The Miami Hurricanes battled out a 14-12 victory in four overtimes on the road against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent Virginia on Saturday afternoon.
“I can’t say enough about the resiliency of the team,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Just really proud of guys for effort, for toughness and for playing hard the whole way through.”
The first half was filled with defense, as both teams combined for ten first half punts. Miami kicker Andres Borregales nailed a 38-yard field goal with two seconds left in the second quarter to give Miami (4-4, 2-2 ACC) a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Virginia (3-5, 1-4 ACC) started off the second half with a drive that ended in a 27-yard field goal, tying the game at 3-3.
Later in the third quarter, Virginia decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the goal line. Miami’s defensive line held strong and got a stop to keep the game tied.
Early in the fourth quarter, Virginia had another red zone chance. Miami’s bend don’t break defense was able to hold Virginia again. The Cavaliers took a 6-3 lead with 12 minutes remaining after draining a 24-yard field goal.
A series of punts in the fourth quarter gave Miami a chance to win the game. With five minutes left and the ball on its own 45-yard line, Miami was in prime position. A series of runs from running back Henry Parish set Miami up with a 20-yard field goal, which they hit as time expired to head to overtime.
The offense continued to struggle in extra time, as a Hurricanes’ quick three-and-out led to a 42-yard field goal from Borregales that gave Miami a 9-6 lead in the first overtime.
Miami’s defense stepped up again, as a huge third down sack from Leonard Taylor forced a three-and-out for Virginia. Cavalier kicker Will Bettridge then nailed a 41-yard field goal to send the game into a second overtime.
Virginia was forced to kick another field goal in the second overtime, taking a 12-9 lead. Miami needed a score to extend the game, which it got with Borregales’ 37-yard field goal.
In the third overtime, where each team needed a two-point conversion to win, Miami quarterback Jake Garcia, making his first career start in place of the injured Tyler Van Dyke, threw a bad interception. Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson made the play of the day right after, breaking up a lob pass in the end zone to send the game into a fourth overtime.
Pressure from Miami defenders forced Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong to throw a pass out of the end zone on the Cavalier’s two-point attempt.
The Hurricanes then went with play-action to set up a Garcia run up the right side of the field. Garcia dove towards the end zone to give Miami a 14-12 victory.
Miami’s defense did exactly what they were supposed to do all day, containing Virginia gunslinger Armstrong, who only threw for 208 yards and ran for 67.
Although the offense struggled without starting quarterback Van Dyke, the run game continued to shine with Parish racking up a game-high 114 yards on 25 carries.
Miami’s next test will be against in-state rival Florida State at Hard Rock Stadium next Saturday, Nov. 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.