SYRACUSE - A dream regular season for the Miami Hurricanes came to a shocking end on Saturday (Nov. 30). An early 21-0 lead turned into a 42-38 road loss to unranked Syracuse. The Canes have been eliminated from the ACC title contention and likely will not earn their first College Football Playoff berth this season.

As a result of this loss, the sixth-ranked Canes dropped to 10-2 on the season and finished ACC play at 6-2.

The Canes gave up 26 first downs while allowing seven of ten third down conversions and 479 total yards to the Orange, who improved to 9-3 on the season and finished ACC play at 5-3.

Most of the Orange’s yards were in the passing game, as senior quarterback Kyle McCord completed 26 of 36 passes for 380 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. However, the eventual game-winning score for the Orange would occur on a running play, as junior running back LeQuint Allen’s 3-yard touchdown run helped give his team a 42-35 lead with 9:16 left.

The Canes were held to a field goal on the next drive as a 14-play, 65-yard drive resulted in a 27-yarder by senior kicker Andres Borreglaes with 3:42 left. His special team score cut the Orange lead to four points. But the Orange gained four first downs on their final possession to seal the deal at JMA Wireless Dome.

Before the Orange’s comeback effort against the Canes, senior quarterback Cam Ward (25-of- 36 passing for 349 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions) accounted for two of the game’s first three touchdowns. Ward’s first one was a 16-yard touchdown strike to senior wide receiver Xavier Restrepo (nine catches, 148 yards, one touchdown) at the 3:43 mark of the first quarter, which gave the Canes a 14-0 lead.

The second and final touchdown pass came at the 12:57 mark of the second quarter, as junior tight end Elijah Arroyo (five catches, 44 yards, one touchdown) caught a 3-yarder in the end zone as the Canes extended their lead to 21-0.

Syracuse went to work after that. It did not take long for the home team to start getting back in the game, as McCord completed four straight passes for 65 yards and led the Orange to the Canes' 8-yard line. From then on, Allen mustered an 8-yard touchdown run to help cut the Canes' lead to 21-7 at 10:54.

Syracuse scored again in the second quarter as McCord would find senior wide receiver Jackson Meeks (seven catches, 110 yards, two touchdowns) for a 9-yard end zone pass with 3:41 left in the first half. This would help trim the Miami lead further to 21-14. For the second quarter, Miami was forced to punt on two of its three possessions - both of which happened after Syracuse scored.

The Canes clung to a 21-14 halftime lead, but the Orange had plans to make the third quarter one to remember. And they did, as McCord led his team to a three-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Trebor Pena (six receptions, 128 yards, one touchdown).

As a result of the Orange’s passing score, the game was tied up at 21- 21 with 14:21 left in the third quarter. But it was not long before the Canes took the lead back. Sophomore running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who opened up the scoring on the game’s first possession with a 2-yard touchdown run, added another 2-yarder to the end zone as it helped put the Canes back out front 28-21 at the 11:02 mark.

The Orange was not deterred by this at all. After Miami senior defensive lineman Tyler Baron sacked McCord for a loss, he fired off four pass completions, including a 9-yard touchdown pass to Meeks.

The game was tied at 28-28 with 7:37 left in the third quarter. Miami’s next offensive drive ended in its third punt of the game. But the road team would get the ball back after freshman linebacker Cam Pruitt forced and recovered a lost Syracuse fumble at the 3:49 mark. Shortly after the fumble recovery, the Canes offense was stopped by its own lost fumble as Orange freshman defensive Devin Grant scooped up the ball and took it 56 yards to the end zone.

With the defensive score, the Orange took their first lead of the game with 1:47 left in the third frame. Miami answered back with its final game touchdown, made possible by an eight-play, 75-yard that ended with a 2-yard run to the end zone by junior running back Damien Martinez early in the fourth quarter.

The score was tied for the final time at 35-35. From that point on, Syracuse scored seven of the game’s final combined ten points. Both teams will wait for Selection Sunday on December 8, when they will learn their respective bowl game destinations.

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