Neither team could manage a touchdown, but Miami did get one into the end zone – a two-point conversion run by QB Jake Garcia in the fourth OT to give the ‘Canes a walk-off 14-12 win over UVA on Saturday at Scott Stadium.
You could have played this one in Klockner Stadium – the game featured eight field goals, four by each side, and 14 punts, and not much else, other than utter ineptitude on the part of both offenses.
For Virginia, in particular, this one will sting, because the ‘Hoos (3-5, 1-4 ACC) dominated the second half statistically, outgaining Miami 231-121, getting the ball inside the Miami 5 on three drives, but only managing six points – on two short Will Bettridge field goals – for those efforts.
The first series had Virginia with a first-and-goal at the 3, but a shovel pass to Keytaon Thompson on first down lost seven yards, setting the offense behind the chains ahead of a 27-yard Bettridge field goal.
The second had the Cavaliers set up with a first-and-goal at the 1 after a 64-yard catch-and-run by Mike Hollins, but a 1-yard loss on first down by Xavier Brown, a short gain on another shovel pass to Thompson on second down, and then an incompletion to Grant Misch on third down left coach Tony Elliott with fourth-and-goal at the 1.
Elliott decided to go for it, and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings dialed up the right play call, and Brennan Armstrong hit Misch in the hands in the end zone, but Misch dropped the pass, for a turnover on downs.
The third botch had UVA with a third-and-2 at the Miami 4 after an Armstrong 8-yard designed run. Kitchings, this time, went with a run by Perris Jones, who lost two yards, ahead of a 24-yard Bettridge kick.
Miami could have and probably should have won the game in regulation. The ‘Canes (4-4, 2-2 ACC), after getting the ball back at its own 45 with 5:29 to go, methodically drove the ball into the red zone, getting to first-and-goal at the UVA 3 with 1:29 to go.
The drive stalled from there, with the Virginia defense aided by an illegal substitution penalty on Miami on third-and-goal. Miami kicker Andres Borregales was good from 20 on the final play of regulation to make it 6-6.
Miami, on offense first, failed to pick up a first down, and needed Borregales to bail things out with a pressure-packed 42-yarder to put points on the board.
That meant UVA had a chance to win with a TD, but here’s where you wonder what Kitchings is thinking sometimes.
The first-down call was an Armstrong designed run, for one yard.
Second down was another Armstrong designed run, for four yards.
BA was sacked on third down, meaning it was Bettridge’s turn for a pressure-packed kick, which he converted from 41 yards, to send the game to a second OT.
UVA was on offense first in the second extra session, and Kitchings again went with an Armstrong designed run on first down, for one yard.
Armstrong and Dontayvion Wicks weren’t on the same page on a second-down throw that fell incomplete, bringing up a third-and-long, and BA and Wicks couldn’t connect on that play, ahead of another Bettridge 41-yarder.
The Virginia D held on the next series, and Borregales was good from 37 to send the game to a third OT.
The odd overtime rules that have each team running a single two-point play beginning in the third OT took hold at this stage.
Virginia had a chance, after getting a stop on Miami’s try, to win on its third-OT try, but a pass from Armstrong to Wicks bounced out of Wicks’ hands along the right sideline in the end zone.
UVA had to go first in the fourth OT, and Armstrong, forced out of the pocket, was incomplete intended for Lavel Davis Jr. beyond the end line.
Miami finally hit paydirt on its next snap, with Garcia faking a handoff, rolling right, and diving to the pylon for the score and the win.
Game Notes
Offense
- QB: Armstrong was 15-of-25 passing for 208 yards, and had 90 sack-adjusted rushing yards on 15 attempts.
- Running backs: Perris Jones, Xavier Brown and Hollins combined for 13 rushing attempts. Jones had seven rushes for 28 yards, Brown four attempts for eight yards, Hollins two carries for 16 yards.
- Receivers: Thompson had five catches on seven targets for 41 yards. Billy Kemp IV had five catches on five targets for 28 yards. Davis had one catch on three targets for 47 yards. Wicks had one catch on four targets for 14 yards.
- O line: The big guys surrendered five sacks and six additional tackles-for-loss. The rushing offense did gain a sack-adjusted 142 yards on 28 attempts, but 54 of those yards came on Armstrong scrambles.
Defense
- The D held Miami to 272 yards. Miami’s QBs, Garcia and Jacurri Brown, combined to go 15-of-32 for 125 yards through the air. Henry Parrish Jr. did go for 113 yards on 24 carries on the ground, rushing for 30 yards on six attempts on the game-tying fourth-quarter drive.
- Notable on D: Nick Jackson (14 tackles, one pass breakup), Coen King (13 tackles, one pass breakup), Antonio Clary (six tackles, one sack), Aaron Faumui (five tackles, half-sack, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, one Qb hurry), Chico Bennett Jr. (three tackles, one sack, three QB hurries), Anthony Johnson (three tackles, two pass breakups), Fentrell Cypress III (two tackles, two pass breakups).
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Chris Graham
