Miami’s dizzying second-half run leads No. 5 Hurricanes past upset-minded Duke, former coach Manny Diaz

No. 5 Miami overcame an 11-point deficit to survive a scare from Duke 53-31 and move to 9-0 on the season. The Hurricanes went on a wild 36-3 run over the final 22 minutes to stay unbeaten and move one step closer to a potential ACC title game appearance. 

The game was a personal one for Duke coach Manny Diaz, who was unceremoniously dismissed three years ago to clear the way for Miami to hire Mario Cristobal. Early in the game, his Blue Devils played with an edge. After going down 14-0, quarterback Maalik Murphy went off, throwing three touchdowns and 289 yards through the first three quarters as Duke took a 28-17 lead. On one key play, Murphy hit receiver Jordan Moore for a wild one-handed reception down the sideline. 

However, Duke got sloppy from there. The Hurricanes capitalized on a Murphy interception and scored 14 points to wrestle the lead away in only four minutes of game time in the third quarter. Murphy unraveled from there, turning the ball over three times in the second half and four times overall. Three of Murphy’s four turnovers directly led to Miami touchdown drives. 

Miami also had its own issues with sloppiness. Heisman hopeful Cameron Ward turned the ball over twice, including a terrible interception in the fourth quarter that helped give the Blue Devils life. Ultimately though, Miami’s offense acted too quickly. 

Ward finished with 400 yards and five touchdowns through the air, while running backs Damien Martinez and Mark Fletcher combined for 131 yards on only 23 carries. Wide receiver Xavier Restrepo moved to No. 1 all time on the Miami list for both receptions (182 — tied with Mike Harley) and yards (2,573) after putting together a monster game with eight catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns. 

Murphy finished with 325 yards and three touchdowns, with nine catches for 139 yards and a score going to Sahmir Hagans. Running back Peyton Jones added 71 yards and a touchdown on the ground. 

The win means Miami is one step closer to reaching its first College Football Playoff. The Hurricanes have only Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Syracuse left on the docket. However, Miami has to avoid mental lulls to reach the postseason. The Hurricanes let Virginia Tech, California and Louisville all stick around, though their win against Duke was a second straight by 22 points.