It wasn't always pretty, but the Miami Hurricanes went 1-0 this week with a 38-35 win over North Carolina.
With all the potential of a Halloween nightmare looming at the house of horrors known as Kenan Stadium, the Hurricanes had to dig deep and rally from multiple deficits in a back-and-forth game that left little time for either side to breathe easy. However, at the end of the day, the players that needed to step up for Miami did just that.
Here are four reasons why Miami escaped Chapel Hill with a 38-35 win over the Tar Heels:
Beating North Carolina is a very big deal for Miami football
Five straight losses to the Tar Heels and some of them were of the embarrassing kind. That program has just had it out for Miami ever since the Hurricanes joined the ACC. So while the 38-35 win wasn't exactly what we hoped to see, it's still much better than a loss. The Hurricanes got the Tar Heel-sized monkey off their backs and, after several months of waiting, they can finally get to the Notre Dame business that we've been trying not to look ahead to.
“Look around the country, you see it week in and week out, so you gotta be ready to play. Everybody’s got really good players," Cristobal said of ACC battles. "We found a way to get one more play, one more drive, and found a way to close it out. Proud of our guys. Lot of things to work on. Back to work.”
Tough times don't last but tough people do
We can go through the litany of reasons why this game was so close and so stressful, and we will be in the Winner and Losers column (that's called a tease for those of you not familiar with the business), but let's just give respect to the Hurricanes for hanging in there and getting the job done when it wasn't easy.
The defense had a day to forget, but Marquise Lightfoot came up big when the Canes needed something, and Malachi Toney shut the door with the final touchdown like he always does. Things are not always going to go as expected, but the mental toughness of this Miami team shined in the biggest moments.
Mark Fletcher is starting to round into late-season form
Mark Fletcher has been pretty unremarkable this year and is conceding more carries to Javian Mallory each week. But, the senior is a gamer, and when his number was called in the red zone on Saturday night, he delivered. Would I love to see more out of Fletcher in the running game? Sure. Will we see more out of Fletcher in the final third of the regular season? I expect we will, but Fletcher finding the end zone three times was exactly what Miami needed.
The supporting cast is starting to show up for Miami and Mario Cristobal
Toney had seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner. He had a great start and a great finish, but North Carolina kept him in check for stretches at a time. Despite that, Cooper Barkate (four catches, 71 yards) had some big plays when his number was called, while Elija Lofton had a couple of memorable catch-and-runs. The more of a threat these players prove to be, the more space Toney will have to operate.
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