Miami and Virginia Tech played in an instant classic on ESPN Friday night.

The ACC rivals battled in Miami in a back-and-forth game that resulted in a 38-34 UM victory. The ending was controversial, as the Hokies appeared to convert on a Hail Mary, but the call was overturned upon review.

It was one of the year’s most exciting games so far, and it delivered strong TV ratings for ESPN.

Per ESPN PR, the game averaged 3.3M viewers and had a peak of 4.4M. It was the top college football game of the night and was ESPN’s 2nd-most-watched Friday game since 2018.

The return of the Hurricanes to the spotlight is undoubtedly helping out TV ratings. The Canes and Hokies have a historic rivalry as well, having played 41 times, with the Canes winning 26 of those matchups.

The No. 7 Hurricanes have gotten off to a 5-0 overall start, with a 1-0 record in ACC play. Cam Ward has done a fantastic job of captaining the offense as the Canes are currently No. 2 in the country in total offense.

Miami will play on ESPN again in Week 6 against the Cal Golden Bears. The toughest game remaining on the team’s schedule appears to be a matchup against No. 22 Louisville in Week 8.