UM defense soars
Hurricanes harass Blue Devils into mistakes, start fast behind Rosier in ACC win.
Miami running back Mark Walton (1) shows spring in his step, leaping over Duke’s Ben Humphreys and Bryon Fields Jr. on his way to 51 yards on 17 carries in Friday night’s 31-6 victory in Durham, N.C. Walton left the game after re-aggravating an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Story,
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke, looking to extend its 4-0 start and get revenge for the last time Miami visited, hung around for a while Friday night.
But the Hurricanes’ talent took over.
No. 1 receiver Ahmmon Ri c h a r d s ma d e hi s se a - son debut and produced a 49-yard touchdown with 11:02 left, sending Duke fans heading to the exits.
This time, the No. 14 Canes didn’t need a crazy kickoff return to earn a 31-6 victory, moving to 3-0 (1-0 ACC) and assuring itself a jump in the polls before next week’s g a me at l i kely- unranked Florida State.
Five takeaways: Ahmmon Richards is healthy: It was a long and, at times frustrating, road back for Miami’s No. 1 receiver, who strained his hamstring midway through camp. He missed about six weeks, with Miami being extra careful not to stress the former freshman All-American.
It’s time for ACC play, and he’s healthy.
The former Wellington High star was the most talented player on the field Friday, looking like someone who, in two years, will draw a lot of attention on Sundays. He finished with 106 yards and a touchdown on three catches, a 35.3-percatch average.
Malik Rosier started hot, cooled: Brad Kaaya, now with the Carolina Panthers with former Hurricanes Corn Elder, Greg Olsen and Ladarius Gunter, watched the game from the Miami bench.
Though Rosier still has growing to do, Kaaya’s college team is in good hands.
Rosier had a blazing start: 8 of 8 for 155 yards and a TD, plus three carries for 20 yards and a touchdown. He finished 15 of 26 for 270 yards, returning to the place he made his first college start.
Rosier’s improved accuracy was evident early. His 27-yard, first-quarter touchdown pass to Braxton Berrios was perfec t: back of the end zone, behind coverage, where only his 5-foot-9 receiver could get it.
Duke’s defense causes trouble: The Blue Devils were 4-0 mostly because of their disciplined defense.
It was fourth in the nation in rushing yards per carry (2.33). It was 21st in overall defensive yards per play (4.57).
Miami finished with a season-low 139 yards on the gr o u n d (4 .0 pe r ca r r y ) . The Hurricanes averaged a nation-best 9.52 yards per carry in their first two games, against Bethune-Cookman and Toledo. Until Travi s Homer’s 40-yard rushing touchdown with 4:48 left, Miami’s longest rush was a 13-yard scramble by Rosier.
Mark Walton (51 yards on 17 carries), coming off his 204-yard performance against Toledo, was mostly shut down. And worse, he appeared to be injured after a carry midway through the fourth quarter.
Both Miami lines were up-and-down: A host of NFL scouts were watching warmups, and about a dozen of them were clustered at one corner of the field. That’s where Chad Thomas, Kendrick Norton, R.J McIntosh, Joe Jackson and the rest of the Hurricanes’ defensive line was warming up.
The unit had some highlight plays: sacks by McIntosh, Norton and Jackson (twice), and a fumble recovery by Pat Bethel, but it also gave Daniel Jones (21 of 41, 166 yards, interception) too much time to throw in the second and third quarters, and had a hard time containing him on runs (31 yards on 18 carries). However, the line started to take over in the second half, helping UM allow 2.8 yards per play in the final 30 minutes.
The linebackers deserve credit, too. Michael Pinckney and Shaq Quarterman combined for 19 tackles, and Pinckney had a sack, an interception and 1.5 tackles for losses.
UM protected Rosier well enough at the start, and at the end, but sagged in the middle. UM couldn’t get much push late in the first half. One poor sequence, as an example: Navaughn Donaldson, the true freshman starter at right guard, was beat badly for a sack in the second quarter. On the next drive, he was replaced by fellow freshman Corey Gaynor, who committed a holding penalty. That late-second-quarter drive ended in a field goal, when Miami couldn’t push it in from the 1.
Miami has a punter: Freshman punter Zach Feagles, son of former NFL and UM standout Jeff Feagles, has mostly looked like his dad so far. Feagles gave the coverage teams plent y of hang time and didn’t allow a return.