Tag: Miami Hurricanes

Miami loss throws the ACC into chaos in new US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 11

Here’s how the US LBM Coaches Poll sees the top of the ACC after a wild weekend.

USA TODAY Sports released the updated US LBM Coaches Poll on Sunday, and with no undefeated teams left in the ACC, all semblance of order in the conference left the room.

The Miami Hurricanes, after completing double-digit comebacks over Virginia Tech, California, and Duke in the second half, finally came up short when star quarterback Cam Ward fumbled the ball away against Georgia Tech in the final two minutes. The Yellow Jackets ran out the clock for a 28-23 win, giving them another marquee victory for the season and knocking Miami down to 12th in the rankings.

Nine days ago, the Clemson Tigers would have been seen as the natural successor to Ward and the Hurricanes. However, after last week’s loss at the hands of Louisville, the Tigers trailed Virginia Tech by seven points at halftime on Saturday. While Clemson eventually put the victory away, the Tigers still only moved up to 16th.

Now, the SMU Mustangs stand as the last team without a loss in conference play. Rhett Lashlee and his program, now 13th in the Coaches Poll, control their own destiny for the College Football Playoff. And if Duke football fans squint, they can see a vote for the Blue Devils at the very bottom of the results.

Check out the complete results of the new US LBM Coaches Poll below:

Rank Team Record Points
1 Oregon Ducks 10-0 1,375 (55)
2 Ohio State Buckeyes 8-1 1,314
3 Texas Longhorns 8-1 1,262
4 Tennessee Volunteers 8-1 1,138
5 Penn State Nittany Lions 8-1 1,113
6 Indiana Hoosiers 10-0 1,057
7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-1 1,038
8 BYU Cougars 9-0 994
9 Alabama Crimson Tide 7-2 899
10 Georgia Bulldogs 7-2 887
11 Ole Miss Rebels 8-2 877
12 Miami Hurricanes 9-1 820
13 SMU Mustangs 8-1 691
14 Boise State Broncos 8-1 691
15 Texas A&M Aggies 7-2 597
16 Clemson Tigers 7-2 536
17 Army Black Knights 9-0 466
18 Washington State Cougars 8-1 385
19 Kansas State Wildcats 7-2 332
20 Colorado Buffaloes 7-2 329
21 Missouri Tigers 7-2 277
22 LSU Tigers 6-3 257
23 South Carolina Gamecocks 6-3 118
24 Louisville Cardinals 6-3 109
25 Iowa State Cyclones 7-2 92

Dropped Out

No. 23 Pittsburgh; No. 25 Vanderbilt

Receiving Votes

Tulane 85; Louisiana 42; Arizona State 30; Pittsburgh 28; UNLV 17; Memphis 11; Navy 3; James Madison 2; Illinois 2; Duke 1

Duke football ‘couldn’t have asked for’ a better script in NC State win, Manny Diaz says

After a blown lead against Miami in Week 10, Manny Diaz and Duke found a way to right their wrongs against NC State on Saturday.

Duke football fans would be forgiven for experiencing a wave of déjà vu in the second half of Saturday’s game against NC State.

Seven days after the Blue Devils built a 28-17 lead in Miami only to watch the Hurricanes score five second-half touchdowns, Duke scored the first 12 points of the game in Raleigh.

“It set up the scenario that, if we could have scripted it, we really couldn’t have asked for it any better,” head coach Manny Diaz said after the game. “Up two scores on the road again in league play and could we close? And could we finish?”

When the Wolfpack tied the game at 12 points apiece with a fourth field goal midway through the third quarter, any Duke fans watching at home might have felt a pit in their stomach.

Instead, the offense and defense made the plays they needed on Saturday. [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Moore[/autotag] converted a second-and-20, Murphy ran for a 3-yard touchdown, and safety Terry Moore intercepted a pass.

When Murphy and Sahmir Hagans connected for a 9-yard touchdown after Moore’s pick, the Blue Devils had a 14-point cushion with 14 minutes to play. Kicker Todd Pelino even expunged some demons with a 49-yard field goal with 2:06 to play, making it a two-score game and effectively icing the Wolfpack on their own senior night.

They could close and finish indeed.

Georgia Tech humbled Miami (of course), but the Hurricanes’ playoff hopes aren’t ruined yet

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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Miami nailed for 30 yards of penalties on one play in loss to Georgia Tech

Miami had a tough day against Georgia Tech in ACC play

The attitude was back for “the U.” The result wasn’t the same.

Miami lost to Georgia Tech on Saturday in ACC play, 28-23.

It wasn’t the Hurricanes’ day in many ways.

This play was a great example:

The Hurricanes were flagged to a personal foul for a grab of the facemask and targeting all on one play.

Rueben Bain Jr. was hit with the penalty for the facemask. Ahmad Moten Sr. was the culprit on the targeting foul. Miami had a tough day against Georgia Tech in ACC play

Five ACC teams included in initial College Football Playoff rankings

The College Football Playoff selection committee released its first rankings of the year on Tuesday with five ACC teams in the top 25.

The College Football Playoff selection committee released its first rankings of the 2024 season on Tuesday night, and the Miami Hurricanes predictably led the five ACC teams included in the top 25.

The undefeated Hurricanes, who scored five second-half touchdowns to beat the Blue Devils 53-31 on Saturday, start the playoff cycle in fourth behind the Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Georgia Bulldogs.

While the Clemson Tigers spent much of the season in position for an at-large berth in the 12-team field, Louisville beat them in their own stadium last weekend to knock Dabo Swinney’s team all the way down to 23rd. Without a strong run to the conference title, Clemson is likely out of contention.

The SMU Mustangs, on the other hand, are very much not out of contention. SMU beat Duke in overtime just two weeks ago after blocking a 30-yard field goal on the final play of regulation, but a dominant 48-25 victory over the previously undefeated Pittsburgh moved them up to 13th.

While the Hurricanes would be the only team from the conference in the projected playoff bracket as of Tuesday, another upset or two could bump SMU into an at-large spot.

Pittsburgh starts the playoff cycle at 18th while Louisville moved itself up to 22nd after its big win.

Duke receiver Sahmir Hagans makes Pro Football Focus ACC Team of the Week in Week 10

Blue Devils wide receiver Sahmir Hagans was named to Pro Football Focus ACC Team of the Week for his 139-yard performance against Miami.

Week 10 of the college football regular season saw Duke fall to the Miami Hurricanes in a 53-31 shootout. However, despite the loss, wide receiver [autotag]Sahmir Hagans[/autotag] still worked his way to some national acclaim.

After a strong performance against the Hurricanes, Hagans earned one of two wide receiver spots on the Pro Football Focus ACC Team of the Week alongside Miami star Xavier Restrepo, who torched the Blue Devils’ defense all day long.

Hagans caught nine passes for 139 yards and one touchdown for the day, taking a 27-yard catch-and-run to the end zone that tied the game early in the second quarter.

The redshirt junior now has 32 receptions for 345 yards and two touchdowns on the season, third on the team in each category. Only Jordan Moore and Eli Pancol have been more productive.

Restrepo, on the other sideline, finished with eight receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns.

No other Blue Devils made the PFF team of the week, but running back Peyton Jones put together a strong day with 12 carries for 71 yards and one touchdown, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

Miami leads five ACC teams in latest AP Poll Top 25 after Week 10

After a crazy Week 10 slate, a new ACC team emerged as the biggest threat to the Miami Hurricanes atop the conference.

For most of the 2024 college football season, ACC fans believed that the Miami Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers were on a crash course for the conference championship game.

Miami owned the most productive offense in the country thanks to Heisman Trophy frontrunner Cam Ward, and the Tigers (with two national championships under their belt since 2016) had looked absolutely unstoppable since their Week 1 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Other teams around the conference looked impressive, but there was a clear top two. Right?

Well, not so much after Saturday.

The Louisville Cardinals left Death Valley with a 33-21 victory over Clemson, leaving tattered dreams of the College Football Playoff bracket in their wake. While the Hurricanes shifted up one spot to No. 4 in the newest AP Poll, the Tigers slid all the way down to No. 19 with a second loss on their resume.

The Clemson loss left an opening in the ACC power vacuum, and the SMU Mustangs vaulted forward to fill it with a 48-25 victory over the previously undefeated Pittsburgh Panthers. In their first year as members of the conference, the Mustangs have now won their first five ACC games with wins over Louisville, Duke, and Pittsburgh on their ledger, and it helped them climb seven spots to No. 13 in the new AP rankings.

The Oregon Ducks held tight onto the top spot after a 38-17 road victory over the defending national championships, the Michigan Wolverines, who dropped to 5-4 for the year. The Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Texas Longhorns joined Miami within the top five.

SMU emerges as Miami’s top ACC competitor in new US LBM Coaches Poll

Here’s how the US LBM Coaches Poll sees the top of the ACC after a wild weekend.

USA TODAY Sports released the updated US LBM Coaches Poll on Sunday after the top of the ACC got shaken up over the weekend.

The Miami Hurricanes trailed Duke by as many as 11 points in the second half, but five touchdowns over the final 25 minutes helped star quarterback Cam Ward and his teammates remain undefeated.

The Clemson Tigers and Pittsburgh Panthers weren’t so lucky. After winning six games in a row, the Tigers saw their playoff chances dwindle to a prayer after the Louisville Cardinals came into their stadium and left with a 33-21 victory.

The Panthers, who won their first seven games of the season, never stood a chance on the road against a motivated SMU team. Running back Brashard Smith ran for 161 yards and scored three total touchdowns as the Mustangs led by 37 points with five minutes to play, and two late Pitt touchdowns could only salvage a 48-25 final score.

SMU and Miami now sit in the driver’s seat for the ACC Championship Game as the only teams undefeated in conference play. The Hurricanes rose to fourth in this week’s voting while the Mustangs shifted all the way up to 15th.

Clemson tumbled down to 17th with their defeat, and the Panthers fell all the way down to 23rd. But here come the Cardinals near the bottom of the rankings, second among the teams receiving votes for an unofficial spot at 27th.

Check out the complete results of the new US LBM Coaches Poll below:

Rank Team Record Points
1 Oregon Ducks 9-0 1,349 (53)
2 Georgia Bulldogs 7-1 1,267 (1)
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 7-1 1,245
4 Miami Hurricanes 9-0 1,194
5 Texas Longhorns 7-1 1,138
6 Tennessee Volunteers 7-1 1,039
7 Penn State Nittany Lions 7-1 982
8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-1 961
9 BYU Cougars 8-0 918
10 Indiana Hoosiers 9-0 916
11 Alabama Crimson Tide 6-2 772
12 Ole Miss Rebels 7-2 657
13 LSU Tigers 6-2 653
14 Boise State Broncos 7-1 615
15 SMU Mustangs 8-1 603
16 Texas A&M Aggies 6-2 518
17 Clemson Tigers 6-2 513
18 Iowa State Cyclones 7-1 511
19 Army Black Knights 8-0 404
20 Washington State Cougars 7-1 284
21 Kansas State Wildcats 7-2 201
22 Missouri Tigers 6-2 192
23 Pittsburgh Panthers 7-1 178
24 Colorado Buffaloes 6-2 124
25 Vanderbilt Commodores 6-3 85

Dropped Out

No. 24 Illinois; No. 25 Memphis

Receiving Votes

Tulane 38; Louisville 38; South Carolina 33; Louisiana 27; Syracuse 24; UNLV 17; Arizona State 17; Minnesota 14; Iowa 13; Memphis 5; Illinois 3; Texas Tech 1; James Madison 1

Duke football holds steady in ESPN Football Power Index rankings after Week 10

The Duke Blue Devils stayed in almost the exact same place in the ESPN Football Power Index rankings after Week 10.

The Duke Blue Devils had the undefeated Miami Hurricanes on the ropes through two-and-a-half quarters on Saturday afternoon, but head coach Manny Diaz and his team couldn’t slam the door on the ACC favorites in a 53-31 loss.

As a result, despite Miami looking like a firm College Football Playoff contender, Duke dropped one spot to 61st in the ESPN Football Power Index rankings on Sunday.

The low ranking seems a little unfair given that Duke’s last two games included an overtime loss to the 8-1 SMU Mustangs, the No. 16 team in the rankings, and an 11-point lead over the Hurricanes.

“We showed that we can play toe to toe with anybody in the country,” Diaz said after the game.

Despite the low placement among Power Four programs, ESPN still likes the Blue Devils’ chances to reach eight wins. With a 6-3 record and upcoming games against NC State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest, the popular analytical formula gives Duke a projected win total of 7.6.

The Hurricanes moved up one spot to ninth in the rankings, still the top ACC program, but the Louisville Cardinals vaulted themselves up to 14th after their road upset of the Clemson Tigers.

The Texas Longhorns, Ohio State Buckeyes, Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish remained the top five teams in order.

Jordan Moore becomes 12th Duke wide receiver with 2,000 career yards

During Saturday’s loss to Miami, Jordan Moore joined an esteemed list of Duke receivers with 2,000 career yards.

Despite falling to the undefeated Miami Hurricanes by a score of 53-31, the Duke offense exploded for its most productive game of the season. Wide receiver [autotag]Jordan Moore[/autotag] was a big reason why, and during the course of his strong performance, he surpassed a major milestone with 2,000 career receiving yards.

Against Miami, Moore caught five passes for 75 yards and one touchdown. That brought his season total to 39 receptions for 556 yards and five scores, and in his career as a whole, Moore has caught 161 passes for 2,047 yards and 18 touchdowns since making the switch to receiver in 2022.

Moore currently sits 12th on Duke’s career receiving leaderboard, just 35 yards behind Doug Green for 11th and 250 yards behind Corey Thomas’s spot in the top 10. He will have three more regular-season games (and potentially a bowl game) to move farther up that list.

One of Moore’s catches against Miami came in electric fashion just before the end of the third quarter. He went up and reeled in a one-handed grab in a similar style to Odell Beckham Jr.’s infamous catch for a third-down conversion.