Miami catches Cavs

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. -- Jacory Harris couldn't afford to be nervous.

Instead, Miami's freshman quarterback was as clutch as can be, completing a desperation 26-yard pass to tie Virginia in regulation, and then throwing another scoring pass that proved to be the game-winner when the Hurricanes' defense came up with one more critical stand, stripping the ball away in overtime to seal an improbable 24-17 victory.

"If [teammates] look into your eyes and see that you're scared, then they're going to be scared themselves," said Harris, whose tying touchdown pass came as he scrambled away from pressure and found Laron Byrd in the back of the end zone with just 55 seconds remaining.

In the overtime, he hit Aldarius Johnson for a score from 9 yards out before Lovon Ponder stripped the ball from Cedric Peerman and Bruce Johnson recovered for the Hurricanes (6-3, 3-2 ACC).

Miami moved into good position in the tight battle to win the Coastal Division and a spot in the ACC championship game.

Virginia, meanwhile, was left wondering what might have been after squandering numerous chances to seize control of the game and leaving it available for the Hurricanes to steal.

"It hurts," said receiver Jared Green, whose 2-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter gave UVa a 17-10 lead. "It hurts really badly."

The Cavaliers (5-4, 3-2) went into the game in sole possession of first place in the Coastal Division and now have to find a way to lift themselves up again.

"We've been through adversity before, and we bounced back tremendously," quarterback Marc Verica said. "We're going to try to do the same this time."

It hurt more knowing they had only themselves to blame for causing two second-half turnovers in Miami territory and failing to score a point off either, and then having a drive for a potential regulation victory end when Verica was stripped at the Miami 32.

"When you don't take control of a game, that's what happens," Verica said.

Limited all game by Virginia's defense, Harris and Miami put together a 95-yard, 15-play march to tie it. Harris connected with Sam Shields on a 13-yard pass on a third-and-13 play at the beginning, and the touchdown came on a third-and-15 prayer from the Cavaliers' 26.

In the overtime, Harris faced a third-and-5 from the 9 when he passed to the 6-foot-2 Johnson, who beat 5-9 cornerback Vic Hall for the ball to give the Hurricanes the lead.

Hall also was beaten on the tying touchdown when safety Byron Glaspy fell down.

UVa's defense took the ball away in Miami territory on consecutive possessions in the third quarter, but the first drive yielded four yards and ended in a punt. The second stalled at the Hurricanes' 21, and Yannick Reyering was wide right on a 38-yard field goal try.

Reyering later missed from 47 yards, and when Verica's passing got the Cavaliers to the Miami 27 midway through the fourth quarter, he was sacked for a 13-yard loss by Allen Bailey on a third-and-2 play, moving them out of field-goal range and keeping it at 17-10.