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10/31 23:05 CDT Fletcher's go-ahead score, Lightfoot's defensive play help No.
1 Miami rally past UNC 38-35
Fletcher's go-ahead score, Lightfoot's defensive play help No. 1 Miami rally
past UNC 38-35
By AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) --- Mark Fletcher Jr. punched in the go-ahead 2-yard
touchdown run on fourth down with 7:49 left and No. 1 Miami followed with a
critical takeaway, helping the Hurricanes finally shake free to beat North
Carolina 38-35 and avoid a seismic upset Saturday night.
Marquise Lightfoot and Justin Scott followed Fletcher's third score of the
night by teaming up for the critical stop, with Lightfoot stripping Billy
Edwards Jr. from behind as he tried to throw, and Scott recovering the fumble
with 5:33 left.
That became what turned into the deciding sequence for the Hurricanes (8-0, 6-0
Atlantic Coast Conference). Their high-powered offense followed by stretching
the lead, getting a terrific individual effort on Elija Lofton's leap over a
would-be tackler on a catch to move the chains and ultimately set up Darian
Mensah's 9-yard scoring strike to star receiver Malachi Toney to make it 38-28
with 2:33 left.
"In games like that, really important --- like we tell our players --- you just
keep playing," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. "Because you don't know what
play is going to turn the whole thing around. And certainly the fumble was a
massive turnaround that swung the momentum in the game."
That ultimately helped send the Hurricanes through to next week's marquee road
matchup with No. 5 Notre Dame, though only after seeing their defense struggle
to get off the field the entire way against the Tar Heels (4-4, 2-3).
This one against the team led by NFL coaching icon Bill Belichick went to the
final minute, with Miami having to recover an onside kick --- coming after
North Carolina had a pair of recoveries negated by penalties --- before finally
being able to kneel it out.
North Carolina fell to 0-12 against No. 1-ranked teams.
Mensah threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns, with two going to Toney and
one to Fletcher.
Edwards threw for a season-high 341 yards to go with four touchdowns for UNC,
with two of those scores going to tight end Jelani Thurman. Edwards and the
offense spent the entire evening steadily moving the ball down field, with the
line opening lanes and receivers finding wide gaps for Edwards to target.
As the game wore on, the Tar Heels continued to sustain drives, including a
16-play TD drive lasting nearly 8 1/2 minutes, that kept them hovering within
range of an upset that seemed unlikely a kickoff but felt like a realistic
possibility deep into the fourth quarter.
"Obviously with a team like Miami, it's going to come down to critical plays,
critical moments," Edwards said.
The takeaway Miami: The Hurricanes followed a double-overtime win over Florida State by returning to their dominating ways last week against Pittsburgh. But the defensive showing was a concerning way to go into the tussle with the Fighting Irish, with Miami giving up its highest total in regulation this year. UNC: The Tar Heels were building momentum with back-to-back wins at then-No. 25 Pitt and Duke, only to squander that by losing at home in overtime last week toa Syracuse team sitting at 0-4 in the ACC. Yet the Tar Heels turned in a performance that few could've expected against the Hurricanes, particularly with an offense that kept the pressure on all night.
Up next Miami: The Hurricanes' game at Notre Dame next Saturday is a rematch of last year's game that ultimately swung a College Football Playoff bid to the Hurricanes instead of the Irish. UNC: The Tar Heels step out of ACC play to visit UConn next Saturday. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here.
The takeaway Miami: The Hurricanes followed a double-overtime win over Florida State by returning to their dominating ways last week against Pittsburgh. But the defensive showing was a concerning way to go into the tussle with the Fighting Irish, with Miami giving up its highest total in regulation this year. UNC: The Tar Heels were building momentum with back-to-back wins at then-No. 25 Pitt and Duke, only to squander that by losing at home in overtime last week toa Syracuse team sitting at 0-4 in the ACC. Yet the Tar Heels turned in a performance that few could've expected against the Hurricanes, particularly with an offense that kept the pressure on all night.
Up next Miami: The Hurricanes' game at Notre Dame next Saturday is a rematch of last year's game that ultimately swung a College Football Playoff bid to the Hurricanes instead of the Irish. UNC: The Tar Heels step out of ACC play to visit UConn next Saturday. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here.
