On a crisp Miami afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium, the Hurricanes set out to achieve two goals: securing a victory and celebrating 27 seniors who gave their all to the program. By the final whistle, the Canes had done both, sending fans and players home triumphant.
The talented group of seniors was spearheaded today by Jacolby George on the offensive side and Mishael Powell on the defensive side of the ball.
Halfway through the 2nd quarter, Wake Forest quarterback, Hank Bachmeier attempted to throw the ball to wideout Taylor Morin, however, Powell got a good jump on the ball and intercepted it right as the ball was released setting him up for a 77-yard touchdown to the house. Later in the game, Powell would sack Bachmeier for an eight-yard loss.
For Powell and the defense, they performed better than they had in previous weeks, especially in the second half. The Hurricanes did not allow any second-half points but had a few struggles during the beginning of the game.
Wake Forest’s running back, Demond Claiborne had a big 17-yard during their first drive. He would finish the afternoon with 19 carries for 62 yards. On special teams, Claiborne’s agility granted him a 100-yard kickoff return to the house which led Hard Rock Stadium to fall silent.
Miami’s pass defense faired better today. Bachmeier’s one explosive play came on a 36-yard touchdown pass to wideout Micah Mays Jr in the first quarter. Bachmeier was held to 86 passing yards while his backup, Michel Kern came in the game late to throw 13 yards, completing one of his three pass attempts.
“The defense, we leaned on them, and they came through in a big-time way. Even when they were on short fields [when Wake Forest had the ball in Miami’s territory], haven’t seen a defensive performance like that anywhere in a long time. That was really awesome. They certainly deserve all the credit and all the mention of the game,” said coach Cristobal.
On the other side of the ball, Miami’s offensive had a solid day. Senior wideout, Jacolby George put on a receiving clinic. He started the game off by receiving a 13-yard touchdown grab in the corner of the endzone. Later in the first quarter, Miami Quarterback Cam Ward threw a 34-yard missile to George, who got hit hard mid-air catching the ball but was able to come down with the completion. George finished the game with seven receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns, leading the receiving corps.
“It’s special cause it’s my last home game so like to do that is special for me,” said Jacolby George regarding his last home game and performance against Wake Forest
Even though it was senior day, that did not stop true freshman running back, Jordan Lyle from having his best performance. Lyle’s highlights came mostly throughout the last 10 minutes of the game. On a handoff from Ward, Lyle ran powerfully through defenders for an 18-yard touchdown run to make the score 35-14. A few minutes later, Lyle exploded for a 61-yard run down on Miami’s sideline. He would go on to lead all running backs in rushing with 115 yards on 7 attempts.
Lyle hasn’t really seen the field since the week 4 matchup against the University of South Florida. His dedication and hard work allowed him to receive a big-time opportunity.
“Just been learning from the upperclassmen, you know like Mark [Fletcher Jr] and Damien Martinez and AJ Allen… you know I just had a great week of practice… they threw me out there and I did what I do,” Jordan Lyle told reporters.
Quarterback, Cam Ward put up average numbers from what fans are used to. In his 6th and final game at home, Ward threw for 280 yards, completing 27 out of 38 pass attempts which included two touchdowns and one interception. He did have his lowest quarterback rating of the season, scoring a mere 50.5 when his season average is 87.1.
Even though Ward did not have his performance he managed to break a few Miami Hurricanes football records. He broke Bernie Kosar’s 40-year-old (1984) single-season passing yards record of 3,642 and 262 completions.
At the post-game press conference, Ward did not care about the accolades he has broken as a Hurricane but was more so focused on next week’s challenge against Syracuse.
“It is good to control your destiny another week. But we know everything doesn’t mean anything if we don’t win. So you know, just going to watch the tape and go to Syracuse and try to find a way to win versus a good team.”
It is win and you’re in for this Miami Hurricanes team who has to beat Syracuse to advance to the ACC championship game for the first time since 2017.
The Season Finale will be played next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York.