MIAMI GARDENS — Florida State needed a touchdown and two-point conversion to keep its hopes of pulling off an upset against rival Miami alive. The Seminoles’ chances were not looking good after quarterback Ashton Daniels could not make anything happen on first or second down.Daniels heaved a fourth-and-21 pass to the end zone — complete to Michahi Danzy for a touchdown. But it was nullified by a hold. Surely Daniels could not pull that off a second time.He nearly did. Daniels threw a Hail Mary again, and it came down among a group of UM and FSU players. Florida State wide receiver Duce Robinson, listed at 6-6, and Miami safety Bryce Fitzgerald, listed at 6-1, leaped for the ball.Fitzgerald came down with it. That was the call on the field, and it was upheld on review to seal the Hurricanes’ win.“My basketball instincts just (kicked in),” Fitzgerald said. “I treat it like I’m getting a rebound off the rim.”Fitzgerald has had clutch, game-ending interceptions in big moments. He intercepted a pass in the end zone to secure Miami’s first-round playoff win over Texas A&M. But Fitzgerald has moved from his typical ball-hawking safety role due to injuries to other defensive backs this year. He has played a mix of safety, cornerback and nickelback. For the last drive, he told safeties coach Will Harris he wanted to go back to safety.“He told me he trusts me and go in the game,” Fitzgerald said. “So that’s what I did.”Fitzgerald dealt with his own injuries during the game. He left early in the game with a shoulder injury but returned before the first half ended.“We thought he was hurt pretty bad early in the game,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “He went in there, and they checked him out. And he didn’t want to be held back.”Fitzgerald said he only had a stinger.“Coach Cristobal always says, ‘If you’re injured, you can’t go, but if you’re hurt, you’re going to go,’” Fitzgerald said. “So I told him I was good to go, coach. He trusted me to go back in the game, so I went in and gave him my all.”Before Fitzgerald made his game-ending play, he heard from teammate Malachi Toney.“I told Bryce, ‘Go finish the game,’” Toney said. “He knows me and him talk about it before every game. So that’s what we come to Miami for.”Fitzgerald hauled in the interception, and the crowd went berserk. But they all had to put their excitement to the side for several moments as the play was reviewed. Miami’s players had run on the field, and they had to retreat back to their sideline.“Honestly, I didn’t see if he caught the pick or if he caught the touchdown or not,” running back Javian Mallory said. “So we’re all just waiting. I see the team running around. I see the ref. It’s a whole bunch going through my mind right there. But after the final call was made, all the emotions. I was happy, celebrating with the team.”Cristobal said he knew what the result would be, though.“I was (confiden
Content Source: Yahoo News
Image Credit: Getty Images
All rights to the news content and images belong to their respective copyright owners.