''We Just Have the Same Goals''

BERKELEY, Calif. – It was the play that started the drive that capped an epic comeback.

The Hurricanes, after falling behind by 25 points in their cross-country ACC showdown against California, had rallied to cut the Bears’ lead and with just under two minutes left, trailed by only six.

But there were 92 yards between them and the touchdown they so desperately needed.

Enter quarterback Cam Ward and wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, the veteran duo who have already made plenty of magic for Miami this season.

This time, Ward and Restrepo connected on Miami’s biggest play of the night – a 77-yard deep pass that put the Hurricanes in the red zone and led to the go-ahead score, a 5-yard scoring pass from Ward to tight end Elijah Arroyo with 26 seconds left.

All of that ultimately helped Miami secure a 39-38 win over Cal to stay unbeaten and, on Sunday, move up two spots to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll.

The win – which spilled from Saturday night into Sunday morning – marked Miami’s second-biggest comeback in program history and is currently the largest comeback put together by any FBS team this season.

And Ward and Restrepo undoubtedly led the charge for the Hurricanes (6-0, 2-0 ACC).

Ward completed 35 of the 53 passes he threw for a season-high 437 yards with two touchdowns. He threw for 328 of those in the second half, and engineered scoring drives on four second-half possessions.

Restrepo, meanwhile, finished with seven catches for 163 yards and his 77-yard grab was a career long. The receiver also continued his climb up Miami’s all-time receiving list.

The fifth-year senior, who now has 2,302 receiving yards in his career, entered the night in ninth place on the Hurricanes’ all-time receiving list.

By the time he walked off the field at California Memorial Stadium, he’d bypassed Travis Benjamin (2,146 yards), Mike Harley (2,158), Leonard Hankerson (2.160), Stacy Coley (2,222) and Lamar Thomas (2,271) to move into fourth place on the career receiving list.

But for all the success they had Saturday night – and how natural they look as a quarterback-and-receiver tandem – Ward and Restrepo can’t help but chuckle when they think about how bumpy things occasionally were for them during preseason camp.

“I think fall camp, especially the beginning, it was one of our hardest times together because we just had a lot of miscues,” said Ward, who joined the Hurricanes earlier this year after two seasons at Washington State. “But that’s where, I think, our relationship took a step. We had those bad days in camp where we didn’t always get each other right. But we just kept showing up. And in big-time games like this, he’s going to show up. … When you have guys like that, I’m going to be alright and they’re going to be alright.”

Said Restrepo, “I feel like we just have the same goals in mind. It’s like best friends. Like, at first, you’re not going to really get each other. You’re going to have to adapt to each other. And I think that’s exactly what we’ve done.”

Together, Ward and Restrepo have been a force for the Hurricanes all season long.

Against Florida – Ward’s debut in orange and green – the two connected seven times for 112 yards. A week later against Florida A&M, they connected four times for 104 yards.

And last week against Virginia Tech, Restrepo may not have put up the gaudiest numbers, but he made a late clutch catch – while flat on his back – that helped the Hurricanes rally for a win over Virginia Tech.

Then came Saturday, Restrepo’s season-long catch and the receiver’s ninth career 100-yard receiving performance and Ward’s season-best 437-yard performance.

It was an effort that helped the quarterback become the nation’s leader in both passing yards (2,219) and passing touchdowns (20).

As well as they’ve played, though, Ward and Restrepo will both say there’s still so much for them to accomplish together, and they’re determined to spend the coming off week doing whatever they can to make sure they continue setting the tone for the Hurricanes during the latter part of the season.

“I think it’s just about becoming even more vocal leaders, both of us,” Restrepo said. “Just trying to get better each and every single day we step in the building.”

Said Ward, “We can keep on getting better at that, honing in on little things, you know, and we’ll be able to make some more plays.”