Miami at North Carolina

Miami at North Carolina

This is Missed It. Miami at North Carolina, Saturday, October thirty-first, with the Tar Heels. 56 and overcast at Kenan Stadium. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a big one here in Chapel Hill. Miami comes in seven and oh, riding that perfect record, and we're sitting at four and three, needing a statement. The Hurricanes have the ball first, and the crowd is already on their feet. This is the kind of night that defines a season , we know it, they know it, and the noise is building before a single snap.

Q1

Miami starts with the football, and they waste no time making a statement. They chew up the clock, methodically moving down the field, and with 8:33 left in the first quarter, Mensah finds Toney on a short pass to the right. Toney catches it at the goal line, two yards, and it's a touchdown. The extra point is good, and just like that, it's 7 to 0 Miami. The drive took 14 plays, and you could feel the air leave the building just a little. But we answer. Edwards Jr. drops back, and on third down, he finds McGill on a short pass to the left, caught at the 30, and McGill turns it upfield for 11 yards to the 36. First down. The crowd finds its voice again. Then Edwards Jr. goes back to work, this time finding June on a short pass to the left, and June takes it 20 yards all the way to the Miami 44. Out of bounds, first down. The momentum is shifting, you can feel it building. We're moving. But the drive stalls. We can't finish it, and we're forced to punt it away. Miami takes over, runs seven plays, and they can't get anything going either. They punt it right back. Now it's our turn again, and this time, we make it count. Eleven plays. We're patient, we're methodical, and then with 11:52 left in the second quarter, Edwards Jr. drops back and fires a short pass over the middle to Thurman. Thurman catches it at the goal line, eight yards, and it's a touchdown. The extra point is good, and we're tied at 7 to 7. The place erupts. We answered right back, and this game is exactly what we thought it would be.

Q2

Tied at seven, and Miami gets the ball back. They start moving again, and with 8:03 left, Fletcher Jr. takes a handoff up the middle, four yards, and he picks up the first down to the North Carolina 31. It's a small play, but it keeps the chains moving, and you can see them starting to find their rhythm. Then, with 7:41 on the clock, Mensah rolls out and finds Fletcher Jr. on a short pass to the right. Fletcher Jr. catches it at the 33, and he's gone , 31 yards to the house. Touchdown. The extra point is good, and it's 14 to 7 Miami. We need an answer. We get the ball back, and we go to work. Thirteen plays. Edwards Jr. finds Kekahuna on a short pass to the right, caught at the 39, and Kekahuna takes it 19 yards to the Miami 43. Out of bounds, first down. The momentum is swinging back our way. Then June takes a handoff up the middle, three yards, and he picks up the first down to the Miami 31. We're knocking on the door. And we punch it through. Edwards Jr. finds Thurman again, this time on a short pass over the middle, caught at the goal line, eight yards, and it's a touchdown. The extra point is good, and we're tied at 14 to 14. The place is rocking. But Miami has time, and they know how to use it. With under a minute left in the half, Mensah drops back and launches a deep pass to the right, finding Barkate at the 20, a 40-yard strike all the way to the North Carolina 9. First down. The clock is ticking, and they're in field goal range. They run a couple of plays, and they kick it through. 17 to 14 Miami at the break. We get the ball back with no time, and that's the half.

Halftime

So here we are, down 17 to 14, and it feels like we're right there. The play that turned the half was that Fletcher Jr. run up the middle, four yards, picking up the first down to the North Carolina 31. It doesn't sound like much, but it kept that Miami drive alive, and they scored on it. That's the difference right now , they're making the plays when they matter, and we're just a step behind. We need to come out in the second half and take control. We've shown we can move the ball. We've shown we can score. Now we need to do it when it counts.

Q3

We get the ball to start the second half, and we come out firing. On the second play of the drive, Edwards Jr. finds Thurman on a short pass over the middle, caught at the 46, and Thurman takes it 23 yards to the Miami 48. First down. The crowd is back in it. We keep pushing, and with 10:51 left in the third, Edwards Jr. drops back and finds Shipp on a short pass to the right. Shipp catches it at the goal line, 16 yards, and it's a touchdown. The extra point is good, and we take the lead, 21 to 17. The place is deafening. But Miami doesn't flinch. They get the ball back, and on second down, Mensah tucks it and runs left, 24 yards to the 50. First down. Then he finds Fletcher Jr. on a short pass to the left, caught at the 44, 12 yards to the North Carolina 38. Out of bounds, first down. They're moving, and you can feel the momentum swinging back their way. Then, with 5:14 left in the quarter, Fletcher Jr. takes a handoff up the middle, two yards, and he's in for the touchdown. It goes to review , did he break the plane? The call is upheld. Touchdown. The extra point is good, and it's 24 to 21 Miami.

The Sequence

This is where the game gets decided. We're down 24 to 21, and we need to answer. We get the ball back, and we start grinding. Eighteen plays. We're moving the chains, eating clock, and with 12:46 left in the fourth, Edwards Jr. finds Humphrey on a short pass to the left, caught at the 14, 10 yards to the Miami 12. First down. We're knocking on the door. Then, with 11:46 on the clock, June takes a handoff up the middle, one yard, and he's in for the touchdown. The extra point is good, and we take the lead, 28 to 24. The place is going crazy. But Miami has an answer. They get the ball back, and they drive right down the field. Ten plays. With 7:49 left, Fletcher Jr. takes a handoff up the middle, two yards, and he's in for the touchdown. The extra point is good, and it's 31 to 28 Miami. The air goes out of the building again. We get the ball back, and we need a response. Five plays. On third down, Edwards Jr. drops back, and he's sacked. He loses four yards, and the ball comes out. Fumble. Miami recovers at the 37. Turnover. The silence is deafening. We had a chance, and it slipped right through our fingers. Miami takes over, and they don't waste it. Six plays, and they punch it in. 38 to 28 Miami. The clock is ticking, and we're running out of time. But we don't quit. We get the ball back with 2:33 left, and we go to work. Ten plays. We're moving, we're fighting, and with 1:37 left, we find the end zone. Touchdown. The extra point is good, and it's 38 to 35. We're within three, and we need a miracle. Miami gets the ball back with 1:35 left. Four plays. They run out the clock. That's the game.

Wrap-up

Final score: Miami 38, North Carolina 35. It hurts. We fought, we clawed, we had our chances, but that fumble in the fourth quarter was the difference. We fall to four and four, and Miami stays perfect at eight and oh. We're right there, but right there isn't good enough tonight. We'll be back.

By the Numbers

The Tar Heels by the numbers. Final score, North Carolina 35, Miami 38. 407 yards of offense to their 416, 341 through the air and 66 on the ground. 27 first downs. 8 of 11 on third down. 1 turnover for us, 0 for them. We held the ball for just under 31 minutes.

Outro

That was Miami at North Carolina, from the Tar Heels side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.