No. 4 Miami was unable to recapture its late-game magic and lost 28-23 at Georgia Tech, muddying the race for the College Football Playoff and ACC championship with three weeks left in the regular season.
After escaping upset efforts by California, Virginia Tech, Louisville and Duke, the Hurricanes scored with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to draw within five points but were unable to take the lead in its final possession that started with under two minutes left.
With the Hurricanes at their own 19-yard line and facing second down after an incompletion, quarterback Cam Ward looked downfield against a three-man rush that eventually collapsed the pocket and sacked the senior, forcing a fumble recovered by the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech has won two in a row in the series. Last year, Miami could’ve taken a knee with under a minute remaining to secure a 20-17 but ran the ball and fumbled. The Jackets scored on a 44-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left.
This is the Jackets’ second top-10 win on the year, joining a victory against then-No. 10 Florida State in the season opener. They piled up 271 rushing yards to keep control of the ball and leave Miami’s potent offense on the sideline.
Ward had 348 yards and three touchdowns, giving him multiple scores in every game but one since transferring from Washington State. For Tech, Haynes King returned after missing nearly a month and had 125 yards of total offense, including 93 rushing yards on 20 carries, and two scores. Haynes shared snaps with freshman Aaron Philo, who had 67 passing yards and a touchdown.
No lead had felt safe against Miami all season, thanks in large part to Ward’s heroics. He entered Saturday with seven touchdowns and just one interception in the fourth quarter this season for a 203.4 quarterback efficiency rating.
The loss prevents the Hurricanes’ first 10-0 start since 2017. In the ACC, Miami owns that head-to-head tiebreaker with Louisville and a comparative edge against No. 23 Clemson thanks to the Tigers’ loss to the Cardinals, so the defeat still keeps the Hurricanes on track for the ACC championship game. The only team still unbeaten in conference play is No. 13 SMU.
But losing to the Yellow Jackets raises the possibility that a loss in December to the Mustangs, for example, would knock Miami out of the at-large playoff mix in favor of a contender from the Big Ten or SEC. The Hurricanes have four wins against opponents currently with a winning record but none against teams in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll. Louisville was No. 22 in this week’s debut playoff rankings.
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