The Miami Hurricanes preserved their undefeated record on Saturday night with a 38-35 victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns as the Hurricanes managed to withstand a late surge by the Tar Heels.
Offenses Exchange Blows in High-Scoring First Half
Miami opened the scoring on its opening possession, engineering a 13-play, 74-yard drive. Mensah capped the series by lofting a two-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Toney in the corner of the end zone. Toney finished the game with seven receptions for 75 yards and two scores.
North Carolina responded in the second quarter behind quarterback Billy Edwards, who completed 28 of 34 passes for 341 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Edwards threw two second-quarter touchdown passes to tight end Jelani Thurman on drives of 84 and 75 yards.
Miami answered between Thurman’s scores when running back Mark Fletcher Jr. caught a screen pass and ran 31 yards for a touchdown. Fletcher added 43 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. A field goal shortly before halftime gave the Hurricanes a 17-14 lead heading into the break.
Defensive Takeaway and Penalty-Filled Finish
North Carolina took a 21-17 lead early in the third quarter when Edwards connected with Jordan Shipp for a touchdown. Miami retook the lead on a Fletcher rushing touchdown that stood after video review, but the Tar Heels responded with a 16-play, 75-yard drive lasting nearly eight and a half minutes, capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Demon June to make it 28-24.
Miami reclaimed the lead for good in the fourth quarter. Following a 31-yard completion to Toney, Fletcher scored on a fourth-and-1 run from the two-yard line. On North Carolina’s subsequent possession, Miami defender Marquise Lightfoot forced a fumble by Edwards, which Justin Scott recovered. Six plays later, Mensah hit Toney on a slant route for a touchdown, extending Miami’s advantage to 38-28 with just over two and a half minutes remaining.
Chase Smith, JJ Dunnigan, and Mohamed Toure led the Miami defense with nine tackles each. North Carolina moved 75 yards in 55 seconds on the following drive to pull within 38-35. The Tar Heels recovered two consecutive onside kick attempts, but both plays were negated by offsides and illegal block penalties. Miami recovered the third onside attempt to run out the clock and secure the win ahead of its upcoming matchup against Notre Dame.
