Langham is the hero again as UM rallies to defeat Ga. Tech in final seconds
The Miami Hurricanes have done it again.
For the second week in a row, the Canes rallied to win in the final seconds behind another sensational catch by Darrell Langham.
Malik Rosier’s 28-yard completion to Langham on fourth-and-10 with 34 seconds left led to Michael Badgley’s 24-yard field goal that gave UM the 25-24 victory over Georgia Tech with four seconds remaining Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.
“Just another day in paradise,’’ UM coach Mark Richt said. “That’s how we roll, I guess. What a wonderful victory for our team, our program, our fans, our university. There’s something going on that’s really good right now.
“Who knows where it’s going to go from here? The train could come off the tracks at any time. That’s just the way football is. But to do what we did two weeks in a row was pretty darn good.’’
No. 11 UM, the only undefeated team in the Atlantic Coast Conference, rose to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Coastal Division and stands alone in first place in the Coastal.
Georgia Tech fell to 3-2 and 2-1 and lost to Miami for the eighth time in nine years in front of 55,799 soggy fans.
UM’s 10-game winning streak dating to last season is the second longest active streak in the nation, behind only No. 18 USF (5-0), which was scheduled to play Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Travis Homer, a sophomore making his first career start after Mark Walton sustained a season-ending ankle injury last week, had an exceptional debut. He rushed for 170 yards on 20 carries, including a 27-yard touchdown in the second half.
Homer also had an acrobatic 17-yard touchdown reception with 12 seconds left in the first half to cut Georgia Tech’s lead to 14-13.
But the Langham catch, after last week’s 23-yard touchdown reception with six seconds left to give UM the victory at FSU, was pure magic.
“I had a seven-man protection and let three guys run routes and just said, ‘Launch it in play,’ ’’ Richt said. “I really thought Langham was being doubled up and we had a better one-on-one situation to his left. But I guess he believes in Langham and somehow the ball popped up in the air and landed in his gut.
“Minor miracle. Those things do happen in football, but they usually don’t happen when you need it the most.’’
The 6-4, 220-pound Langham, a redshirt junior, was asked if it was tough doing what he did two weeks in a row.
“Nah,’’ Langham said. “Because coach always tells us we have to be prepared every time we get on the field.”
What was going through his mind when the ball went up? “Be big and get the ball,” he said. “Just like he tells me everyday in practice, use my body to my advantage. It bounced off [cornerback Lamont Simmons], and I was able to focus on the ball the last minute and pull it in. It felt amazing.’’
UM’s game-winning drive began on its own 8-yard line with 2:30 left.
Rosier, who started the game off poorly and was off target on many of his throws, came alive on a soaking-wet field following a torrential downpour early in the fourth quarter. He hit six consecutive completions — three to receiver Braxton Berrios and then three to tight end Chris Herndon — that put Miami on the Georgia Tech 34-yard line. But after a UM timeout, the Canes were flagged 10 yards for an illegal block.
On second-and-11 from the Tech 44, Rosier threw an incompletion. Homer rushed for 1 yard on third-and-11, which had to have Canes fans scratching their heads in agony.
Then, on fourth down, Rosier connected with Langham for the 28-yard miracle to put the Canes on the 15. Homer’s 12-yard rush got the Canes within striking distance, and Badgley took care of the rest.
Rosier completed 23 of 37 passes for 297 yards and the touchdown to Homer.
Before the winning field goal, UM’s only lead was 3-0 after Badgley’s 33-yard field goal with 8:10 left in the opening quarter. Down by only one point to begin the second half, UM hurt itself with a momentum-shifting gamble. The Canes opted for an onside kick that failed and was returned 42 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-13.
“If we executed properly, it was there,’’ said Richt, who explained that Berrios was supposed to catch it on the run. “But we didn’t kick it far enough.’’
The Canes, who held the Jackets to 281 yards (only 102 in the second half), lost linebacker Michael Pinckney to what appeared to be a shoulder injury. In the fourth quarter, UM outgained Georgia Tech 191 to 18 yards.
Miami faces Syracuse (4-3, 2-1) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. Syracuse upset second-ranked Clemson (6-1, 4-1) on Friday night and will surely be pumped to meet Miami. UM leads that series 15-7, including victories in the past five meetings.
This story was originally published October 14, 2017 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Langham is the hero again as UM rallies to defeat Ga. Tech in final seconds."