Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Miami Overcomes A Poor First Half, Beats Virginia in OT 29-26
In typical Miami fashion, the Hurricanes played down to their opponent Saturday evening when Virginia came to town. In a game where Miami's defense did a majority of the heavy lifting, the Hurricanes were able to survive a poor offensive performance and get the best of the Cavaliers 29-26 in OT.
Since the start of ACC play, Tyler Van Dyke has looked completely different for the Hurricanes. He had just one interception through four games to start the season, and now he has seven through three. As was the result of the Georgia Tech and UNC games, his turnover problems dictate the way games go for Miami. He finished with 163 yards and two interceptions for the game, but was helped by both his running backs finding the end zone.
Miami's defense made the difference this evening, combining for six sacks and highlighted by a pick-six from Kamren Kinchens to give Miami the lead in the third quarter. Star freshman Rueben Bain followed up his big Clemson game with seven tackles and two sacks, further solidifying himself as one of the best freshman in the nation.
Just how the Clemson game went, Miami decided to take their chances and go into overtime instead of attempting a late game drive. It proved to be the right decision, as the Hurricanes held Virginia to a field goal and allowed Mark Fletcher to punch in the game winning score.
For Virginia Malik Washington continues to dominate this season, as he brought in 12 receptions for 152 yards. Washington keeps himself atop of the ACC receiving yards rankings, as he's up to 935 yards on the season.
Now, Miami will head up to North Carolina next week to take on NC State before their marquee matchup against the Florida State Seminoles. The kickoff for NC State is set at 8:00 PM EST.
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