No. 1 Miami enters Saturday's Halloween matchup at North Carolina with a 7-0 record and national championship aspirations. The Hurricanes have visited Chapel Hill on similar weekends before, and the results have ranged from a late upset to a narrow escape that preserved an undefeated season.
On Oct. 30, 2004, fourth-ranked Miami arrived with a 6-0 mark in its first ACC season and left with a 31-28 loss on a last-second field goal. Thirteen years later, eighth-ranked Miami showed up undefeated and held on for a 24-19 victory against a struggling North Carolina team.
Now, 22 years after one of the more memorable upsets in Tar Heels history, Miami returns looking to avoid another Halloween surprise.
2004 upset
Miami entered that game having already beaten Florida State, Louisville and NC State, positioning itself as a contender for an ACC title and a possible national championship. North Carolina was 3-4 and had surrendered 669 yards in a 46-16 loss to Utah two weeks earlier. Miami's roster included future NFL contributors such as Frank Gore, Devin Hester, Greg Olsen and Antrel Rolle.
North Carolina controlled large stretches of the game as running back Chad Scott rushed for a career-high 175 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Darian Durant completed 21 of 29 passes for 266 yards and two scores while adding 64 rushing yards. The Tar Heels finished with 545 total yards, including 279 on the ground, while Miami managed just 77 rushing yards despite Brock Berlin throwing for 338 yards and two touchdowns.
North Carolina took a 28-21 lead with just under 11 minutes remaining after Scott's second touchdown. Berlin then directed an 89-yard drive that ended with Hester's 11-yard touchdown run, tying the game with about two minutes left. Durant guided the Tar Heels into field-goal range, setting up freshman kicker Connor Barth for a 42-yard attempt with four seconds remaining.
Barth connected as time expired and North Carolina fans stormed the field, with both goal posts torn down. It was the Tar Heels' first victory over a top-five opponent.
Miami lost 24-17 in overtime to Clemson the following week and finished 9-3, including a 27-10 Peach Bowl win over Florida.
2017 escape
On Oct. 28, 2017, eighth-ranked Miami traveled to Chapel Hill with a 6-0 record under Mark Richt. North Carolina was 1-7 and dealing with injuries, making the Hurricanes heavy favorites, but the Tar Heels still made Miami work for the win.
North Carolina led 6-0 late in the second quarter before Malik Rosier found Christopher Herndon IV for a 51-yard touchdown. Rosier later connected with Jeff Thomas on a 78-yard score early in the third quarter and added a touchdown pass to Braxton Berrios. He finished with a career-high 356 passing yards and three touchdowns.
North Carolina cut the deficit to 24-19 late in the fourth quarter and recovered a Miami fumble to create one last chance. The Tar Heels then fumbled the ball back with just over two minutes remaining and Miami ran out the clock after Rosier picked up a critical first down on the ground.
The Hurricanes improved to 7-0 and eventually reached 10-0 before dropping their final three games against Pittsburgh, Clemson and Wisconsin.
2026 matchup
Mario Cristobal's undefeated team is averaging 49 points per game behind quarterback Darian Mensah and receiver Malachi Toney. North Carolina enters at 4-3 under Bill Belichick and has a five-game winning streak in the series against Miami. But the Tar Heels are also 0-11 against opponents ranked No. 1 in the AP poll.
Saturday night will determine whether the Hurricanes leave Kenan Stadium still perfect or whether North Carolina produces another Halloween performance that changes the season.
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