two minutes to play. Chris Rix’s final pass fell incomplete. Rix was 2-of-12 for 18 yards in the second half — another poor performance against Miami.
He threw two interceptions in the first meeting.
This game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. The Hurricanes outgained Florida State 375 yards to 206 yards and scored the final 13 points. They also finished with 218 yards rushing.
Payton provided many of the big plays on offense, and Sean Taylor, Vince Wilfork and others did the damage on defense.
But Peattie was equally effective.
His 51-yarder came a play after Miami punted. Florida State (10-3) was penalized 5 yards for illegal substitution, moving the Hurricanes into field-goal range.
Peattie also connected from 32 and 44 yards. He had one blocked from 45 yards with 2:18 remaining, but it didn’t matter.
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