All the pieces were in place for a matchup of undefeated teams in Chapel Hill.
Playing at home against an overmatched Georgia Tech team, Miami seemingly had the game in its grasp — until it didn’t. Thanks to some late-game blunders, the Yellow Jackets staged an improbable comeback to ruin everyone on the home team’s Saturday night.
Sound familiar?
Carolina knows a thing or two about dropping heartbreakers to the Jackets, but not quite in the manner the Hurricanes did. Miami held the ball and the lead with under 40 seconds remaining and could’ve simply kneeled out the clock, but instead chose to run it. The Hurricane running back fumbled the ball, and three plays later, Tech was in the end zone.
It scuttled the chances of a rare Top-15 matchup inside Kenan Stadium on Saturday, but with Miami still sneaking into the polls at No. 25, tomorrow’s game is just the eighth ranked-versus-ranked game in the venue since 1983.
As for if Miami will have a hangover from the devastating loss, quarterback Drake Maye noted it might motivate the Hurricanes to push even harder in practice this week.
“Coach [Mack] Brown does a good job of trying to enforce, ‘Don’t let a team beat you twice,'” Maye said. “And that’s a tough mentality in college football. It’s the type of thing where you’ve gotta try extra hard, put some extra work in or watch some extra film to try to get over that hump. But at the same time, it’s one of those things that Coach Brown still talks about to this day. It’s one of those things that lingers. Just as a human being, it’s tough to get over.”
Brown said he isn’t buying the idea of a post-loss swoon. After all, a wounded animal is still dangerous.
“These guys have got a lot of pride,” he said on Monday. “They’ve played us good every year. It’s been a fight. I don’t think it’ll make any difference. If anything, they’ll come in with a chip on their shoulder because they weren’t happy with how the [Georgia Tech] game finished. That’s what I would think. Coaches will be on edge, the players will be on edge and everybody will be ready to go.”
In fact, Brown said this week he won’t scout much from the Miami-Georgia Tech game, choosing instead to focus on the Hurricanes’ best efforts this season.
“They just absolutely stomped Texas A&M,” he said. “So I’ll be watching that game more than Georgia Tech. That’s who we’ll see. We won’t see the team that played Saturday night, and that’s what you learn. You’ve gotta figure out who you’re gonna play.”
Who the Tar Heels will play is a team which ranks seventh in the country in total offense – two spots ahead of Carolina – and ninth in total defense. Oregon is the only other FBS team to rank in the Top 10 in both metrics. Statistically, the Hurricanes are by far the most complete team UNC will have faced all season, and likely the best of the five Miami teams to face off with the Tar Heels since Brown returned to Chapel Hill.
All that means Saturday could provide a memorable Kenan Stadium environment, with the game kicking off at 7:30 p.m. in front of a national television audience on ABC. Maye wasn’t here for the famous 2019 game, which the Tar Heels won thanks to a last-minute Dazz Newsome touchdown catch, but he said he’s hopeful Saturday’s atmosphere matches it.
“I’m challenging the fans to come out,” Maye said. “They’ve done a great job so far this season. A night game against a ranked opponent, we’re No. 12 in the country, they’re Top 25. What more could you ask for with Carolina Football? Let’s bring some energy, and let’s go out and have some fun Saturday night.”
It sounds strange, but a Maye-led Carolina team is still yet to beat a ranked opponent. His Tar Heels have dropped their fair share of hyped-up home games though, with deflating losses to Notre Dame and NC State last year being at the top of that list. Miami’s loss last weekend took a little of the luster out of Saturday’s matchup, but it’s still one that will draw plenty of eyes. The stage is set for Carolina to take on an angry and motivated opponent, one hell-bent on atoning not just for the embarrassment of last weekend, but for four years of shortcomings against the Tar Heels.
Featured image via Associated Press/Wilfredo Lee
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