On Homecoming Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium, former Duke stars put on a show against their old team as the Miami Hurricanes defeated the Blue Devils 36-25.
With a 12-point lead with more than four minutes left in the game, Miami was looking to put the game away.
On second-and-5, true freshman running back Javian Mallory broke free, finding daylight for a 39-yard touchdown — his third of the game — to seal victory for the Canes.
Mallory delivered his best performance of his young career, finishing the afternoon with 150 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns on 13 touches.
“I think he’s obviously an extremely talented kid,” Cooper Barkate said after the game. “I think coming into this year he was not expecting the role that he’s serving, and I think he’s making the most of his opportunities.”
Mallory’s third touchdown came after Miami recorded its first interception since Oct. 17.
Duke quarterback Walker Eget dropped back to pass and looked to his right for Brody Keefe. Miami defensive back Xavier Lucas read the play perfectly, contorting his body to intercept Eget’s pass.
“To see him [Lucas] advance is great,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said after the game. “The absence of OJ [Frederique], the absence of Jaboree [Antonie], the absence of [Zechariah] Poyser, he’s invaluable.”
While Mallory led the Hurricanes’ offense, Duke’s Nate Sheppard continued to challenge Miami’s stout rushing defense, which entered Saturday allowing the fewest rushing yards per game in the country at 64.3
Sheppard finished with 30 touches for 240 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore running back accounted for 70% of Duke’s total yards.
“He’s a helluva player,” Barkate, who played with Sheppard at Duke last year, said. “I told Coach Hetherman if you stop him you can stop the whole team.”
With Miami leading 22-17 with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Canes needed some breathing room.
On second-and-14, former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah hit former Duke wide receiver Barkate for a 28-yard catch-and-run, setting UM up near the end zone.
Mallory punched in his second touchdown of the afternoon from three yards out on the following play, giving Miami a two-score lead with eight minutes remaining.
Mensah and Barkate, who combined for 72 catches, 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns while leading Duke to an ACC Championship and Sun Bowl victory last season, continued their chemistry against their former team.
“I still have a lot of friends on the team,” Barkate said when asked about playing against his former team. “It was good to see them. Definitely a lot better beating them.
Barkate finished Saturday with eight catches for 134 yards, with 109 coming after the catch.
Mensah continued his strong play, completing 30 of his 41 throws for 382 yards and a touchdown. After the game, Mensah mentioned the emotions he felt facing his former team.
“If I’m being honest, it definitely did feel different,” Mensah said. “I couldn’t stop smiling for some reason when I first stepped down the field just because I have a lot of love left for the guys on the other side of the ball.”
Similar to Miami’s 31-24 loss to Notre Dame, the UM offense started slow. After back-to-back punts to open the game, Miami found its rhythm, scoring on seven straight possessions to close out the game.
The Hurricane offense returned to form late in the third quarter. On second-and-5 from Miami’s 37-yard line, Mensah connected with Mallory behind the line of scrimmage.
Mallory broke free, weaving through traffic and making defenders miss before racing into the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown.
“Pre-snap, I told myself don’t get tackled,” Mallory said. “I told myself, if I was able to get that play again, I had to take it home.”
With wide receiver Malachi Toney sidelined for the second consecutive game and Mark Fletcher Jr. suffering an injury midway through the contest, Cristobal relied on Miami’s depth to keep the offense rolling.
Against a Duke defense that entered Saturday allowing 13 points per game, Miami’s offense exploded for 532 yards and 11 plays of more than 15 yards.
Saturday also marked a homecoming for Duke coach Manny Diaz, who previously led the Hurricanes from 2019 to 2021. Diaz went 21-15 in his three seasons in Coral Gables and led Miami to three consecutive bowl games.
In his first return to Hard Rock Stadium as an opposing coach, Diaz watched as quarterback Cam Ward and wide receiver Xavier Restrepo made history, connecting for three touchdowns in a 53-31 Miami victory. Restrepo set the program’s career receiving yards record with 2,844, while Ward tied the single-season record with 29 passing touchdowns.
On Saturday, Diaz was on the other side of Miami history once again.
On second-and-goal from the Duke’s 4-yard line, Fletcher punched the ball into the end zone for his 36th career rushing touchdown, adding another milestone to his Hurricanes career as Miami took a 10-3 lead.
Fletcher’s second quarter touchdown moved him past Stephen McGuire for the most rushing touchdowns in program history. Against North Carolina, Fletcher had already surpassed McGuire’s record for most total touchdowns by a Miami player.
The Hurricanes (9-1, 7-0 ACC) can clinch their second ever appearance in the ACC Championship game as early as Saturday night with a North Carolina win over Louisville.
When asked about the prospect of clinching the ACC Championship Game, Cristobal kept his focus on Virginia Tech.
“I’ll focus on 1-0.”
Miami will host the Hokies next Saturday for the second game of its three-game homestand to close the regular season. Kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium is to be announced.
