Nov. 26, 2005
MIAMI (AP) – Kyle Wright threw for 248 yards and the go-ahead score, then scampered a career-long 31 yards to set up the final touchdown as No. 10 Miami beat Virginia 25-17 on Saturday.
Charlie Jones ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns for Miami, which remained in contention for the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division title and a spot in the league’s title game against Florida State next Saturday.
Virginia Tech could clinch the Coastal title by beating North Carolina later Saturday night.
Wright completed 23 of 30 passes, including a 17-yard touchdown to Sinorice Moss that put the Hurricanes (9-2, 6-2) ahead for good. And his long run on third-and-2 with 1:58 left set up Jones’ 1-yard run that sealed Miami’s fifth regular season with at least nine wins in the past six years.
Deyon Williams had a pair of touchdown catches for Virginia (6-5, 3-5), including a 6-yarder from Marques Hagans with 27 seconds remaining. Williams also caught a 90-yard scoring pass from wide receiver Emmanuel Byers in the first quarter – the longest pass allowed in Miami history.
Hagans completed 15 of 28 passes for 206 yards for Virginia, which also got 61 yards on 16 carries by Wali Lundy. Williams caught six passes for 152 yards for the Cavaliers, who are winless in 14 trips to Florida.
Quadtrine Hill caught a career-high seven passes for 43 yards for Miami, which bounced back from last weekend’s 14-10 home loss to Georgia Tech – a defeat that knocked the Hurricanes out of the national title picture and put their division title prospects in the hands of North Carolina.
Trailing by eight late in the fourth quarter, Virginia drove 59 yards with Hagans completing five of his first six passes. But facing a fourth-and-6 and with 4:04 left, Hagans’ pass was too high for Williams – and Miami took over on downs.
That set up Jones’ second touchdown, and ensured that Miami’s seniors would leave the Orange Bowl winners in their final home game.
Jon Peattie’s 40-yard field goal opened the scoring midway through the first quarter, but Virginia’s trickery silenced the half-full Orange Bowl.
Byers took a handoff from Hagans, sprinted right – and threw to Williams, who outran Miami cornerback Marcus Maxey to the end zone. The Cavaliers forced a punt on Miami’s next possession, then went up 10-3 with 13:26 left in the half on Connor Hughes’ 24-yard field goal.
But the Hurricanes – who hadn’t lost home games in consecutive weeks since 1996 – rallied and led 15-10 at halftime. Wright was 4-for-5 for 56 yards on a drive where Jones ran in from 4 yards out to get Miami within 10-9.
After Devin Hester’s 23-yard punt return gave Miami the ball at Virginia’s 37 with 1:52 left in the half, Moss – one of 18 Miami seniors playing their home finales – took a short pass from Wright, broke a tackle and went 17 yards for his team-leading sixth touchdown catch of the year and a 15-10 lead.
Peattie missed the point-afters after both of those touchdowns; one bounced off the right upright, the other was simply wide right. Peattie made the first 99 extra-points of his career, but his 0-for-2 start Saturday gave him four misses in his last eight PATs.
Yet he came through on the final play of the third quarter, hitting a 30-yard field goal for an 18-10 lead. And he converted after Jones’ second touchdown, pushing the margin to 25-10.
