Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Win could cool Diaz hot-seat talk for now
MIAMI GARDENS — Make no mistake about it: the Miami Hurricanes’ 31-30 win over N.C. State on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium won’t silence the noise surrounding coach Manny Diaz’s job security after UM’s disappointing start.
But at least for one weekend, the Hurricanes and Diaz can put all of the chatter and rumors to the side, and take in the joy that comes from pulling out the win in the type of game they’ve lost in recent weeks.
After exchanging leads with the Wolfpack five times during Saturday’s game, including twice in the fourth quarter, Miami’s defense came through with the stop the team needed when true freshman safety Kam Kinchens tackled Wolfpack wide receiver Thayer Thomas 2 yards short of the first down on fourth-and-8 to force a turnover on downs with 2:49 left in the game.
The Hurricanes came up with a crucial third-down conversion when quarterback Tyler Van Dyke connected with tight end Will Mallory for a 21-yard pass on third-and-16 with over two minutes left to help secure the eventual Miami (3-4, 1-2 ACC) win.
UM’s narrow victory over the Wolfpack put an end to the program’s six-game losing streak to Power Five programs and three-game losing streak to teams ranked in the AP Top 25 dating back to last season.
“This team is mentally tough,” Diaz said. “This team is resilient. We’ve shown it again and again — it’s baked into our DNA at this point. The fight is special. You’re just so happy for them they finally get the reward they deserved.”
Here are 10 things we learned from UM’s Saturday win:
1. Miami keeps fighting: The Hurricanes showed resiliency in their past two games against North Carolina and Virginia, even if they didn’t come out with the victory in those two matchups after their comeback attempts fell short.
So it wasn’t surprising to see UM battling back against N.C. State despite seemingly being overmatched in multiple areas entering Saturday.
It isn’t yet known what the win over the Wolfpack will mean for Diaz and UM’s season as a whole, but the victory was a muchneeded one to quiet the noise for at least one week.
2. Van Dyke’s growing: Unlike his past two starts against Virginia and North Carolina, Van Dyke didn’t need to wait until the second quarter almost ended to establish his rhythm as a passer.
The second-year freshman went 5 of 8 for 65 yards in the air and led the Hurricanes to a touchdown on their first drive for their first offensive first-quarter touchdown since their win over Appalachian State on Sept. 11.
Van Dyke was steady throughout Saturday, going 25 of 33 for career-highs of 325 passing yards and four touchdowns for the most complete game of his college career to back up his comments about N.C. State’s defense from earlier in the week.
3. Rambo-Van Dyke connection: It’s clear that wide receiver Charleston Rambo is one of Van Dyke’s favorite targets, and the duo connected on a few game-changing plays that shifted the momentum of Saturday’s game to UM’s favor.
Van Dyke found Rambo in the end zone with a 25-yard touchdown early in the first quarter to give the Hurricanes a 7-0 advantage for their first lead over an FBS opponent since the fourth quarter of their loss to Michigan State on Sept. 18.
The pair connected on a 60-yard pass on Miami’s first play of the third quarter to start a drive that ended with a Mallory touchdown to give a 21-17 lead. And the Wolfpack took a 27-24 lead early in the fourth quarter, Van Dyke completed three passes to Rambo on Miami’s ensuing drive, including a 4-yard touchdown reception that gave the Hurricanes a 31-27 advantage, with UM not trailing for the rest of the game.
Rambo finished with nine receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
4. Young players making game-changing plays: Kinchens wasn’t the only young Miami player who made crucial plays against the Wolfpack.
Second-year running back Jaylan Knighton’s 53-yard touchdown catch on a wheel route late in the first quarter on fourthand-1 gave the Hurricanes a 14-3 lead.
Second-year wide receiver Key’Shawn Smith and true freshman tight end Elijah Arroyo both had receptions of 15-or-more yards during a late third-quarter drive that ended with an Andy Borregales 22-yard field goal to give UM a 24-20 lead.
Second-year cornerback Marcus Clarke had a pass breakup in the end zone during the second quarter and true freshman James Williams (for tackles, three solo) was making plays all over the field.
5. Improving rush defense: N.C. State’s 4.67 yards per run entering Saturday was one of the better marks in the ACC, but the Hurricanes’ run defense turned in one of its better performances and slowed down the Wolfpack’s runners.
Outside of the 40-yard run off a fake punt late in the third quarter, Miami held N.C. State to 71 rushing yards on 21 carries (3.38 yards per attempt), which would’ve been one of UM’s better defensive marks of the season.
The Hurricanes overall did a better job of getting multiple players to ball carriers and wrapping up on tackles.
6. Dunson’s pass coverage:
Isaiah Dunson was another young player on Miami’s defense who played more snaps than usual against the Wolfpack.
Unfortunately for the secondyear freshman, some of N.C. State’s most explosive offensive plays came when it targeted Dunson. Wolfpack wide receiver Emeka Emezie beat Dunson in coverage on a 46-yard catch to help set up a Wolfpack touchdown drive to give N.C. State a 17-14 lead before the first half ended.
Dunson allowed a 44-yard pass to N.C. State wideout Anthony Smith in a fourth-quarter drive that ended with a field goal and allowed the Wolfpack to bring their deficit down to, 31-30.
7. Up-and-down special teams
play: The good from the special teams: Borregales made his lone field goal attempt and all four of his extra point attempts. Lou Hedley averaged 48.1 yards per punts on his seven punts.
The bad: the Hurricanes were caught sleeping on the 40-yard run off the fake punt, which eventually led to N.C. State quarterback Devin Leary scoring a 17-yard touchdown run for a Wolfpack 27-24 lead early in the fourth quarter. Bubba Bolden was also penalized for running into the kicker on a missed field goal attempt in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-20, which allowed N.C. State to replay the down and make the field goal that reduced its deficit to, 31-30.
Jacolby George almost had a fumble on a punt return in the third quarter that would’ve given the Wolfpack possession at Miami’s 5, but Anthony Smith losing his helmet during the play before recovering the fumble forced the Wolfpack to redo the punt and kept UM out of a bad situation.
8. Tight ends step up: After having two catches for 11 yards in Miami’s past two games, Mallory finished Saturday with three receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown. Arroyo’s aforementioned 29-yard catch led to a score.
The Hurricanes still need more production from their tight end room, but Saturday was a step in the right direction.
9. Third downs: N.C. State entered Saturday ranked No. 1 in the nation in third-down defense, with opposing offenses only getting a first down on 25 percent of its third-down opportunities.
So even though UM’s 6 of 17 mark on third-down conversions may not be an impressive mark on its own, the Hurricanes’ ability to stay on the field and finish out drives against a dominant unit is something they could be proud of after Saturday’s win.
10. Still alive in the division: Miami has a long way to go before it’s considered true contenders in the Coastal Division, but Saturday’s win kept the Hurricanes alive in the divisional race ahead of an away game against Coastal Division-leading No. 17 Pittsburgh (6-1, 3-0 ACC) next Saturday.