Hurricanes miss chances, drop heartbreaking ACC opener
MIAMI GARDENS — The Hurricanes had their opportunities to keep up with North Carolina in their ACC opener, but those chances slipped through their hands.
With a chance to tie the game at seven in the second quarter, Miami failed to score on four attempts inside the North Carolina 2-yard line. When driving down the field to try to tie the game at 24 in the fourth quarter, a Jaylan Knighton fumble ended their last, best chance.
Ultimately, the Hurricanes (2-3, 0-1 ACC) dropped their third straight game, falling 27-24 to the Tar Heels at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. Miami has lost four straight games to UNC.
The Tar Heels have one of the nation’s top offenses, and they moved the ball with ease early in Saturday’s game. Redshirt freshman Drake Maye tossed a 74-yard touchdown pass on UNC’s first drive, echoing Miami’s struggles in pass coverage against Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 24.
North Carolina added to its lead after Miami failed to get on the board at the goal line, with running back Omarion Hampton scoring on a 2-yard run.
Although the Hurricanes scored their first touchdown on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Van Dyke to Key’Shawn Smith, the defense buckled again on the next drive. Although the pass rush reached Maye, he floated a pass, finding Josh Downs. Downs escaped two tacklers and scored, giving the Tar Heels a 14-point lead again.
Miami received the ball, down two scores with 1:31 to play, but they capitalized on the Tar Heels’ defense, which has struggled for most of the season. Van Dyke led the team down the field (and hit tight end Will Mallory on a crucial fourth-and-2 play), tossing his second touchdown pass of the game: a 7-yard touchdown pass to running back Henry Parrish Jr.
But the Hurricanes weren’t done scoring in the half. Linebacker Keontra Smith picked off a pass from Maye (the first-year starting quarterback’s second interception of the season), and Miami turned that into three points when Andy Borregales hit a 38-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
The defense held North Carolina in check as well as any team has this season, holding an offense that entered the game averaging more than 45 points to just 27. Miami sacked Maye five times and picked him off twice, but the offense could not capitalize on the defense’s success.
The Hurricanes, who have not held a lead since their win over Southern Miss on Sept. 10, were moving the ball well to start the fourth quarter. They converted on a fourth-and-2 play and got down to the UNC 26. Miami went for it on fourth-and-short again, and Knighton converted. However, the ball slipped from Knighton’s hands.
North Carolina safety Gio Biggers recovered the ball, and the Tar Heels milked the clock with an 8:21 drive. North Carolina kicked a short field goal to extend their lead to 10.
Miami fought back, though. The Hurricanes drove down the field to try to reverse their fortunes, and Van Dyke tossed his third touchdown of the game to Colbie Young to cut the deficit to three points. Miami recovered the subsequent onside kick, but safety Al Blades Jr. batted the ball inbounds after stepping out of bounds.
The Tar Heels could not totally ice the game on their ensuing drive, and Miami had one last chance with less than 90 seconds to play. The last-ditch comeback attempt fell short when Van Dyke threw an interception, though, and the Hurricanes lost their first ACC contest of the season.
Takeaways
Tyler Van Dyke finds his touch again: Two weeks after the worst game of his college career, leading to a third-quarter benching, Van Dyke had his best game of the season. The Hurricanes’ third-year redshirt sophomore completed 42 of 57 passes for 496 yards, eclipsing the 300- and 400-yard mark for the first time this season. He threw three touchdowns with his one pick coming on the hurried final drive.
Pass coverage has its good and bad moments: Miami got burned a couple of times in pass coverage. North Carolina’s first touchdown came on a 74-yard pass where the Hurricanes botched the coverage, and Maye later hit a 52-yard pass that put the Tar Heels at the UM 2-yard line. But there were promising moments for the Hurricanes against the Tar Heels’ potent offense. Keontra Smith and Kamren Kinchens each had an interception.