In front of Miami wide receiver legends Andre Johnson and Michael Irvin, and his coach who recruited him, Manny Diaz, wideout Xavier Restrepo etched his name in the history books for the Hurricanes.
Up eight in the fourth quarter, the fifth-ranked Miami Hurricanes (9-0, 5-0 ACC) needed one more score to push past the Duke Blue Devils (6-3, 2-3 ACC).
On second down, Miami quarterback Cam Ward hit Restrepo on a catch and run for a 66 yard touchdown. That score from the fifth-year senior put him in front of Santana Moss for most receiving yards ever by a Miami Hurricane with 2573 yards.
“First and foremost, I want to give all the glory to the man above,” Restrepo said when asked about his record day. “The group of guys we have on this team is unmatched.”
Restrepo’s historic score capitalized a 53-31 victory by the Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium Saturday afternoon.
In the beginning of the third quarter, the boo birds roared through the stadium as Duke scored its fourth touchdown in as many consecutive drives, outscoring the ’Canes 28-3 in that span. That score put the Blue Devils up by 11 with the Hurricane defense reeling.
The momentum swung back to UM halfway through the third. After a Miami touchdown to Restrepo to bring the deficit back to three, true freshman cornerback O.J. Frederique picked off Duke’s Maalik Murphy and returned the ball back to the Blue Devils’ 38-yard line.
“On the field he is an assassin; off the field he’s a gentleman, a super polite young man,” Cristobal said about the true freshman.
Six plays later, true freshman tight end Elija Lofton picked up his first career rushing touchdown, bringing Miami back in front 32-28.
After allowing the touchdown to open the third quarter, the Hurricanes went on a 36-3 run, turning the 60,189 fans at Hard Rock Stadium into a frenzy.
Ward was lights out for the ’Canes this afternoon, putting up another stellar performance to boost his Heisman campaign. The Washington State transfer quarterback finished his afternoon completing 61% of his throws for 400 yards and five touchdowns. Ward also threw one interception and lost a fumble.
With five touchdowns this afternoon, Ward has tied Steve Walsh for Miami’s single-season passing touchdown record with 29.
The fifth-year senior’s connection with Restrepo was on full display this afternoon. The Broward County native finished his historic day with eight catches, 146 yards and three touchdowns. He is now one catch away from passing Mike Harley for the Miami all-time receptions record.
“They have a unique chemistry,” Cristobal said when talking about the connection between Restrepo and Ward. “They’ll fight like an old couple as well. There’s a competitive edge to both guys.”
One major concern this afternoon for the Hurricanes was the defense. Despite forcing four turnovers from the Duke offense, Miami’s defense on all fronts had a tough showing.
The UM defense generated just one sack, while allowing 405 yards and 32 points to the Blue Devil offense. Entering today’s game, Duke was near the bottom of the ACC in almost every offensive category.
The secondary had no answer for junior wideout Sahmir Hagans, who caught nine passes for 139 yards and one touchdown. Miami’s defense will need to prove with postseason play approaching.
Murphy was inconsistent in the loss against Miami. The redshirt sophomore threw for 325 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 61 percent of his passes.
Miami was off to a hot start to open the game. On second down, Ward escaped pressure in the pocket, rolled out to his right and rifled a ball in the back of the endzone. The ball was tipped by Duke’s Terry Moore and landed in the hands of Restrepo, giving UM an early 7-0 lead.
Ward started the game completing five of his seven passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.
After a Mishael Powell interception, Miami’s rushing attack led by Mark Fletcher Jr. and Damien Martinez got the ’Canes into the red zone.
Fletcher and Martinez combined for 23 carries, 131 yards and one touchdown in the victory on Saturday.
On second and goal, Ward rolled out and found a wide open Cam McCormick for the touchdown. The eighth-year senior’s third touchdown of the season got UM out to an early 14-0 lead.
Following a Miami three-and-out, Duke got the ball rolling on offense. Murphy led the Blue Devils on a four-play, 85-yard drive in 55 seconds. That touchdown was the start of four consecutive touchdown drives for the Blue Devils.
Miami is now 3-0 this season when trailing by double digits this season and 9-0 for the first time since 2017.
The Hurricanes will travel to Atlanta to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-4, 3-3 ACC) on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Bobby Dodd Stadium. There is no time set for the game at this moment.