Miami upsets No. 17 Pittsburgh in shootout to topple top-20 teams in back-to-back weeks
A day before Halloween, the Miami Hurricanes went to Heinz Field dressed as white, green and orange offensive juggernauts.
But this was no dress rehearsal.
The Hurricanes, again led by second-year freshman quarterback Tyler Van Dyke’s rocket arm, poise and impressive accuracy, went on the road and defeated the No. 17 Pittsburgh Panthers and their Heisman Trophy contending quarterback 38-34 Saturday to mount their first back-to-back victories in 2021 — and second victory in as many weeks against a top-20 team.
After losses to Virginia and North Carolina in which Miami couldn’t finish what would have been game-winning drives late in the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes have finally found their way.
“What an extraordinary football game,’’ said UM coach Manny Diaz, under intense pressure to win after starting the season 2-4. “Pitt’s got an unbelievable team. It was evident in the first quarter that this was going to be a game of just finding a way to get a stop...Two quarterbacks that were just on fire.
“Just humbled to sit here victorious, part of a very, very special football game.’’
One of those stops: an interception of history-making Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett at the Miami 4-yard line by true freshman safety James Williams with 3:43 left, Miami leading 38-34 and Pitt having reached the Miami 31-yard line. Pickett threw for a Pittsburgh single-game record 519 yards.
‘Swagger back’
“It brought our swagger back,’’ said Williams, who had nine tackles. “It brought what everybody has been looking for out of Miami — the hard fight, the being tough. We just block the haters and get what we gotta do done.”
Added Williams of Pickett: “That was a great quarterback. He made some amazing throws that had me shocked back there.’’
The Panthers (6-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) still lead the ACC’s Coastal Division, with UM now 4-4 and 2-2 and needing to win two of their last four regular-season games to qualify for a bowl.
Van Dyke completed 32 of 42 passes for a career-high 428 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. After Van Dyke’s interception, Pitt drove into Miami territory before Williams got his pick.
“I just made a heck of a play,’’ Williams said. “I’ve been waiting on that play all game. I was quiet, I was humble. And I was focused and waiting on that throw right there.’’
Van Dyke top 10
Van Dyke, who threw for the ninth-most yards in a single game in Miami history, went toe to toe with fifth-year senior Pickett. Pickett was 39 of 55 for his 519 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions.
The 6-4, 220-pound Van Dyke led UM to touchdowns on its first three drives, each with explosive plays. The first drive, which ended with tight end Elijah Arroyo’s first career touchdown — a 20-yarder — included a 57-yard beauty to Key’Shawn Smith on third-and-11 after Van Dyke was sacked for a 15-yard loss on UM’s opening play. The 5-play drive lasted a bit more than a minute-and-a-half.
The next UM drive lasted only three plays over 44 seconds and ended with a 57-yard, reverse flea flicker. Van Dyke handed off to tailback Jaylan Knighton, who gave it to Xavier Restrepo on a reverse. Restrepo then lateraled the ball back to Van Dyke, who hit tight end Will Mallory for the score to make it 14-7 (The Panthers opened the game with a 1-yard touchdown rush to culminate a 75-yard drive).
“That was a heck of a play,’’ Mallory said. “And it worked out today. Tyler making those throws. Look at him, he’s starting as a freshman but he’s making veteran plays. We’re really luck to have him.’’
The third UM drive lasted all of 34 seconds and consisted of two plays: a 20-yard completion to Mike Harley and the 40-yard rush down the middle by Knighton to make it 21-7.
At that point, Van Dyke was 6 of 6 for for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
Starts with confidence
“It all starts with confidence coming out fast,’’ Van Dyke said. He was asked if the recent late-game losses to Virginia and at North Carolina gave him valuable learning moments. “Obviously, I wanted to win [those],’’ he said. “But that really helped me learn from my mistakes and learn mentally how this thing goes.
“This team has a lot of fight, a lot of heart.”
Canes receiver Charleston Rambo had seven catches for 101 yards, while Pitt’s nationally heralded receiver Jordan Addison had eight catches for a game-high 145 yards.
Second-year freshman Knighton led UM with 80 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
Miami amassed 492 yards to Pitt’s 587.
14-point lead squandered
The Canes had a 31-17 lead at halftime, but the Panthers tied the score at 31 late in the third quarter on a 19-yard pass from Pickett to Jaylon Barden. UM answered with a 13-yard laser touchdown from Van Dyke to Smith, who made an over-the-shoulder fingertip catch in the end zone for his first career touchdown.
UM, up 38-34, took over with 3:43 left and on the first play of the final drive, Knighton barely got out of the end zone to avoid a safety, drawing boos from the raucus crowd of 46,977.
Van Dyke got Miami away from its own goal line with a completion to Rambo for a first down. The Canes then ran it twice, and Van Dyke hit tight end Will Mallory in the flat for 6 yards on third-and-4. But Mallory fumbled the ball out of bounds and after a long review by the officials, the referees placed the ball just in front of the first-down marker.
Miami had first-and-10 from the UM 29 with 40 seconds left and a win after Van Dyke took three straight kneel-downs.
Last week UM defeated No. 18 NC State 31-30.
Diaz and Blake James
Diaz, when asked about UM athletic director Blake James on Oct. 22 telling media members, including the Miami Herald, that the coach “knows we need to win games” and not assuring that Diaz’s job was safe for the rest of the season, said Saturday that he and James have “a good working relationship. We both want the same things.’’
“Everybody’s really excited about the fact that we got this win. It’s a humongous win for our program. Like I said, back to back Top 20 wins. It keeps us alive in the Coastal Division and we’ve got a team that’s really confident.’’
The Canes return home next Saturday to face Georgia Tech, which was 3-4 and 2-3 heading into Saturday’s matchup with Virginia Tech (3-4, 1-2).
This story was originally published October 30, 2021 at 3:44 PM.
