The Hurricanes went into Chapel Hill, North Carolina, hoping to bounce back from their awful loss to Georgia Tech.
Instead, they gave up big plays and fell to the No. 10 Tar Heels. The loss pushed Miami out of the AP top 25 for the first time since Week 2.
Here are 10 things we learned from Miami’s second straight defeat.
More crucial mistakes
A week after making a brutal mistake and failing to run the clock out to secure a win, the Hurricanes made more damaging mistakes on Saturday.
None were as devastating as the failure to take a knee against Georgia Tech, but they were tough to excuse either way. Twice, Miami forced UNC fourth downs before unsportsmanlike conduct penalties gave North Carolina new life. The first was when linebacker Keontra Smith went to line up for a punt but bumped and swiped at a UNC player on the way out. The second was when Lance Guidry ran onto the field, drawing a penalty and setting up a Tar Heels touchdown three plays later.
Neither of those penalties needed to happen in the course of play. They just gave the Tar Heels more opportunities.
Turnovers are killer
The Hurricanes turned the ball over five times in their loss to Georgia Tech, and that negative trend continued at the worst possible times this week.
Henry Parrish Jr. nearly crossed the goal line to tie the game at seven, but he fumbled just before crossing the plane. UNC did not score off that turnover, but it UM would ultimately need those points. The Hurricanes’ second fumble came as Miami was trying to get back in the lead after the Tar Heels jumped ahead early in the third quarter. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke fumbled a snap, and UNC recovered, stymieing Miami’s momentum.
“I’ve got to get it,” Van Dyke said. “It hit my hand, my left hand. I’ve got to get it. Just got to be better in terms of handling the football.”
Van Dyke, who threw three interceptions last week, added another two Saturday, bringing his season total to six. The first set up a North Carolina touchdown. The second was on the final play of the game.
“We had been really good about holding onto the ball early in the season,” UM coach Mario Cristobal said. “The last couple of games, it’s gotten us.”
Strange performance from secondary
If Hurricanes fans knew at 7 p.m. Saturday night that Miami would hold Tar Heels star quarterback Drake Maye to his lowest completion percentage of the season and would rack up a season-high in sacks, they would probably feel good about their chances in the game.
But the combination of Maye and newly reinstated wide receiver Tez Walker combined for several big plays. Walker ended the game with 132 yards and three scores on six catches.
“He’s a big, fast guy,” Cristbal said. “We mistimed the post route that he caught, and Jaden’s trying to make a play there. And credit to both Jaden and to Walker. Great ball, Drake Maye’s a great quarterback, and he put that ball exactly where it needed to be put. As hard as we tried to cover that one, that one got away from us. But it wasn’t a lack of effort.”
In the last two games, Miami has gotten punished when defensive backs tried to make big plays. Those mistakes have led to crucial touchdowns for opponents.
“It’s definitely something we’ve got to work on more now because it’s starting to affect how we play in the game,” defensive back Te’Cory Couch said, “and other teams are starting to take advantage of it.”
Tyler Van Dyke’s up-and-down night
Van Dyke ended the game with 31 completions on 48 pass attempts, racking up 391 yards. He had four touchdown passes and two interceptions.
It was the third-most yards he has thrown for in his career, and it was his fourth time throwing for four touchdowns in a game. But the veteran quarterback will tell you he needed to play better.
He turned the ball over three times, leading to a Tar Heels touchdown and slowing Miami’s momentum. His last interception came on the final play of the game as UM was making a desperate attempt to get back in the game. But the other two were damaging to Miami’s chances.
“I saw him initially drop vertical,” Van Dyke said of his first interception, which UNC linebacker Cedric Gray picked off. He just made a good play. I saw him. I just tried to get it over him. Good play. I’ve just got to check it down to the back.”
After the game, Van Dyke revealed that he tore three ligaments in a finger on his throwing hand during training camp. He said the injury only hurts now when he is hit in the hand.
“It’s getting a lot better, but there’s times where if it get hit, I feel it a little bit,” Van Dyke said. “It’ll be alright. It feels fine.”
Trouble with tempo
The Tar Heels’ offense sped things up frequently throughout the game, and the Hurricanes had trouble handling it.
Several times, UNC kept the offense rolling with up-tempo playcalls, and Miami had trouble lining up in time.
“It was definitely, I would say, tough, but it’s just something we’ve got to work on and improve on,” Couch said. “Get better throughout the year. Now that they’ve done it, other teams will probably do the same thing.”
Run defense struggles
While Maye and Walker stole the show, Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton gashed the Miami defense over and over again.
Hampton finished the game with 197 rushing yards on 24 carries, averaging 8.2 yards per carry. Taking out sacks, UNC rushed for an average of 6.9 yards per carry.
Any time you surrender nearly 200 yards to one running back, you’re going to have a tough time stopping an offense.
Running game can’t make plays
Parrish had Miami’s first turnover on the goal line, and UM’s running game did not improve much throughout the night.
Expected to be a strength for the Hurricanes, Miami rushed for only 113 sack-adjusted yards (91 total). Parrish led the team with 73 rushing yards, while Don Chaney Jr. had 23 and Ajay Allen had 13. As a team, Miami had a 55.9 running grade, its lowest score of the year.
“I think a couple times we were a little bit impatient where you’ve got to set this thing up a little bit before it pops,” Cristobal said. “Did really well against the 11 runs, the 11 personnel runs. Our open-set runs were hitting pretty good. … We generated some good stuff in the first half. In the second half, I’m going to have to watch tape. I feel like the A-gaps had enough air to squeeze some stuff out, but it didn’t show out that way. So credit to them”
Van Dyke gets pressured
The Hurricanes’ offensive line has done a good job of protecting Van Dyke throughout the season, but they had their roughest performance against the Tar Heels.
UNC sacked Van Dyke three times for 22 yards. The Tar Heels were also in the quarterback’s face frequently. Pro Football Focus credits the UNC with 19 pressures on Van Dyke, which is more than double the amount he has faced in any previous game this season.
Dylan Joyce proves to be a solid addition
Freshman punter Dylan Joyce has been solid since arriving at UM, but he proved his skills again this week.
Joyce had four punts and averaged 45 yards on them. He downed two of those four punts inside UNC’s 20-yard line.
Pro Football Focus gave Joyce a 66.1 grade, his best mark of the season.
The team says they’re resilient, and we’ll see
It’s gut-check time for Miami. The Hurricanes have dropped two straight games and could be at a turning point for this season.
UNC coach Mack Brown, who is 5-0 against the Hurricanes since taking over the Tar Heels in 2019, left Kenan Memorial Stadium impressed.
“Tonight was as hard as I’ve seen them play,” Brown said. “I said earlier this week that they could beat anybody in the country and that’s what I saw tonight. Miami fought and competed.”
Miami has a quick chance to get back on the right track. It hosts Clemson at 8 p.m. on Saturday. The Tigers have beaten the Hurricanes four times in a row. UM still has six games to go. They can’t quit now.
“This team is special,” Van Dyke said. “We know what we’re capable of. We can’t fold. We’re going to make sure we have the entire team, as leaders, just keep going. Still a long season left. We’ve got to do the best to win games. That’s the main thing. Just win.”
