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3 takeaways from Georgia Tech’s upset that ends Miami’s hopes for an undefeated season
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Miami finally dug a hole from which even Cam Ward couldn’t dig it out.
Three times this season, the Heisman Trophy frontrunner rallied the Hurricanes from double-digit deficits in the second half. Saturday, though, both Ward and his team finally ran out of comebacks in a 28-23 loss at Georgia Tech.
Ward finished with 348 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a 38-yarder to Xavier Restrepo with 6:07 remaining to get Miami back within one score. But a late strip sack by the Yellow Jackets’ Romello Height ended the fourth-ranked Hurricanes’ hopes for an undefeated season.
Despite losing its top 2 running backs to injury and quarterback Haynes King at less than 100% healthy, Tech controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock all afternoon while rushing for 271 yards on the ground and running up an 8-plus minute time-of-possession advantage.
The Yellow Jackets’ defense held the nation’s highest scoring offense to 24 points below its season average of 47.4 per game and in the process earned bowl eligibility for the second time in as many seasons under coach Brent Key.
Here are 3 takeaways from the upset that has brought about a dramatic change to the ACC’s championship race and Playoff picture:
Keeping Cam off the field
What’s the best way to defend Ward? Keep him on the sideline where he can’t do any damage. Tech succeeded in following that strategy to an extreme with a methodical first half drive that would have made former coach Paul Johnson proud.
Miami had just taken a 10-3 lead after Andres Borregales converted a 41-yard field goal with 7:47 remaining in the opening period when the Yellow Jackets’ offense trotted onto the field. By the time Malik Rutherford took a 5-yard swing pass from Haynes King into the end zone 17 plays later, 10 minutes, 45 seconds had clicked off the clock.
It was the second-longest drive in program history, exceeded only by a possession of 10:47 by Johnson’s triple-option attack against Virginia in 2009.
The scoring march didn’t just give Tech a lead, it also helped take Ward out of his rhythm once he did get onto the field. The Hurricanes’ start completed 3 of his first 4 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown before his prolonged stay on the sideline. He was just 6-of-14 for 24 yards for the remainder of the half, which ended with the Yellow Jackets holding a 14-10 lead.
Mario’s gonna Mario
There’s something about Georgia Tech that brings out the worst in Mario Cristobal.
A year ago, the Miami coach coughed away a win against the Yellow Jackets by running a play instead of having his quarterback take a knee to run out the clock in the final minute. A fumble and a last-second touchdown ended up turning a win into a season-defining loss.
His questionable decisions weren’t nearly as egregious on Saturday. But they were head-scratching nonetheless.
The first came on the opening drive of the second half. Facing a fourth-and-one situation from the Tech 39, the Hurricanes chose to throw a pass rather than have their 6-foot-2, 223-pound quarterback sneak for the yardage. Ward overthrew running back Mark Fletcher Jr. to turn the ball over on downs for the second of 3 times in the game.
Then after scoring a touchdown to narrow the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 20-16 late in the third quarter, Cristobal decided to start chasing points early by going for 2. The call backfired when Ward was sacked. That made Miami’s comeback task that much more difficult after Tech answered back with a touchdown that extended its advantage to 12.
The rally got even tougher when Cristobal burned one of his 3 timeouts with the clock already stopped coming out of the 2-minute warning.
A tale of 2 Tech quarterbacks
Even though King was back in the Yellow Jackets’ lineup after missing the past two games with a shoulder injury, it was clear that he’s still not close to being 100% healthy. He only threw the ball 6 times, none for more than a handful of yards past the line of scrimmage. But he was efficient, completing all of his throws for 32 yards and a touchdown.
King’s biggest contribution came in the running game. The former Texas A&M transfer led his team with 93 yards and a score on 16 carries.
With their starter at less than full strength, the Yellow Jackets also needed freshman Aaron Philo to fill in some of the gaps. He was only 5-of-10 for 67 in the passing game, But one of the completions was a 15-yarder to Chase Lane for his first career touchdown. Another was a 27-yard strike to Bailey Stockton on third-and-18 that set up King’s touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
