MIAMI GARDENS – For some, miracles just do not happen when you need them.
After being down 28-7 at halftime, the Hurricanes attempted to climb themselves out of a hole and complete the comeback. That comeback, however, fell short of fruition, as the Hurricanes fell to the Hokies 42-35.
The loss puts the Hurricanes at 2-3 on the season, and at a significant disadvantage in the ACC, at 0-2 in conference.
Coming off a bye week, Miami hoped to look fresh and significantly better against Virginia Tech and new starting quarterback Hendon Hooker, who was making his first career start.
“I think that the way the game went early on and them getting separation on the scoreboard allowed them to really protect [Hendon Hookier],” head coach Manny Diaz said about preparing for Hooker. “They were able to run the ball. It took a minute to understand that third down wasn’t third down for them.”
The exact opposite happened in the first half, however, as the Hurricanes were down from the first snap.
On the Hurricanes third play from scrimmage, Jarren Williams was intercepted by Jermaine Waller. On the drive following the interception, Hooker scored the first touchdown of the game on a 16-yard scramble.
The next drive held a similar fate for the Hurricanes, as Williams was intercepted attempting to find Dee Wiggins deep. Although the Hurricanes held strong and forced a three-and-out, it seemed to be the beginning of the end for Williams.
After another interception by Waller on Williams, backup quarterback N’Kosi Perry came in and finished the game for the Hurricanes.
Perry’s inclusion into the lineup did little to help a sputtering Hurricanes offense though, as the Hurricanes went into halftime converting just one of six third-down attempts and committing five turnovers on offense.
The Hurricanes went into halftime down 28-7.
In the second half, the Hurricanes attempted to make a comeback. But it ultimately fell short.
The Hurricanes started the second half with a stop and a 6-yard touchdown from Perry to Brevin Jordan. The score put the Hurricanes down 28-14 and it seemed to drag the momentum towards the home team.
Later in the quarter, a sack on second down ended a promising drive for the Hurricanes, and forced them to punt the football away. The sack was one of three allowed by the Hurricanes offensive line in the third quarter alone.
On the first drive of the fourth quarter, Hooker connected with James Mitchell for a 67-yard pass on third down. The big pass set up the third touchdown between Hooker and tight end Dalton Reese, who put the Hokies up 35-14.
Later in the quarter, Perry connected with Jeff Thomas for a 13-yard touchdown, which put the Hurricanes back down two scores.
For the Hurricanes, Perry finished with flashes of brightness, but it was ultimately not enough to finish off the comeback. Perry completed 28 passes for 422 yards and four touchdowns, but between Perry and Williams, the Hurricanes were sacked a total of seven times.
Later in the fourth quarter, a 62-yard touchdown run by DeeJay Dallas tied the game at 35-all. A Bubba Baxa missed extra point ended the Hurricanes chance to take the lead with under four minutes remaining.
On the following drive, Hooker connected with Damon Hazelton and Dalton Keene to put the Hokies at the 3-yard line. On the following play, a DeShawn McClease touchdown put the Hokies up by seven with just over a minute remaining.
Despite it being Hooker’s first start, the redshirt sophomore finished the game completing 10 of his 20 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Hooker also added 89 yards on the ground, and scored another touchdown on the ground.
The final touchdown effectively secured a Hokies win.
While the Hurricanes got down to the Hokies 10-yard line on the final drive of the game, they were unable to score a touchdown, as Perry’s pass attempt fell incomplete at the buzzer.
When asked about a possible change at quarterback, Diaz told reporters that Williams is the quarterback moving forward.
“We still believe that Jarren [Williams] is our guy, so I don’t know what would change,” Diaz said. “It was just, as the game was going on, that N’Kosi [Perry] gave us the best chance to win.”
While the loss all but officially removes the Hurricanes from contention in the ACC Atlantic Division, they will still have a chance at making a seventh consecutive bowl game. To make that bowl game, the Hurricanes would have to win four of their final seven games, which includes six games inside the ACC.
“There are a lot of guys that are hurting together. There was not one negative word being said from one person to another person,” Diaz said about the team’s attitude in the locker room following the loss. “I’ll be very honest. It has been that way all year.”
The Hurricanes (2-3, 0-2 ACC) will attempt to quickly put the loss behind them, as they host Virginia on Friday night. The Hokies (3-2, 1-2 ACC) will host Rhode Island before continuing their conference slate against North Carolina the following week.
PHOTO CREDIT: Keith Forde
