CORAL GABLES—Composure and staying focused are keys to victory in any game. The Miami Hurricanes have been preaching that all week and have practiced it for most of this season. They have executed those things well. The Canes would survive a major scare from the Hokies Friday night (Sept. 27) at Hard Rock Stadium.
It took a heroic late fourth-quarter effort on both sides of the ball to earn their 38-34 win in the ACC opener for both teams. On the game’s final play, with three seconds left, Virginia Tech junior quarterback Kyron Drones launched a Hail Mary pass in the end zone as time expired. The referees initially ruled it a catch by Hokies senior wide receiver Da’Quan Felton.
But after further review, the call was overturned in favor of Miami. With the win, No. 7 Miami improves to 5-0 (1-0 in ACC play) and drops Virginia Tech to 2-3 (0-1 in ACC play). Miami outgained Virginia Tech in total yardage (508-394), first downs (24-23), and time of possession (33:42-26:18).
Miami overcame three turnovers by quarterback Cam Ward, who would go on to engineer a memorable game-winning drive that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Isaiah Horton with 1:57 left in the game. Ward finished this one by completing 24 of 38 passes for 343 yards, four touchdown passes, two interceptions, and a lost fumble.
The roller-coaster ride started with the game's first possession as Ward lost a fumble on a third-down play at the 14:08 mark. The Heisman Trophy contender was trying to scramble for some yardage but lost the ball close to the Cane's 30-yard line.
Senior linebacker Sam Brumfield recovered the fumble, setting the Hokies up for success with great field position. Virginia Tech junior quarterback Drones found the end zone in only three plays.
The dual-threat QB made a Canes defender miss a tackle in the pocket; he found a wide-open wide receiver in sophomore Benji Gosnell in the middle of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
An extra point by sophomore kicker John Love gave Virginia Tech a 7-0 lead over Miami at the 12:47 mark. With Miami getting the ball back and a chance to atone for a lost fumble, Ward made sure to make the most of this next possession. He found junior tight end Elijah Arroyo for a contested 45-yard pass from the Miami 37-yard line to the Virginia Tech 18-yard line. On the next play, Ward placed the ball in a spot where only senior wide receiver Jacolby George could catch it right in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown pass. An extra point by kicker Andres Borregales tied the game up at 7-7 with 10:05 left in the first quarter. Miami went back on defense and only had to be out there for two plays on the next possession.
Senior defensive back Mishael Powell caught a tipped pass for an interception, which gave Ward and co. the ball back for a chance to take the lead. In only three plays, Ward found a wide-open Arroyo on a play fake right in the middle of the field for a 38-yard touchdown pass. With a second extra point by Borregales, Miami took a 14-7 lead over Virginia Tech at the 8:19 mark.
The game’s next score would come from Virginia Tech. It all started when Ward threw a red-zone interception to sophomore safety Mose Phillips III, who caught it at the Tech 3-yard line and ran it 33 yards to the 36-yard line. A three-play, 64-yard drive ended with a 55-yard touchdown run from senior running back Bhayshul Tuten. An extra point by Love tied the game back up at 14-14 with 11:59 left in the second quarter.
The following Virginia Tech possession started after Miami was forced to punt. It ended with a 20-yard touchdown run from senior wide receiver Jaylin Lane. The five-play, 69-yard drive was highlighted by Lane’s rushing score and Love’s third extra point, which gave Virginia Tech a 21-14 lead over Miami at the 5:25 mark.
To close out the first half, both teams would trade 50+ yard field goals. Virginia Tech would extend the lead to 24-14 over Miami after Love connected on a 57-yard field goal with 20 seconds left. Miami would then close the gap to 24-17 as Borreglaes hit a 56-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer.
Going on to the third quarter, Virginia Tech would add more points to the board by way of an eight-play, 41-yard drive that ended with Love’s 52-yard field goal. This gave Tech a 27-17 lead over Miami. The Hokies 10-point lead over the Canes lasted until the final minutes of the third quarter, when Ward would overcome his second interception with a 17-yard touchdown run.
An eight-play, 89-yard drive ended with Ward’s rushing score and a third extra point from Borregales as Miami cut Virginia Tech’s lead to 27-24 with 2:18 left in the third quarter. The next Virginia Tech possession would last ten plays and take over five minutes off the clock. It ended with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Drones to sophomore wide receiver Ayden Greene at the 12:05 mark of the fourth quarter. With another extra point from Love, Tech would get the lead back to a 10-point margin over Miami, 34-24.
Miami would get the ball back and make the most of this possession. A nine-play, 70-yard drive ended with Ward’s second touchdown pass, this time to senior tight end Cam McCormick for a 6-yard score. And with another extra point from Borregales, Miami cut Virginia Tech’s lead to 34-31 with 8:40 left in the game. The Hokies got the ball back again, but it would be a short drive. This one was a three-and-out, as Miami’s defense forced Drones to throw two incomplete passes, including one on third down at the 7:56 mark.
After the three-and-out, Tech punted the ball to Miami, which set the stage for the game’s most pivotal drive. Ward would go ahead and lead a methodical 10-play, 57-yard drive that took almost six minutes off the clock. After being sacked by Aaenas Peebles for a 6-yard loss on first, Ward completed two straight 10-yard passes to Arroyo and George.
Miami would eventually reach the 50-yard line, and from there, it was on. Ward would find senior wide receiver Xavier Restrepo for a drive-extending 4-yard catch on fourth-and-3 play, which saved the game for Miami. Restrepo made the catch on his back after slipping while the ball came his way.
After two runs from junior running back Damien Martinez, Ward completed three straight passes en route to the end zone, including a 26-yarder to sophomore tight end Riley Williams to the Virginia Tech 1-yard line and the 1-yard touchdown pass to Horton with 1:57 left. An extra point by Borregales gave Miami the lead back at 38-34 over Virginia Tech.
The final possession went to the Hokies, as Drones zeroed in on his hopes of leading his team to an upset win at Hard Rock Stadium. It took nine plays to finish this game, with the drive starting at the Virginia Tech 25-yard line with 1:47 left.
Drones completed five of six passes and rushed for 12 yards to reach the Miami 30-yard line with just three seconds left. And then the game’s final play happened.
Miami’s next game will be on the road at Cal (Saturday, Oct. 5; 10:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. PST). It will be the Canes' second ACC game of the season.
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