Miami are 8-0, but that was far too close for comfort.
The No. 1 Hurricanes finally ended their five-game losing streak against North Carolina with a 38-35 win in Chapel Hill, but this was not a night that eased any nerves heading into next weekend’s trip to Notre Dame.
Fletcher and Lightfoot deliver when it matters
Mark Fletcher Jr. was the big attacking story. He scored three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score on fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter, and tied Miami’s career rushing touchdown record with 35. Darian Mensah was also productive again, finishing 22 of 29 for 274 yards and three touchdowns, while Malachi Toney caught two scores and helped put the game away late.
The biggest defensive play came from Marquise Lightfoot. With Miami clinging to a 31-28 lead in the fourth quarter, he forced a strip-sack that Justin Scott recovered. That turnover changed the game. Miami took advantage immediately, with Mensah finding Toney for a touchdown that stretched the lead to 38-28.
Defensive concerns ahead of Notre Dame
That should have been enough, but Miami still made life hard for themselves. North Carolina threw for 341 yards, converted 8 of 11 third downs and kept exposing problems in Miami’s pass defence. The Tar Heels also turned the final minutes into chaos with multiple onside-kick attempts, and the Hurricanes were far from convincing in seeing the game out.
That is the part that really matters now. Miami got the win, kept the unbeaten season alive and finally got past North Carolina, but the defensive issues are real and cannot be brushed aside ahead of Notre Dame. Billy Edwards Jr. threw four touchdown passes, and better teams will punish that kind of performance even more ruthlessly.
There are no major new confirmed injury updates at the time of writing, and that will be another important storyline to monitor this week as Miami move from one major test straight into another.
Next up is Notre Dame, and after what we saw against North Carolina, there’s plenty for Miami to work on before heading to South Bend. I’ll have more on that matchup as the week progresses.
The Last Word from Across the Pond
This was the sort of win that feels better in the record column than it did while watching it. Miami showed resilience, Fletcher came up huge and Lightfoot delivered the defensive play of the night. But if we are being fair, this looked much more like an escape than a statement. The Hurricanes are 8-0 and still control everything in front of them, which is the most important thing. The problem is that Notre Dame will have watched that and seen plenty to attack. My full match report will be on the site later today once I’ve had the chance to rewatch the game properly.
