Duke built double-digit lead at No. 5 Miami. How QB Cam Ward, though, kept Canes perfect
Duke took a shot at reversing history on Saturday by building an 11-point lead over No. 5 Miami in the third quarter.
Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward, however, made sure to keep the Blue Devils’ futility against top-five teams intact.
Ward tossed five touchdown passes, including three in the second half to rally the Hurricanes past upset-minded Duke, 53-31.
Seeking their first win over a team ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Top 25 since 1960 and their first-ever such win on the road, the Blue Devils (6-3, 2-3 ACC) took a 28-17 lead with 10 minutes, 3 seconds left in the third quarter.
But, while Duke could only add a field goal the rest of the game, Ward and the Hurricanes (9-0, 5-0 ACC) could not be contained.
The Heisman Trophy candidate threw for 400 yards, completing 25 of 41 passes for the game while only throwing one interception.
As a result, Duke has now dropped 22 consecutive games against top-five teams, dating back to a win over No. 4 Navy in 1960.
Three takeaways from Duke’s loss Saturday:
Explosive Miami offense proves too much
Duke coach Manny Diaz said all week that explosive plays would be the difference in the game. His Blue Devils had plenty of their own, but Ward made enough for Miami to stay undefeated.
The Hurricanes produced 11 passing plays covering 15 yards or more. That included Ward’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Jacolby George in the fourth quarter after Duke had cut the Miami lead to 32-31.
Ward and Xavier Restrepo connected on a 66-yard touchdown pass with 7:36 to play that extended Miami’s lead to 46-31.
Ward also completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Restrepo on Miami’s first possession of the game.
In addition, the Hurricanes broke free for six rushing plays that gained 10 yards or more. Running back Mark Fletcher had four of them.
Maalik Murphy’s big game, but ...
After failing to throw for more than 216 yards over a four-game stretch, including a season-low 70 when Duke beat Florida State 23-16 on Oct. 18, Maalik Murphy has produced better numbers over the past two weeks.
After throwing for 295 yards when Duke lost 28-27 to SMU last week, Murphy amassed a season-best 325 passing yards with three touchdown throws against Miami. He completed 25 of 41 passes and also threw three interceptions.
On the first two, he overthrew receivers on deep routes. The last one, in the fourth quarter, resulted from wide receiver Eli Pancol allowing the ball to deflect off him before it was picked off.
Those miscues proved costly as Miami converted all three turnovers into touchdowns. Murphy also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter.
Helping Murphy to such a big statistical day were wide receiver Sahmir Hagans (nine catches, 139 yards) and sophomore running back Peyton Jones, who caught three passes for 61 yards with a touchdown. Jones also led Duke in rushing with 71 yards on 12 carries, including an 8-yard touchdown run.
Duke’s offense played behind an offensive line missing starting right guard Justin Pickett, who missed the game with an undisclosed injury. Cornell transfer Micah Sahakian took his place and Duke’s line continued to play well. Murphy was only sacked twice.
Miami looks destined to play for ACC title
While Duke’s hopes to reach the ACC championship game disappeared with losses to SMU and Miami the past two weeks, the Hurricanes remain in solid position to play in that game for the chance to earn an automatic bid and top-four seed in the College Football Playoff.
Miami closes the regular season with games at Georgia Tech, at home against Wake Forest and at Syracuse. All three of those teams entered Saturday with break-even league records.
The Orange (5-2, 2-2 ACC) had the best record of the three entering Saturday’s games, with Georgia Tech (5-4, 3-3) and Wake (4-4, 2-2) also still chasing bowl eligibility.
This story was originally published November 2, 2024 at 3:54 PM.