South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Comeback crusher
After rallying from 28 down, Hurricanes fall short of Hokies
MIAMI GARDENS — There was disaster from the start. A glimmer of hope. The thought it was over again. A comeback complete.
And, ultimately, devastation. The Miami Hurricanes climbed out of a 28-point hole, recovering from five first-half turnovers and the lack of a running game for most of a musthave ACC Coastal game with Virginia Tech to tie the Hokies in the waning minutes.
However, Virginia Tech responded with a 63-yard touchdown drive, scoring with a sliver more than a minute left to hand Miami a crushing 42-35 loss Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Hurricanes changed quarterbacks from Jarren Williams to N’Kosi Perry in the first half and scored on a Hail Mary before halftime to spark the comeback and 21 consecutive fourth-quarter points
By losing to a Hokies team that was coming off its worst home defeat in 45 years, a 45-10 loss to Duke, the Hurricanes fell to 2-3 and 0-2 in the ACC. They dropped a game in which they were favored by 14 points.
Miami is now 4-12 in its last 16 games against opponents from Power Five conferences, dating to the three consecutive losses to finish the 2017 season.
Miami was down 35-14 in the fourth quarter. Perry connected with Jeff Thomas for one touchdown, then hit Thomas for another — this time having DeeJay Dallas tack on a two-point conversion to make it 35-29.
With the defense forcing another stop, Dallas escaped a tackle
near the line of scrimmage to go for a 62-yard touchdown. UM was set to take a one-point lead with just over three minutes left.
Then kicker Bubba Baxa’s extra-point attempt hit the right upright and missed. It remained 35-35.
Virginia Tech answered the 21 straight Miami points with DeShawn McClease scoring from 3 yards out. The Hurricanes drove to the Hokies’ 10-yard line. One Perry pass was broken up in the end zone. The officials announced the game was over but then reviewed it and put a second back on the clock. Alan Tisdale deflected the final pass to have it fall incomplete and seal the VT win.
Williams was benched after throwing interceptions on the Hurricanes’ first three possessions. Perry threw for a careerhigh 422 yards on 28-of-47 passing with four touchdowns and an interception. He and Williams were sacked a combined seven times.
Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker, who replaced former starter Ryan Willis this week, threw three touchdowns to tight end Dalton Keene and completed 10 of 20 passes for 184 yards. He added 76 yards on the ground with another score. UM was only averaging about 1.5 yards per carry rushing before rallying for the 21 unanswered points in the fourth.
The Hurricanes got a spark before halftime as Perry threw up a Hail Mary on the final first-half play that was deflected and then brought down by sophomore receiver Mark Pope for a 38-yard touchdown.
The UM defense started the second half with a quick stop, then an eight-play, 88-yard drive resulted in a 6-yard touchdown pass from Perry to tight end Brevin Jordan to bring the deficit to 28-14. Jordan also had a 21-yard catch on third-and-10 on the drive.
Miami’s defense got another stop and had the home crowd fired up midway through the third quarter, but the sacks on Perry started mounting. A Perry interception was nullified by a roughing the passer, but the Hurricanes couldn’t do anything with it.
A 67-yard pass from Hooker to James Mitchell set up his third scoring strike to Keene early in the fourth quarter.
Williams was intercepted on the third play from scrimmage, a third-down pass for receiver Michael Harley where his route was jumped, the pass deflected and intercepted by Jermaine Waller. Eight plays later, Hooker ran in a 12-yard touchdown.
On the Hurricanes’ second possession, an underthrown Williams pass to the end zone was intercepted by Caleb Farley. After Miami forced the Hokies into a threeand-out, Williams was intercepted again by Waller on another underthrow to give Virginia Tech a short field from the Miami 23-yard line.
That interception led to more Hokies points. Two plays later, Hooker hit tight end Dalton Keene for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
As Perry entered for Williams, a fourth turnover occurred, but not of the quarterback’s doing. Harley, taking a carry on a jet sweep, fumbled. Originally called down, a review revealed the ball came out well before Harley’s knee touched the ground and a clear recovery by VT’s Jaylen Griffin.
A James Mitchell 1-yard rushing touchdown made it 21-0 Hokies before the end of the first quarter.
Between the end of the first quarter and start of the second, the Hokies went on a 12-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by a second touchdown connection from Hooker to Keene.
Looking to ignite the comeback, the Hurricanes squandered a second-quarter opportunity from the Virginia Tech 4-yard line. After a 51-yard pass from Perry to Jordan, Perry was intercepted on a fourthdown throw to the end zone. UM would end up getting the Hail Mary to Pope right before halftime.
Miami faces a short week, hosting No. 23 Virginia on Friday night. The Cavaliers are coming off a bye after their loss to Notre Dame on Sept. 28.