The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

AS he continues to become a greater part of the offence, Mavin Saunders has now recorded catches in three consecutive games for the Florida State Seminoles.

Saunders finished with one catch for 11 yards in the No.23 Seminoles’ 20-19 thrilling win over the No.10 Miami Hurricanes Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

His lone catch came on a key third down conversion late in the third quarter on a drive that led to a touchdown and 17-13 FSU lead.

The Seminoles eventually held on for the upset win when DeMarcus Walker pushed through the line and blocked Miami kicker Michael Badgley’s point-after attempt with 1:38 remaining. It was the Seminoles’ seventh straight in the storied interstate rivalry.

After seeing action sparingly in the first three games of the season, Saunders saw increased minutes against USF when he caught his first pass of the season, a 12-yard reception.

In the following game Saunders finished with three catches for 74 yards, both career highs, in the Seminoles’ 37-35 loss to the unranked North Carolina Tar Heels.

Saturday’s game against Miami marked his third consecutive game with a reception.

Saunders has developed a habit of performing well against Miami. In the 2015 season, in the the first start of his collegiate career, he finished with three receptions for 26 yards in a 29-24 win over the Hurricanes.

Saturday’s win means FSU still holds the second-longest active streak of AP Top 25 poll appearances.

The Seminoles host Wake Forest on October 15, looking for their fifth straight win in that series.

In other Division I football highlights from the weekend, other Bahamian players saw their teams emerge with wins in their respective conferences.

Kato Fawkes and his Idaho Vandals scored a 34-31 win over the ULM Warhawks, to move to 3-3 in the season.

The 6’4” 303-pound guard, a native of Freeport, Grand Bahama, graduated in May while he saw his first official game time as a member of the Vandals. In the 2014 season, he was sidelined with an injury and redshirted.

In the American Athletic Conference, Chris Ferguson and the Cincinnati Bearcats fell to 3-3 with a 20-9 loss to the UConn Huskies. In the Colonial Athletic Association, Rondre Knowles-Tener and the James Madison Dukes won 31-24 over the William and Mary Tribe to improve to 5-1 on the season and perfect in conference play.