Each week this season, we’ll take a look at the game that was for the Hurricanes.
Here are some key storylines, numbers of note, and quotes from Miami’s 38-35 win over ACC foe North Carolina on Saturday night at Kenan Stadium.
With the win, the Hurricanes improved to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play. They remain atop the ACC standings and remain at No. 1 in both the AP Top 25 and the US LBM Coaches Poll.
North Carolina, meanwhile, fell to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
The Recap
Ahead of Saturday’s game at North Carolina, the Hurricanes stressed they knew they’d face a test in Chapel Hill, especially given some of the coaches on the Tar Heels staff.
North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino have proven themselves, over decades, to be two of the top minds in football, at both the NFL and collegiate level.
And they had the Tar Heels more than ready to line up against the nation’s top-ranked team.
Every time Miami scored, North Carolina answered and it wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that the Hurricanes were able to finally build a double-digit lead.
After North Carolina took a 28-24 lead on the strength of a 1-yard touchdown run by Demon June with 11:46 left, Miami responded with a 9-play, 75-yard drive that took 3:57 off the clock and ended when Mark Fletcher Jr. scored his third touchdown of the night on a 2-yard run that put Miami back on top.
Then Miami’s defense delivered its biggest play of the night.
With North Carolina facing a second-and-9 on its own 41, Hurricanes defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot sacked quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., forcing the quarterback to lose the ball. The fumble was recovered by fellow defensive lineman Justin Scott and six plays later, Miami scored again.
This time, it was quarterback Darian Mensah connecting with receiver Malachi Toney on a 9-yard touchdown that pushed Miami’s lead to 38-28 after Jake Weinberg’s extra point.
It was Toney’s second touchdown catch of the night and Mensah’s third touchdown pass of the night.
And it proved essential because, once again, North Carolina found a way to respond.
The Tar Heels took over with 2:33 left and marched down the field on an efficient 5-play, 75-yard drive that culminated when Edwards found Trech Kekahuna for a 15-yard touchdown.
That pulled the Tar Heels within three and set up an onside kick opportunity for North Carolina.
The Tar Heels were penalized on their first two kick attempts, and Miami was able to recover the ball on the third attempt, giving the Hurricanes a chance to run out the clock and close out the win.
Mensah finished the day completing 22 of 29 passes and throwing for 274 yards with three touchdowns, while Toney had seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Fletcher, who became Miami’s all-time leader in career touchdowns scored in the win, finished with 86 purpose yards on 15 touches.
“A back-and-forth like that, it’s always going to come down to a couple of plays, and it’s really good experience for our team,” said Miami head coach Mario Cristobal. “It’s really good to go on the road. I believe that’s our last conference road game, if I’m not mistaken. And just, again, really proud of our guys for finding a way to get it done.”
Numbers to Know
38 – Career touchdowns for running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who had three scores against North Carolina. Fletcher scored twice on carries and caught a 31-yard scoring pass as well. That’s a new Miami record, with Fletcher taking the top spot from Edgerrin James and Stephen McGuire, who each had 35 touchdowns during their time as Hurricanes. Fletcher also tied McGuire for the lead atop the career rushing touchdowns list with 35.
13 – Receiving touchdowns on the season for Toney, who had two scores against North Carolina. That ties Miami’s single-season record for receiving touchdowns, which is currently held by Leonard Hankerson. Hankerson set that record in 2010.
4 – Sacks recorded by the Miami defense. Marquise Lightfoot led the way with two sacks, while Booker Pickett Jr. also got to North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. JJ Dunnigan and Justin Scott also combined for a sack.
4 – Conference road wins for the Hurricanes this season after Saturday’s win at North Carolina. Miami also won at Stanford, at Wake Forest and at Clemson. This season is the first time since Miami joined the ACC that the Hurricanes have gone undefeated on the road in conference play. Their last three conference games – Duke, Virginia Tech and Boston College – will all be played on Miami’s home field at Hard Rock Stadium.
25 – Touchdown passes on the season for Miami quarterback Darian Mensah. That’s tied with three other signal callers – Oregon State’s Braden Atkinson, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, and Memphis’ Marcus Stokes – for the national lead.
Quotable
“It’s just a blessing. I always wanted to be a Hurricane as a little boy and it’s just a blessing, man, that’s all I can say. I’m blessed to be here, blessed to be a part of this team. Everybody just does such a great job looking out for me, all the support, how hard I had it with the things and adversity I faced. These people continue to have my back. … I just love this University and I’m just happy I could impact it in a positive way.”
– Running back Mark Fletcher Jr., on becoming Miami’s all-time touchdowns leader
“Just go out there and keep scoring, but at the same time, try not to put too much pressure on yourself or the offense. But I think we executed at a high clip, and I think that you’ve got to give credit to UNC for doing a great job at limiting [our] possessions.”
– Quarterback Darian Mensah, on the offensive approach during a back-and-forth game
“Coming into it, we knew they had some key players on the offensive side, especially receiving. We’ve got to go back to the drawing board, and practice hard, prepare. It’s hard to win, so still proud of my guys and shout out to North Carolina for putting on a good game.”
– Defensive back JJ Dunnigan, on North Carolina’s ability to move the ball via the passing game
“After that fumble recovery, [the momentum] was most definitely up. I felt that energy for sure.”
– Defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot, on the energy shift on the Miami sideline after his sack and forced fumble in the fourth quarter
“We’re great. Just keeping our 1-0 mentality. We’re going to enjoy this win tonight, and tomorrow, we get back to the drawing board. But of course, we always [have] stuff that we need to work on as an offense, defense, as a team. Just got to stay focused with our 1-0, Greentree mentality.”
– Wide receiver Malachi Toney, on Miami’s mindset heading into its next game on the road at Notre Dame
Up Next
Longtime rivals Miami and Notre Dame are set to take center stage on Saturday when the Hurricanes travel to face the Irish in South Bend this coming week.
And just as it was during the rivalry’s heyday, both the Irish and Hurricanes are top-five teams ahead of this year’s matchup.
Notre Dame enters the game with a 7-1 record, bouncing back after its Oct. 17 loss to BYU by beating Navy 35-13 this past Saturday.
Quarterback CJ Carr has completed 67 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,849 yards and 16 touchdowns on the year, while Nolan James Jr. has rushed for 519 yards and eight scores.
Receivers Jordan Faison and Micah Gilbert both have more than 400 yards on the season and the Irish offense is averaging 442.8 yards and 40.4 points per game. Its defense, meanwhile, is holding opponents to an average of 236.3 yards and 13.4 points per game.
Miami and Notre Dame have met 28 times, with the Irish holding an 18-9-1 lead in the all-time series, though the Hurricanes have won the last two matchups, including last year’s season opener for both teams.
The Hurricanes beat the Irish, 27-24, and the head-to-head win later became a central part of the postseason conversation when Miami edged Notre Dame for the final at-large berth in the College Football Playoff.
The Hurricanes wound up advancing to the national title game, while the Irish opted not to play in a postseason bowl.
Here are some key storylines, numbers of note, and quotes from Miami’s 38-35 win over ACC foe North Carolina on Saturday night at Kenan Stadium.
With the win, the Hurricanes improved to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play. They remain atop the ACC standings and remain at No. 1 in both the AP Top 25 and the US LBM Coaches Poll.
North Carolina, meanwhile, fell to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
The Recap
Ahead of Saturday’s game at North Carolina, the Hurricanes stressed they knew they’d face a test in Chapel Hill, especially given some of the coaches on the Tar Heels staff.
North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino have proven themselves, over decades, to be two of the top minds in football, at both the NFL and collegiate level.
And they had the Tar Heels more than ready to line up against the nation’s top-ranked team.
Every time Miami scored, North Carolina answered and it wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that the Hurricanes were able to finally build a double-digit lead.
After North Carolina took a 28-24 lead on the strength of a 1-yard touchdown run by Demon June with 11:46 left, Miami responded with a 9-play, 75-yard drive that took 3:57 off the clock and ended when Mark Fletcher Jr. scored his third touchdown of the night on a 2-yard run that put Miami back on top.
Then Miami’s defense delivered its biggest play of the night.
With North Carolina facing a second-and-9 on its own 41, Hurricanes defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot sacked quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., forcing the quarterback to lose the ball. The fumble was recovered by fellow defensive lineman Justin Scott and six plays later, Miami scored again.
This time, it was quarterback Darian Mensah connecting with receiver Malachi Toney on a 9-yard touchdown that pushed Miami’s lead to 38-28 after Jake Weinberg’s extra point.
It was Toney’s second touchdown catch of the night and Mensah’s third touchdown pass of the night.
And it proved essential because, once again, North Carolina found a way to respond.
The Tar Heels took over with 2:33 left and marched down the field on an efficient 5-play, 75-yard drive that culminated when Edwards found Trech Kekahuna for a 15-yard touchdown.
That pulled the Tar Heels within three and set up an onside kick opportunity for North Carolina.
The Tar Heels were penalized on their first two kick attempts, and Miami was able to recover the ball on the third attempt, giving the Hurricanes a chance to run out the clock and close out the win.
Mensah finished the day completing 22 of 29 passes and throwing for 274 yards with three touchdowns, while Toney had seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Fletcher, who became Miami’s all-time leader in career touchdowns scored in the win, finished with 86 purpose yards on 15 touches.
“A back-and-forth like that, it’s always going to come down to a couple of plays, and it’s really good experience for our team,” said Miami head coach Mario Cristobal. “It’s really good to go on the road. I believe that’s our last conference road game, if I’m not mistaken. And just, again, really proud of our guys for finding a way to get it done.”
Numbers to Know
38 – Career touchdowns for running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who had three scores against North Carolina. Fletcher scored twice on carries and caught a 31-yard scoring pass as well. That’s a new Miami record, with Fletcher taking the top spot from Edgerrin James and Stephen McGuire, who each had 35 touchdowns during their time as Hurricanes. Fletcher also tied McGuire for the lead atop the career rushing touchdowns list with 35.
13 – Receiving touchdowns on the season for Toney, who had two scores against North Carolina. That ties Miami’s single-season record for receiving touchdowns, which is currently held by Leonard Hankerson. Hankerson set that record in 2010.
4 – Sacks recorded by the Miami defense. Marquise Lightfoot led the way with two sacks, while Booker Pickett Jr. also got to North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. JJ Dunnigan and Justin Scott also combined for a sack.
4 – Conference road wins for the Hurricanes this season after Saturday’s win at North Carolina. Miami also won at Stanford, at Wake Forest and at Clemson. This season is the first time since Miami joined the ACC that the Hurricanes have gone undefeated on the road in conference play. Their last three conference games – Duke, Virginia Tech and Boston College – will all be played on Miami’s home field at Hard Rock Stadium.
25 – Touchdown passes on the season for Miami quarterback Darian Mensah. That’s tied with three other signal callers – Oregon State’s Braden Atkinson, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, and Memphis’ Marcus Stokes – for the national lead.
Quotable
“It’s just a blessing. I always wanted to be a Hurricane as a little boy and it’s just a blessing, man, that’s all I can say. I’m blessed to be here, blessed to be a part of this team. Everybody just does such a great job looking out for me, all the support, how hard I had it with the things and adversity I faced. These people continue to have my back. … I just love this University and I’m just happy I could impact it in a positive way.”
– Running back Mark Fletcher Jr., on becoming Miami’s all-time touchdowns leader
“Just go out there and keep scoring, but at the same time, try not to put too much pressure on yourself or the offense. But I think we executed at a high clip, and I think that you’ve got to give credit to UNC for doing a great job at limiting [our] possessions.”
– Quarterback Darian Mensah, on the offensive approach during a back-and-forth game
“Coming into it, we knew they had some key players on the offensive side, especially receiving. We’ve got to go back to the drawing board, and practice hard, prepare. It’s hard to win, so still proud of my guys and shout out to North Carolina for putting on a good game.”
– Defensive back JJ Dunnigan, on North Carolina’s ability to move the ball via the passing game
“After that fumble recovery, [the momentum] was most definitely up. I felt that energy for sure.”
– Defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot, on the energy shift on the Miami sideline after his sack and forced fumble in the fourth quarter
“We’re great. Just keeping our 1-0 mentality. We’re going to enjoy this win tonight, and tomorrow, we get back to the drawing board. But of course, we always [have] stuff that we need to work on as an offense, defense, as a team. Just got to stay focused with our 1-0, Greentree mentality.”
– Wide receiver Malachi Toney, on Miami’s mindset heading into its next game on the road at Notre Dame
Up Next
Longtime rivals Miami and Notre Dame are set to take center stage on Saturday when the Hurricanes travel to face the Irish in South Bend this coming week.
And just as it was during the rivalry’s heyday, both the Irish and Hurricanes are top-five teams ahead of this year’s matchup.
Notre Dame enters the game with a 7-1 record, bouncing back after its Oct. 17 loss to BYU by beating Navy 35-13 this past Saturday.
Quarterback CJ Carr has completed 67 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,849 yards and 16 touchdowns on the year, while Nolan James Jr. has rushed for 519 yards and eight scores.
Receivers Jordan Faison and Micah Gilbert both have more than 400 yards on the season and the Irish offense is averaging 442.8 yards and 40.4 points per game. Its defense, meanwhile, is holding opponents to an average of 236.3 yards and 13.4 points per game.
Miami and Notre Dame have met 28 times, with the Irish holding an 18-9-1 lead in the all-time series, though the Hurricanes have won the last two matchups, including last year’s season opener for both teams.
The Hurricanes beat the Irish, 27-24, and the head-to-head win later became a central part of the postseason conversation when Miami edged Notre Dame for the final at-large berth in the College Football Playoff.
The Hurricanes wound up advancing to the national title game, while the Irish opted not to play in a postseason bowl.
