The Miami Hurricanes bounced back from last week’s debacle with one of the best plays in college history to beat Duke University 30-27. It was an emotional win for the Hurricanes after coach Al Golden was fired, and cornerback Artie Burns lost his mother this past week to an unexpected passing.
What went right:
Backup quarterback Malik Rosier grew up Saturday night, completing 20/29 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. He played in a poised manner and made plays when he had to, leading the Hurricanes downfield throughout the night.
Running backs Joseph Yearby and Mark Walton combined for 131 yards on 32 carries; carrying the workload of Miami’s offense. With some tough, physical runs, Miami was able to establish the run early and often in the game, opening things up for Rosier in the passing game.
Wide receiver Stacy Coley continued his impressive season with five receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. Herb Waters also had an impactful night grabbing four receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown.
Last but certainly not least, the lateral play at the end will go down as one of the best plays in college history. After a chaotic number of laterals, cornerback Corn Elder ended up with the ball in his hands, running for the final 50 yards to the end zone with no time left on the clock. Words cannot describe this event, as ‘Canes fans were speechless after what they just witnessed. It was a miracle to see Miami pull off one of the craziest plays in college football history with six seconds left in the fourth quarter. It’s a play that words cannot do justice to, and for any fan who hasn’t seen the play yet, it’s one that needs to be watched. That’s the only way to truly appreciate the unbelievable win that the Hurricanes earned.
What went wrong:
The penalties were atrocious. Miami committed 23 penalties for 194 yards, setting an Atlantic Coast Conference record. It was ridiculous, embarrassing and unacceptable for this team to commit that many penalties. Miami must clean this up before they play out the rest of the season, as penalties almost led to a loss Saturday night.
The defense played with heart and tenacity all game, but they didn’t show up for the last six minutes of the fourth quarter. This may be a result of exhaustion because Miami is short on linebackers due to numerous injuries earlier this season. Leading the game 24-12 with a little over six minutes left, blowing that lead was completely intolerable. This collapse was reminiscent of the blown lead versus Nebraska earlier this season; it’s becoming a seriously concerning theme for the ‘Canes. They must play in the fourth quarter until the clock hits zero, but then again, they taught Duke University that Saturday night.
A lot of Duke fans and clown reporters from ESPN are claiming that Miami illegally pulled off the last play of the game. The rules state that a player must have the ball in possession when his knee is down. The ball is clearly wobbling out of Walton’s hand while his knee is down, making it a disputable play at the end.
There were claims to be blocks in the back, but most fans will recognize all of the blocks were legal, coming from the side, not the back. All blocks Miami players committed were completely legal. ESPN needs to stop promoting Miami’s blocks as illegal.
One thing that everyone has pointed out was wide receiver Rashawn Scott ran onto the field without his helmet for the last 10 yards celebrating as Corn Elder ran into the end zone. This was a completely illegal, boneheaded play that could’ve cost Miami a penalty, thus negating the miraculous play. There are always a lot of emotions running high during a moment like that, but Miami players must wait until the play is over to begin to celebrate. Miami got lucky that Scott’s penalty went unnoticed.
Then again, who cares. Must Miami fans remind the NCAA about the botched pass interference call in the National Championship game against Ohio State years ago? Yeah, Miami knows a thing or two about getting robbed of a win at the end of games…
Looking forward:
This win was for Artie Burns’s mother Dana Smith who tragically passed this past week. Rest easy Ms. Smith.
With Miami’s miraculous win under interim head coach Larry Scott, the Hurricanes look to keep the momentum for the rest of the season. They will face a tough test at home versus Virginia University, who always play Miami tough. The two teams face each other Saturday, 3:30 p.m. at Sun Life Stadium.
Brandon Carusillo is a senior majoring in public relations and minoring in psychology. He’s from Coral Springs and wants to work as an entertainment agent when he graduates. He loves music, sports, writing and photography.
words_brandon carusillo.