The Miami Hurricanes survived the North Carolina Tar Heels on a spooky Halloween night in Chapel Hill, 38-35. Whew. I can finally exhale. That was a rollercoaster. Our pass defense looked so bad, I'm not sure what to say. At the same time, I felt oddly confident Miami would somehow force a turnover, then it happened! That was the play of the game. Wow. What a game.
Let's get to the three stars of the game.
Early in the fourth quarter, when I heard ABC game announcer Sean McDonough say Toney didn't have a catch since Miami's opening drive, I couldn't believe my ears. Luckily, Toney may have heard that as well, since he came up clutch in the final period. The all-around playmaker finished with seven receptions, 75 yards, two touchdowns, and 11 rushing yards. Toney's 31-yard-catch-and-run to kickstart Miami's first fourth quarter drive was gigantic. He also drew a double-team on Fletcher's catch-and-run touchdown in the first half. There was no doubt who the best football player on the field was tonight.
Miami's team leader became the all-time touchdown leader in Hurricanes history tonight. I especially loved the outside screen pass (I assume that's a screen pass, please don't ever doubt my football knowledge!) that Fletcher set up perfectly for a touchdown. That was a huge play to regain the lead in the first half. Beyond that, #4 had some big third and fourth-down conversions. I wouldn't have guessed before kickoff, but tonight was a Mark Fletcher Jr. game. Stats: 13 rushes, 43 yards, two touchdowns, two receptions, 43 yards, one touchdown.
Miami's signal caller made plays when it counted, especially with his legs. Mensah had a couple huge third-down conversions running the ball. Beyond that, he was his accurate self. If the Canes don't punt in the first half, this game might not have been as close. But I digress. I loved the way Mensah handled pressure tonight. The offensive line is what it is. Darian Mensah is efficiently leading the best offense in the country. I still wouldn't rather have any other quarterback in college football. I feel great about him leading the Canes into South Bend, IN next Saturday night. Stats: 22-29, 274 yards, 3 touchdowns, 36 rushing yards, no turnovers.
JJ Dunnigan –The superstar freshman made his presence known again tonight. He finished tied for the team lead in total tackles with nine, he was second on the team in solo tackles with four, plus he had the big half-sack on UNC's first possession. No one on defense was perfect, but JJ continued to show how good he is.
Elija Lofton –The athletic tight end was HUGE. His 12-yard catch-and-run on Miami's final touchdown drive was a thing of beauty. Lofton finished with three receptions for 48 yards.
Who were your three stars of the game? Let us know in the comments below.
