Miami could only outrun ACC chaos for so long.
After so many comeback wins and (sometimes controversial) close calls for the Miami Hurricanes this season, it was only a matter of time before an opponent would get the best of the College Football Playoff contender. And, of course, it was Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets dealt Miami its first loss of the season with a 28-23 victory on Saturday in a matchup where the Hurricanes were pretty much never in control. Now 5-5 in recent years against Georgia Tech, Miami’s perfect season is no more as it’s now on a two-game losing streak against the Yellow Jackets.
Entering Week 11 at the top of the ACC standings and No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings, Miami is now 5-1 in conference play and 9-1 overall. It’s headed for a bye week before closing out the regular season against Wake Forest and Syracuse.
But more importantly for the team and its fans, Miami’s shot to play in the ACC title game and make the 12-team playoff is still very much alive. Georgia Tech just made the path a bit harder and less forgiving.
The Hurricanes’ season isn’t over, especially with an expanded playoff field, and it’s hardly time to panic. The Canes just need to win out.
But Georgia Tech pulled off what so many other teams have tried but failed to do this year and, in the process, illuminated Miami’s flaws, particularly with an inconsistent offensive line. The Yellow Jackets defense stifled the Hurricanes, kept them from getting much moving on offense and came up big on fourth downs.
Now that Miami’s late-game comeback luck has run out, it must finally clean up what so many opponents continue to expose.
Heisman Trophy contender Cam Ward is playing a standout season with dominant stats and jaw-dropping plays that remind you he’s one of the best FBS quarterbacks this season. Through 10 games, he’s thrown for 3,494 yards and 32 touchdowns, and he entered Week 11 leading FBS quarterbacks in passing touchdowns.
He has moments where it looks like the Heisman is his, playing with coolness and poise that’s so casual it’s almost alarming. But he and the Hurricanes offensive line can be inconsistent too, and some of his stunning Heisman moments are the result of that.
It’s been noticeable all season. Sometimes, Ward has all the time in the world and takes it. Sometimes, he takes too long to get rid of the ball, and other times, the offensive line has him running for his life as it’s unable to stop a blitz.
Miami’s final offensive play against Georgia Tech was a perfect storm of those pitfalls, as a three-man rush somehow still collapsed the Hurricanes’ pocket, leading to a strip-sack of Ward as he danced around just a bit too long.
Ward came into Saturday’s game tied for fourth in the ACC with 17 sacks, and he took three more against Georgia Tech, including that final dagger from the Yellow Jackets’ defense. Even in a commanding win over a bad Florida State team, he had a season-high four sacks.
He was sacked three times in comeback wins over Virginia Tech and Cal, but Miami was still able to narrowly survive with victories. But Georgia Tech ended up being the team to deal the previously undefeated playoff contender what felt like an overdue loss, securing it with a sack and turnover.
Ward scrambling was far from the Hurricanes’ only problem Saturday — there were game and clock management issues and converting three of 10 third downs among the others — it was just a big one that was bound to have a negative impact eventually.
If Miami wins out, it’ll still play in the ACC title game where the winner has an automatic bye week to start the College Football Playoff. If it doesn’t make the conference championship game, or it does but loses, the playoff could be unreachable.
The Hurricanes’ goals are still reachable, and they remain in control. Yet, it’s quite unsurprising Georgia Tech was the team to erase any wiggle room in their path to the playoff.
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