NCAAF Game Recap - Virginia at Miami (FL)
Sat Nov 18, 2017 12:00 PM EST

Mer
0
Bama
56
F
UVA
28
MiaFL
44
F
Okla
41
Kans
3
F
Cit
3
Clem
61
F
Mich
10
Wisc
24
F
ULMon
14
Aub
42
F
KY
13
UGA
42
F
Ill
14
OSU
52
F
Navy
17
ND
24
F
K St
45
OkSt
40
F
TCU
27
TxTch
3
F
UCLA
23
USC
28
F
Neb
44
PSU
56
F
UCF
45
Temp
19
F
Utah
30
Wash
33
F
MissSt
28
Ark
21
F
SMU
45
Mem
66
F
Cal
14
Stan
17
F
LSU
30
Tenn
10
F
MD
7
MSU
17
F
Tuls
20
SoFL
27
F
Tex
28
WVU
14
F
NCSt
24
Wake
30
F
C Mi
42
Kent
23
F
Ohio
34
Akr
37
F
WestMI
31
NIU
35
F
E Mi
27
MiaOH
24
F
Toled
66
BGSU
37
F
Buff
40
Ball
24
F
TnSt
6
JacSt
36
F
MidTN
38
W Ky
41
F(2OT)
UNLV
38
NM
35
F
Cin
20
ECU
48
F
Lib
19
ChaSo
20
F
JMU
31
Elon
3
F
MIN
0
NW
39
F
Rut
0
Ind
41
F
DelSt
6
FlaSt
77
F
Pitt
14
VaTec
20
F
Fres
13
Wyo
7
F
HBU
33
SamHu
53
F
Rice
21
OD
24
F
IASt
23
Bayl
13
F
Hawaii
0
UtSt
38
F
TxSt
12
ArkSt
30
F
SoAl
0
GaSo
52
F
AzSt
40
OreSt
24
F
LT
42
UTEP
21
F
UMass
16
BYU
10
F
UNCC
21
SMiss
66
F
WCU
10
UNC
65
F
SJSU
14
ColSt
42
F
Purd
24
Iowa
15
F
Syr
10
Lou
56
F
GATec
20
Duke
43
F
Hou
17
Tul
20
F
Wof
10
SCar
31
F
UAB
7
Fla
36
F
CoCar
13
Idaho
7
F
NMS
34
ULLaf
47
F
Army
49
NorTx
52
F
Ariz
28
Oreg
48
F
Marsh
7
UTSA
9
F
TxAM
31
Miss
24
F
FLInt
24
FlAtl
52
F
BC
39
UConn
16
F
MIZ
45
Vand
17
F
AF
19
Boise
44
F
NEV
23
SDSU
42
F
BGSU
31
E Mi
34
F
MiaOH
28
Ball
7
F
Kent
14
Akr
24
F

Nov 18, 2017, 12:00 PM EST

Final

1

2

3

4

T

Virginia (6-5)

14

7

7

0

28

(2) Miami (FL) (10-0)

7

7

17

13

44

No. 2 Miami finishes on 30-0 run, tops Virginia 44-28
Sat Nov 18, 2017 4:43 PM

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) The undefeated season was slipping away, and so was any realistic chance Miami had of getting into the College Football Playoff and competing for a national championship.

That is, until seven seconds changed everything.

Just like that, a 14-point deficit was gone - and perfection remains within the Hurricanes' reach.

Malik Rosier threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score, and No. 2 Miami pulled off its biggest comeback in five years by holding off Virginia 44-28 on Saturday to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 15 games.

"It's amazing, this train we're riding right now," linebacker Shaquille Quarterman said. "We just want to keep it going."

Jaquan Johnson had an interception return for a touchdown for Miami (10-0, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 3 CFP), which scored the game's last 30 points. The Hurricanes twice climbed out of two-touchdown-deep holes, snapped a 15-game losing streak in games where it faced deficits of 14 points or more and finished off their first 7-0 home regular-season record since 1988.

"This team believes," offensive lineman KC McDermott said. "This team believes in our goal and the way we're going to attack it."

Kurt Benkert was brilliant for Virginia (6-5, 3-4), completing 28 of 37 passes for 384 yards and four touchdowns.

The game started at noon, and it wasn't until 2:21 p.m. that Benkert took aim at a receiver and missed. He started 18 for 19 for 288 yards and four touchdowns in a little over a half, the only incompletion in that span being an intentional one - he threw the ball away to avoid what would have been a sack by Miami's Chad Thomas.

Benkert's 20th throw wasn't incomplete, technically. It was just to the wrong team.

Johnson's fourth interception of the season became a 30-yard return for a score. It was Miami's second touchdown in seven seconds after Lawrence Cager hauled in a 9-yard scoring pass from Rosier, a 28-14 Virginia lead was gone - and the Hurricanes left no doubt the rest of the way. Rosier and Travis Homer had touchdown runs in the final 4:03 to close it out for Miami.

"I like the way my team played," Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "We were well prepared, played hard. We had plenty of chances to stage the upset. Came up short."

Homer rushed for 96 yards for Miami, which looks to close out a perfect ACC regular-season slate at Pittsburgh on Friday. The Hurricanes already had a spot in the ACC championship game against Clemson on Dec. 2 secured.

Benkert threw long touchdown passes on two of the Cavaliers' first three possessions - a 33-yarder to Olamide Zaccheaus and 75-yarder to Joe Reed made it 14-0 quickly.

But again, the Turnover Chain sparked Miami.

Down 14-7 in the second quarter, Homer recovered a punt that Virginia muffed - making him the first offensive player to wear Miami's famed piece of jewelry. He barely had the bling on before the Hurricanes tied it on a 36-yard TD catch by Dayall Harris.

"They are very beatable," Reed said. "The chain is what gives them the spark. I think without the chain they'd be a whole different defense."

No one has beaten them yet, and Miami took Virginia's best shot.

Virginia got a spectacular grab from Andre Levrone with 33 seconds left in the half to take the lead back, and restored the 14-point cushion early in the third - cashing in on a blocked punt when Daniel Hamm became Benkert's fourth TD pass recipient.

And then it all changed. Virginia scored 28 points in the first 32-1/2 minutes, then zero the rest of the way.

"I really felt until the end we had a chance," Benkert said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Virginia: The Cavaliers could not run the football, finishing with 55 yards on 28 carries - and their longest was a 23-yard scamper by Jordan Ellis as time expired. The Cavaliers got two touchdowns in their first three possessions, then only two TDs in their next 12.

Miami: A hangover of sorts was expected after a pair of prime-time, raucous-environment wins against Virginia Tech and Notre Dame, and Miami awoke just in time. Rosier was 15 of 28 for 210 yards, improving to 11-0 as Miami's starter.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The CFP committee had Miami in its top three in the most recent ranking. Now the Hurricanes will have to wait and wonder if the committee will penalize Miami for a slow start.

MOVING UP

Benkert moved up three spots to No. 3 on the Cavaliers' all-time passing list and is closing in on their single-season record. Matt Schaub threw for 2,976 yards in 2002; Benkert is now within 99 yards of that mark. Benkert also has 25 TD passes this season, three shy of Schaub's school record.

UP NEXT

Virginia: Hosts Virginia Tech on Friday.

Miami: Visits Pittsburgh on Friday.

Passing

UVA Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat
K. Benkert 37 28 75.7 4 384 75 1 133.2
MiaFL Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat
M. Rosier 28 15 53.6 3 210 36 2 83.9

Rushing

UVA Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
O. Zaccheaus 5 29 5.8 9 0
J. Reed 5 27 5.4 16 0
MiaFL Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
T. Homer 17 96 5.6 36 1
M. Rosier 9 38 4.2 24 1

Receiving

UVA Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
J. Reed 2 81 40.5 75 1
D. Dowling 7 70 10.0 21 0
MiaFL Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
A. Richards 4 51 12.8 25 1
D. Harris 2 43 21.5 36 1

Fumbles

UVA F FL
D. Hamm 1 1
O. Zaccheaus 1 1

Returning

UVA KR Avg KRTD LgKR PR Avg TD LgPR
J. Reed 1 20.0 0 20 0 0 0
D. Hamm 0 0 0 1 2.0 0 0
MiaFL KR Avg KRTD LgKR PR Avg TD LgPR
J. Thomas 1 33.0 0 33 0 0 0

Punting

UVA Punt Yds Avg LgPu
L. Coleman 4 148 37.0 45
MiaFL Punt Yds Avg LgPu
Z. Feagles 4 149 37.3 45

Takeaways

UVA Int Yds InTD
J. Thornhill 1 0 0
Q. Blanding 1 0 0
MiaFL Int Yds InTD
J. Johnson 1 30 1

Team Stats Comparison

UVA MiaFL
Points For 28 44
Total Yards 439 358
Rushing Yards 55 148
Passing Yards 384 210
Passing Completions / Attempts 28/37 15/28
Turnovers 3 2
Interceptions Thrown 1 2
Fumbles - Lost 2/2 0/0
First Downs 18 15
Penalties - Yards 6/40 4/40
Time Of Possession 27:27 33:33
Third Down Conversions/Attempts 4/13 6/13
Fourth Down Conversions/Attempts 0/3 0/0
Punts - Average Yards 4/37 5/31

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter UVA MiaFL
UVA 05:11 TD Olamide Zaccheaus 33 yd pass from Kurt Benkert (A.J. Mejia kick) 7 0
UVA 12:48 TD Joe Reed 75 yd pass from Kurt Benkert (A.J. Mejia kick) 14 0
MiaFL 14:46 TD Ahmmon Richards 10 yd pass from Malik Rosier (Michael Badgley kick) 14 7
2nd Quarter UVA MiaFL
MiaFL 05:46 TD Dayall Harris 36 yd pass from Malik Rosier (Michael Badgley kick) 14 14
UVA 14:30 TD Andre Levrone 33 yd pass from Kurt Benkert (A.J. Mejia kick) 21 14
3rd Quarter UVA MiaFL
UVA 02:39 TD Daniel Hamm 26 yd pass from Kurt Benkert (A.J. Mejia kick) 28 14
MiaFL 04:56 TD Lawrence Cager 9 yd pass from Malik Rosier (Michael Badgley kick) 28 21
MiaFL 05:03 TD Jaquan Johnson 30 yd interception return (Michael Badgley kick) 28 28
MiaFL 14:39 FG Michael Badgley 44 yd FG 28 31
4th Quarter UVA MiaFL
MiaFL 10:57 TD Malik Rosier 8 yd run (missed kick) 28 37
MiaFL 13:44 TD Travis Homer 19 yd run (Michael Badgley kick) 28 44

Game Information

Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Attendance: 63,415
Game Time:
Weather: