When the Hurricanes need him most, they know they can count on Restrepo
Set up in the slot with two Miami Hurricanes teammates flanked wide to Xavier Restrepo’s right, the star receiver sprinted up the middle of the field.
On fourth-and-4 with 4:33 left in the third quarter, Restrepo cut ever so slightly to his left and beelined to the red zone, turning and laying out just in time to reel in a 28-yard, drive-saving catch. Miami scored three plays later to effectively put the game out of reach. And Restrepo, a fourth-year junior, continued his ascension up the program’s all-time record book while leading UM to a 45-20 victory Friday at Boston College.
How does the 5-foot-10, 198-pound Restrepo do it?
“I don’t know…” responded pensive freshman running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (12 carries for 44 yards, one touchdown), pulling back from the postgame press conference podium microphone before finishing his thought. “That man just gets open. He’s not the fastest guy, not the biggest guy, but he knows how to get open, and that’s what makes him so effective.”
With his six-reception, 117-yard performance on a seasonally temperate afternoon at Alumni Stadium, Restrepo jumped into second place on the program’s all-time single-season receptions list and climbed into sixth place in single-season receiving yards. With the Hurricanes (7-5, 3-5 ACC) bowl eligible, Restrepo has a chance to add the the six catches he needs to eclipse Charleston Rambo’s program-record 79-catch 2021 season, and the 7 receiving yards necessary to make Restrepo the program’s fifth player with a 1,000 receiving yard season. He’s 180 yards from the program’s single-season receiving yard record, which isn’t impossible, given his outburst last week. Restrepo was not made available to the media for the second week in a row.
As a true freshman, Restrepo made just one catch. He compiled more than 600 receiving yards the next two years — missing five games last year with a broken fifth metatarsal. With five games of more than 120 receiving yards this fall, Restrepo broke out and established himself among the nation’s best wideouts. He’s No. 2 in the ACC in both receiving yards and receptions per game.
“You can always trust X,” said UM quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (23-of-36 passing, 290 yards, two touchdowns). “He’s always going to find his way open. You’ve just got to find a way to get him the ball, and he’ll make a play for you.”
He did make a play, many, really, even if they started to come a little later than expected.
Coming off a career-best 193-yard outburst in last week’s high-scoring loss to Louisville, the host Eagles (6-5, 3-4) limited Restrepo, a Coconut Creek native and Deerfield Beach High School alum, to just a single target — an incomplete pass — in the first quarter.
“I was concerned with some of the depth at defensive back... that’s a good receiver group and it showed today,” Boston College coach Jeff Hafley said. “That was probably my biggest concern with the safeties and corners being out.”
But the relentless Restrepo made a handful of big plays the rest of the way, climbing up the record books in the process. Midway through the second quarter, Restrepo reeled in a 24-yard catch on fourth-and-8, reviving a drive that ultimately resulted in a UM touchdown. Restrepo played a pivotal role on the Hurricanes’ next drive, another touchdown, nabbing 22 and 15-yard grabs.
And on that fourth-and-4 midway through the third quarter, Restrepo used every inch of his wingspan to make the 28-yard grab, setting up another touchdown to help keep the Hurricanes ahead for good. The Hurricanes outgained Boston College 532 to 294.
“That fourth-down play was as big as you get, calling a guy’s number,” UM coach Mario Cristobal said. “It’s Cover 0. We’re going, try to make a play … and we certainly did.”
Restrepo did, that is.
After snapping a three-game skid to close the regular season, UM finds out its bowl fate on Sunday, Dec. 3, following the completion of all conference championship games.
This story was originally published November 24, 2023 at 6:05 PM.