Miami falls at NC State, crushing ACC hopes as undefeated No. 4 FSU in Tally looms
Miami’s November to remember started Saturday in a road game the Hurricanes would rather forget.
After ending October with back-to-back overtime wins, the University of Miami fell 20-6 in four quarters to North Carolina State to extinguish remaining hopes of playing itself into the Atlantic Coast Conference title game Dec. 2 in Charlotte.
The Hurricanes’ loss at Carter-Finley Stadium dropped them to 6-3 and 2-3 in the ACC, with No. 4 archrival Florida State (9-0, 7-0) looming next Saturday in a nationally televised game (ABC).
The Wolfpack rose to 6-3 and 3-2.
Tyler Van Dyke had another rough day, completing 21 of 38 (55 percent) passes for 173 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions — his eighth, ninth and 10th picks in the past four games. His completion percentage was a season low, and it was his second straight game without a touchdown.
Van Dyke was sacked three times.
When asked if the staff has considered making a change at quarterback, coach Mario Cristobal said, “I think it’s not just pointing a finger at Tyler. I think, offensively, there’s things that we need to do better... It’s a little bit of everything. Little bit of we’ve got to coach it better. We’ve got to get our guys to perform better. We’ve got to design a couple things that might help us see things a little bit more clearly. But a little bit of everything.
“...He’s tough,’’ the coach said of Van Dyke. “He’s tough and he’s upset. He competed the whole way. I don’t think anyone in there is making excuses for anything. I think everyone there is really upset, really disappointed.”
Offensively, UM’s bright spot was freshman running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who set a career high with 115 yards on 23 carries in his first start for a 5-yard-per-carry average. But Fletcher failed to get a first down on fourth-and-1 at the NC State 3 early in the fourth quarter that would have given UM the lead.
Down 10-6, UM began the crucial drive on its 25 with 2:22 left in the third quarter. But after Fletcher was dropped just short of the first down, the Wolfpack took over with 9:47 left in the game.
NC State got into Miami territory when UM’s James Williams was flagged for unnecessary roughness, which gave the Wolfpack another 15 yards to enter UM territory. Two plays later, the Pack scored on a 31-yard run up the middle by Kendrick Raphael to seal the win. The Wolfpack’s Brayden Narveson added a 19-yard field goal for the final score with 1:37 left.
Miami, which had the ball 10 minutes more than NC State, generated only 292 yards to the Wolfpack’s 231. It was the second-fewest offensive yards for Miami this season (after last week’s 276) and the second fewest yards the Canes allowed against an FBS team this season. UM was 4 of 15 on third down and 0 of 2 on fourth down, and had seven more first downs than NC State. Miami’s defense, with two takeaways, had a very good night until it allowed the 97-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. UM’s offense ran 70 plays to the Wolfpack’s 48.
“We limited them to under 50 plays, under 50 snaps,’’ Cristobal said. “When you do that, you should walk away with a favorable result. Put pressure on the quarterbacks, stopped the run, contained some of their explosive players for the most part. They played their hearts out. They gave us every chance to win the game.’’
NC State did not have a first down in the third quarter.
Van Dyke, without the right knee brace he wore after he was injured Oct. 14 at North Carolina, was inconsistent from the start and got worse from there. He ended the error-ridden first half 9 of 20 for 78 yards.
“Just gotta be better,’’ Van Dyke said. “Honestly, it is frustrating. I put a lot of work into watching film this week and I did a great job preparing. Just gotta put that work in on the field as well. Had a great week of practice. Just got to be better on game day.’’
When asked how his knee was doing, Van Dyke said, “Yeah, it’s football. Just got banged up a little bit. I’m alright now.’’
The Hurricanes won the opening toss and deferred to the second half, culminated their opening drive with a 48-yard field goal by Andy Borregales with 6:57 left in the first quarter. Fletcher accounted for 30 yards on five carries in the 12-play, 43-yard drive, while Van Dyke was 2 of 6 for 13 yards.
The Wolfpack made it 7-3 on a 12-yard pass from MJ Morris to Jordan Poole with 2:17 left in the first quarter. The 72-yard drive was highlighted by Kevin Concepcion’s 36-yard reception on the initial play. UM cornerback Daryl Porter hurt his left ankle on the play, and was carried off the field by medical personnel.
Borregales’ second field goal was from 27 yards out at 13:09 of the second quarter to cut the Wolfpack lead to 7-6.
The second quarter featured four consecutive turnovers, alternated between the teams.
First, UM’s Jaden Davis strip-sacked Morris. The ball was recovered by Canes defensive tackle Jared Harrison-Hunte at the NC State 29. But four plays later, Van Dyke launched an underthrown ball into coverage and it was intercepted in the end zone by Aydan White.
NC State took over at its 20, and five plays later UM safety Kam Kinchens returned the favor with his fourth interception of the season, aided by fellow safety Williams’ quarterback hurry.
UM took over at its own 10 after the pick, drove down the field, but Van Dyke was sacked by Red Hibbler, who beat freshman right tackle Francis Mauigoa. Van Dyke fumbled and Davin Mann recovered.
The Wolfpack took over at the UM 9-yard line, lost 12 yards and and finally kicked a 39-yard field goal to make it 10-6 at halftime.
Two of UM’s next three games, including next week’s in Tallahassee (game time to be announced), are on the road. After FSU it’s back home to Hard Rock Stadium for the Hurricanes’ final home game against No. 15 Louisville (8-1, 5-1), which defeated Virginia Tech on Saturday. Then, the Canes end the regular season the day after Thanksgiving at Boston College, a nationally-televised noon kickoff. The Eagles won their fifth game in a row on Friday night to rise to 6-3 and 3-2.
▪ UM slot receiver Ray Ray Joseph and tight end Elijah Arroyo were on the sideline and not in uniform Saturday. Tailback Ajay Allen also did not play.
This story was originally published November 4, 2023 at 11:28 PM.
