Canes Rewind: A Look Back at the Game Against Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Each week this season, we’ll take a look at the game that was for the Hurricanes.

Here are some key storylines, numbers of notes and quotes from Miami’s 42-38 loss to Syracuse on Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome.

The Recap

The Hurricanes came into Saturday’s regular-season finale knowing they controlled their own postseason destiny, and a win would send them to the ACC Championships Game.

Unfortunately for Miami, there will be no championship game appearance, and the Hurricanes now have to see how things shake out across college football next weekend to see where they’ll play next.

The day started out promisingly enough for the Hurricanes (10-2, 6-2 ACC), with Miami scoring on its first three possessions to build a 21-0 lead.

Mark Fletcher Jr. got the Hurricanes on the board first with a 2-yard touchdown run and Cam Ward then completed scoring passes to Xavier Restrepo and Elijah Arroyo, respectively.

But Syracuse – led by quarterback Kyle McCord – began chipping away at the lead.

McCord, who come into the game just ahead of Ward in terms of total passing yards, helped Syracuse score three unanswered touchdowns that tied the game at 21 early in the third quarter.

The Hurricanes regained the lead on Fletcher’s second touchdown run of the day – this one a 2-yard run – that put Miami ahead, 28-21, with 11:02 left in the third.

That would be the last time the Hurricanes would lead the game.

Syracuse (9-3, 5-3) tied it again on its ensuing possession and took its first lead later in the third quarter when defensive back Devin Grant forced, recovered, and returned a Miami fumble 56 yards for a touchdown.

While Miami would tie the game at 35 after a 2-yard touchdown run from Damien Martinez that capped an 8-play, 75-yard scoring drive with 13:02 left, Syracuse took the lead for good on its next possession after a 9-play, 75-yard drive ended with LeQuint Allen scoring on a 3-yard run.

The Hurricanes pulled within four with a late 27-yard field goal from Andy Borregales with 3:42 left, but Miami wouldn’t get the ball back, Syracuse ran out the clock and ultimately, earned a win that knocked the Hurricanes out of the conference championship game.

McCord and Ward were both extremely productive for their teams, with McCord completing 26 of 36 passes for 380 yards with three touchdowns, while Ward completed 25 of 36 passes for 349 yards with two touchdowns.

Numbers to Know

155 – Career touchdown passes for Cam Ward after Saturday’s game. That ties him with Case Keenum for most at the Division I level.

12 – Number of career 100-yard receiving games for Xavier Restrepo. That marks the most in program history. On Saturday, Restrepo also became the first Hurricane to notch at least 1,000 receiving yards in multiple seasons.

15 – Number of consecutive made field goals by Andy Borregales. Saturday’s field goal broke his own school record.

Quotable

“At this moment right now, you can imagine that locker room, how difficult, that hard that is to take. We put ourselves in a position to play in a good postseason game and a lot of stuff [is] going on in terms of [the College Football Playoff] and how they’re going to figure things out as well. There’s a lot of good football teams out there and we’re one of them.”

– Head coach Mario Cristobal, on the mood in the locker room after Saturday’s game

“If they knew what was up, they’d put us in the playoffs. We are that team. It’s not in our hands anymore, [but], I mean, just go look at the stats. We are that team. Every winner has to lose someday. If we get a chance to go in the playoffs, we’re going to make the most of it. We don’t care if we’re a top-eight seed or the No. 12 seed. The playoffs, it’s anybody’s chance. So, we just hope, you know, we can get a shot.”

– Quarterback Cam Ward, on Miami’s postseason hopes

“I love this place and the reason I stayed here was because I saw the future for this program. Being here over five years, I’ve seen tremendous progress, even with the old coaching staff that was here and then with Coach Cristobal and the whole staff. Even with some changes, I love the progress we’ve made over the years and I’m glad to be a part of this program.”

– Offensive lineman Jalen Rivers, on the progress Miami has made during his five-year career as a Hurricane and the Hurricanes being a 10-win team

What’s Next

The Hurricanes have concluded regular-season play and will now wait until next Sunday to learn their postseason destination.