No. 1 Miami beats North Carolina 38-35 on late defensive stops

The No. 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes defeated North Carolina 38-35 on Saturday night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The victory kept Miami unbeaten at 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina finished the season series at 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for a two-yard touchdown on fourth down with 7:49 remaining to give the Hurricanes the lead. It was his third score of the game. Shortly after, Marquise Lightfoot stripped the ball from Billy Edwards Jr. during a pass attempt. Justin Scott recovered the fumble with 5:33 left on the clock.

Miami extended its advantage in the final two minutes. Quarterback Darian Mensah connected with receiver Malachi Toney on a nine-yard pass to make the score 38-28 with 2:33 remaining. Before that drive, Elija Lofton made a leaping catch to move the chains, setting up the eventual scoring play.

Coach Mario Cristobal noted the importance of continuing to compete despite the close score. He said the fumble recovery was a massive turnaround that shifted the momentum in the game. The Hurricanes had to recover an onside kick near the end of the regulation period. North Carolina had two recoveries negated by penalties before Miami secured the ball.

Mensah completed passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores went to Toney, while one went to Fletcher. North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards threw for a season-high 341 yards and four touchdowns. Tight end Jelani Thurman caught two of those passes.

The Tar Heels sustained long drives throughout the contest, including one that lasted nearly eight and a half minutes. This offensive effort kept them within striking distance of an upset deep into the fourth quarter. Edwards stated that games against top teams often come down to critical moments.

North Carolina now has a record of 0-12 against No. 1 ranked teams. Miami will travel to play No. 5 Notre Dame next Saturday. North Carolina will leave conference play to visit the University of Connecticut during the same weekend.