After another thriller, UM seeks consistency
CORAL GABLES There were promising drives that ended with field goals, not touchdowns. Missed tackles. Dropped passes. And chance after chance for the eighth-ranked Hurricanes to give themselves breathing room against a Syracuse team looking to knock off its second top-10 opponent in as many weeks.
Instead, for the third cnsecutive week, the Hurricanes found themselves playing in a nail-biter, a late 33-yard touchdown run from Travis Homer with 2:48 left and one last defensive stand finally securing Miami’s 27-19 win over the Orange on Saturday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.
And while there was celebrating after the wins against Florida State and Georgia Tech, after this one, there was more relief than anything else.
Why? Because the Hurricanes understand they can’t afford to play as inconsistently as they did against Syracuse if they want to continue to control their own fate in the race for the Coastal Division crown and continue extending the nation’s second-longest win streak which now stands at 11 games.
“We, for some reason, can’t find a way to play really good on both sides at the same time — we kind of take turns. It’d be nice to be more consistent. You become consistent offensively when you throw and catch like you should. You become consistent when you can convert third downs a little bit better than we have been,” Hurricanes coach Mark Richt said. “We just have not been very good at all. We’ve just got to continue to work.”
For the Hurricanes, finding the solutions to their consistency issues is going to have to be a priority in coming weeks. While Miami will likely be a heavy favorite against a one-win North Carolina team that has has lost 16 players to season-ending injuries, November will bring with it big tests.
The first will come when Virginia Tech, last year’s Coastal Division champion, comes to Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 4. Last year, the Hokies easily handled the Hurricanes in a 37-16 game in Blacksburg.
A week later on Nov. 11, a surging Notre Dame will come to Hard Rock. A season ago, the Irish were struggling through a 4-8 season — and still managed a 30-27 win over Miami in South Bend.
This year, the Irish are riding high after a 49-14 win pushed them up four spots to No. 9 in the most recent AP Top 25. The Hurricanes, after their win against Syracuse, held steady at No. 8.
With those tests looming, the Hurricanes know they have to continue pushing to get better.
“Yes, it’s a 4-0 start [in ACC play], but I think we’re only halfway into the season now. We have a long ways to go,” said Hurricanes quarterback Malik Rosier, who had a career-high 344 yards and two touchdowns against Syracuse.