Panthers won’t roll over for Hurricanes

MIAMI GARDENS — They couldn’t get their run game going. A veteran quarterback was dissecting their secondary with precision. The big mistakes outnumbered the big plays and for a good chunk of Saturday afternoon, Miami looked listless against a Virginia team that came into the game having lost three of its past four.

Ultimately the third-ranked Hurricanes fell behind by two touchdowns twice before the tide started to turn and UM scored 30 unanswered points to rally for a 44-28 win over the Cavaliers. But the entire afternoon served as a reminder that no matter what Miami has done this season, no matter how high it has climbed in the College Football Playoff rankings, the opponents on their schedule aren’t about to make things easy for them.

The Hurricanes (10-0, 7-0 ACC) can expect that to continue Friday when they head to Pittsburgh for their regular-season finale. The Panthers (4-7, 2-5) will look to spoil Miami’s improbable run, snap the Hurricanes’ 15-game win streak and finish their own season on a high note.

And unlike Saturday against Virginia, the Hurricanes won’t be able to rely on the comforts of home to help. They also won’t get the spark that comes from playing a major rival in a prime-time game and will instead, have to overcome the drudgery that can sometimes come with a noon kickoff. The Hurricanes have struggled early in both their previous games that have started at that time.

A short week is one of the challenges facing UM, which will play its 10th game in a row without an off week since Sept. 23. Hurricane Irma forced the team to make adjustments and that once-vacant Oct. 7 date was filled by a make-up ACC game against rival Florida State that was pushed back because of the storm.