Solid opening act
There’s no doubt the Blue Devils made Miami sweat more than once in the Hurricanes’ ACC opener.
Walton leaves game late in fourth quarter with leg injury
DURHAM, N.C. — When the Hurricanes walked off the field at Wallace Wade two years ago after one of the most miraculous finishes in recent college football history, for them, there was nothing but joy.
This time around, there may have been more relief than anything else.
The 14th-ranked Hurricanes led from wire-to-wire in their 31-6 win over Duke on Friday night, but there’s no doubt the Blue Devils made Miami sweat more than once in the Hurricanes’ ACC opener.
Despite a blazing start that had Malik Rosier put up some eye-popping numbers early, the Blue Devils rallied after falling behind by two touchdowns and found ways to keep it close through three quarters, often relying on their defense to keep the Hurricanes in check.
In the game’s opening minutes, it didn’t seem as if anything — Duke included — could stop the Hurricanes, who have now won eight straight games going back to last
season.
On their first possession, the Hurricanes needed just five plays to take the lead, Rosier completing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Raleigh native Braxton Berrios, who gave his family and friends in the stands an early reason to cheer.
Minutes later, the lead was up to 14-0 after another quick drive during which Rosier connected on passes to Ahmmon Richards, Lawrence Cager and Mike Harley before finally scoring on a 1-yard run himself.
By the end of the quarter, Rosier was 8-of-8 for 155 yards with a touchdown.
Before halftime, though, the Blue Devils (4-1, 1-1 ACC) would cool the Hurricanes offense down, holding Miami to just a 20-yard field goal, while cutting into the lead with two Austin Parker field goals of their own, one from 27 yards, the other from 36.
Duke’s run defense — which entered the game ranked No. 2 in the nation after allowing four opponents to average just 65 yards per game — did a solid job against preseason AllACC pick Mark Walton.
Though Walton was involved in a handful of big pass plays — including a 39-yarder that led to the Hurricanes’ first score — he was held to just 51 rushing yards. It’s the first time he hasn’t topped the 100-yard mark.
But Miami’s defense countered Duke’s effort.
The Hurricanes (3-0, 1-0) kept the Blue Devils out of the end zone, held them to just 5-of-19 on third-down conversions and pressured Duke’s Daniel Jones throughout the night, sacking the quarterback five times in the win.
They also forced two turnovers, the first coming when Mike Pinckney intercepted a Jones pass that had the linebacker — who finished with a game-high 10 tackles — sprinting to the sideline so he could accept the heavy “Turnover Chain” that has become a social media sensation for Miami early in the season.
All of that helped carry Miami through until the Hurricanes got a little bit more offensive life in final quarter and wore the Blue Devils down.
Early in the quarter, Richards — making his season debut after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury — scored on a 49-yard pass from Rosier that capped a four-play, 62-yard drive and put Miami ahead 24-6 after Badgley’s extra point.
Richards, a former Wellington standout and a Freshman All-American last season, finished with three catches for 106 yards, notching the fifth 100-yard game of his young Hurricanes career.
Rosier, meanwhile, finished 15-of-26 for 270 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Later in the quarter another sophomore came up big for Miami.
With Walton out of the game after an apparent leg injury, Travis Homer came in and gave the Hurricanes a lift, scoring on a 40-yard run with 4:48 left that put the game out of reach.
The Hurricanes, who handed Duke its first loss of the season, will likely rise in both major college football polls and could be a top-10 team when they head to Tallahassee for their annual rivalry game against Florida State, which is set to take on Wake Forest on Saturday.