UNC football defeats Miami for fourth straight year in 27-24 win

The North Carolina football team (5-1, 2-0 ACC) beat Miami (2-3, 0-1 ACC) 27-24 on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in what was a hard-fought 60 minutes for the Tar Heels.

What happened?

The North Carolina defense stopped the Miami offense on their first possession, but the punt would pin the Tar Heels at their own five-yard line. After gaining a first down on third and one, UNC would again face a third down two plays later. The team drew up a passing play for sophomore wide receiver J.J. Jones and he got behind the Hurricanes' coverage and scored a 74-yard touchdown.

On Miami’s next possession, they would get to the UNC 35-yard line in just four plays including an 11-yard and a 19-yard pass. Their progress would be stopped as after a five-yard pass, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke threw an incomplete pass and was sacked, forcing a 53-yard field goal, which went wide left.

The Tar Heels looked to capitalize on this but was unsuccessful as after getting all the way down to Miami 8-yard line, redshirt first-year quarterback Drake Maye’s pass sailed past his intended target and the team turned the ball over.

Following a turnover on downs on the goal line by Miami, UNC got the ball back and started on its own one-yard line. North Carolina advanced 97 yards in just five plays, including an 11-yard and a 52-yard reception from senior wide receiver Antoine Green. Three plays after, first-year running back Omarion Hampton put it into the end zone to give UNC a 14-point lead.

After being faced with a third and six, Van Dyke found tight end Will Mallory for a 31-yard gain to get to UNC’s side of the field. Two plays later, Van Dyke found an open receiver across the field for a 20-yard touchdown to make it 14-7. 

Responding to the Miami touchdown, North Carolina got on the opposite side of the field within five plays using a 22-yard Bryson Nesbit reception to get to the Miami 38. The Miami defense stepped up and forced a UNC fourth down, but Maye found junior wide receiver Josh Downs for a first down. He found  Downs again on second down for a 15-yard touchdown to make it 21-7 with 1:31 left in the first half.

Miami got on the UNC side of the field using 11, 15 and 12-yard passes before the North Carolina defense forced a fourth down. Van Dyke, though, found Mallory for a 22-yard gain to get to the four-yard line. After a negative run on first down, Miami passed for a touchdown to get within seven.

UNC elected to try to score before halftime, which led to Maye throwing an interception on first down. Miami ran three plays within 18 seconds to get within field goal range to go into halftime down 21-17.

UNC allowed a sack on the first play of the second half, and on the next, Maye threw his second interception of the game.

Miami was unable to capitalize on Maye’s mistake and turned the ball over on downs, with North Carolina taking over at the Miami 44. After getting all the way to the 13-yard line off the strength of a 12-yard pass and 15-yard run, their progress was stopped and the Tar Heels were forced to kick a field goal to go back up a touchdown.

For the next 7:53, both defenses were stout, not allowing any points, making it a 24-17 game heading into the fourth quarter. 

Miami started with the ball in the fourth quarter, making it all the way to the UNC 26. On fourth and one, North Carolina forced a fumble to hold Miami in check and keep it a one-score game.  

The Tar Heels then went down the field using an 18-play drive that lasted over eight minutes to score a field goal to go up two possessions. 

Miami responded on its next drive with a possession as the team had three 10+ yard receptions, including a 16-yard touchdown to make the score 27-24.

On its next possession, UNC was unable to get within scoring range and punted it off to Miami with 1:20 left in the game, pinning them at the 10-yard line.

Miami was able to make it all the way to the UNC 47, but a tackle in bounds by North Carolina forced the offense to be rushed, leading to an interception, which allowed UNC to kneel the clock out.

Who stood out? 

Van Dyke stood out for Miami, throwing for 496 yards and three touchdowns, with 115 of those yards going to Mallory. For UNC, sophomore linebacker Power Echols was a big factor, accumulating a career-high 14 tackles.

When was it decided?

The game was decided when Van Dyke’s pass was picked off by sophomore defensive back DeAndre Boykins, which allowed the Tar Heels to complete the win.

Why does it matter?

The win gives UNC its second conference win of the season and puts them at the top of the Coastal Division. The momentum gained from the win will be big for down the road as they’ve yet to play teams like Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, and N.C. State.

When do they play next?

After the win in Miami, UNC will travel down Tobacco Road next Saturday for a matchup against Duke in Durham.

@thenoahmonroe

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