Canes Rewind: A Look Back at the Game Against North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – 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 41-31 loss to North Carolina on Saturday at Kenan Memorial Stadium.

The Recap

After a tough loss to Georgia Tech last week, the Hurricanes entered their matchup against unbeaten North Carolina looking to get back on track.

Miami knew it faced a challenge – especially on the road.

But for much of the first half, the Hurricanes kept pace with the high-scoring, high-powered Tar Heels offense, pressuring quarterback Drake Maye – last season’s ACC Player of the Year – and keeping him from finding any kind of consistent rhythm.

The Hurricanes even took a 17-14 lead into the locker room after Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke completed scoring passes to both Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George and kicker Andy Borregales converted on a 28-yard field goal just before halftime.

Things shifted, though, in the second half.

Maye got into a more of a groove, the Tar Heels (6-0, 3-0 ACC) scored 24 unanswered points and Miami found itself playing from behind after falling behind 38-17 early in the fourth quarter.

Making things more difficult for the Hurricanes (4-2, 0-2) was the fact they committed four turnovers – two lost fumbles and two interceptions – and struggled on third down, converting on just three of their 11 opportunities.

Maye finished the game completing 17 of 33 passes and throwing for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Tar Heels receiver Tez Walker, meanwhile, had six catches for 132 yards and Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton finished with 24 carries for 197 yards.

Van Dyke, meanwhile, was 31 of 48 for 391 yards with four touchdowns, while Restrepo had a game-high 11 catches for 96 yards with two touchdowns. Henry Parrish, Jr. had a team-high 73 rushing yards.

Numbers to Know

5 – Sacks registered by the Hurricanes defense in Saturday’s loss. Kam Kinchens, Francisco Mauigoa, K.J. Cloyd, Rueben Bain, Jr. and Jared Harrison-Hunte all contributed to that season-high total for Miami.

125 – Career-high total receiving yards for Miami’s Jacolby George. George, a junior, had six catches and also scored two touchdowns against the Tar Heels.

235 – Rushing yards totaled by North Carolina. Entering Saturday’s matchup in Chapel Hill, the Hurricanes hadn’t allowed any opponent to rush for more than 100 yards.

Quotable

“The way our organization is built, there’s no time for self-pity. There’s no time for negativity or pointing fingers or getting in a shell and balling up or whatnot. It’s really addressing the things that we’ve got to get better at, getting away from things that we’re not really good at and get better. That’s it. That’s all we can be focused on. Being a member of this team is unconditional, whether it’s a win or a loss. …

“When you have an opportunities that you allow to slip away, you have to take it as a whole. You have to take it as coaches. You have to take it as players. You’ve got to take it as we’ve got to teach it better. You’ve got to execute it better. You just take it.”

 – Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal

“This team is special. We know what we’re capable of. We can’t fold. We’re going to make sure we have the entire team, as leaders, just keep going. There’s still a lot of season left. We’ve got to do our best to win games. That’s the main thing, just win and obviously, do better during the games and not make those mistakes in critical situations.”

– Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke

“We’ve worked together as a team, as brothers, all throughout the offseason. We’ve just got to rely on the trust that we’ve built with each other and when times get tough, rely on those moments, rely on our brothers, rely on each other, and just play football.”

– Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain, Jr.

“I thought we came out tonight with a huge chip on our shoulder. Obviously, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but I feel like this team is definitely different. We’ve got captains that are going to step up and make sure everybody is ready to go and nobody is feeling sorry for ourselves. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. The ball’s got to get put down next Saturday and we’ve got to play again. We have to keep moving.”

– Hurricanes cornerback Te’Cory Couch

Up Next

The Hurricanes face another test next week as they prepare to host perennial ACC power, Clemson, at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Tigers enter the matchup with a 4-2 overall record and are 2-2 in conference play. Clemson had a bye this past weekend, but has won two straight, including a 17-12 victory over Wake Forest on Oct. 7.

Running back Will Shipley has a team-high 450 rushing yards and is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, while quarterback Cade Klubnik has completed 65 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,370 yards and 11 touchdowns with just two interceptions. Beaux Collins and Tyler Brown each have more than 300 receiving yards on the season and have combined and four touchdowns.

The two teams met last year at Clemson, with the Tigers picking up a 40-10 win. The Tigers have a 7-6 lead in the all-time series and have won each of the last four matchups against Miami.

The Hurricanes will be bidding for their first win over Clemson since 2010.