The Miami Hurricanes, known for their dramatic — and seemingly lucky — comebacks this season, finally met their match against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Playing in Atlanta, the Hurricanes fell short 28-23, marking their first defeat of the season.
The game started with promise as Cam Ward connected with Elijah Arroyo for a 74-yard touchdown early, and Miami held a temporary 10-7 lead in the first quarter. However, as Georgia Tech relied on its running game, Miami’s defense struggled to keep pace, ultimately giving up 275 rushing yards.
Miami made a push in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to 21-16 after Ward’s touchdown pass to Isaiah Horton. But Georgia Tech maintained its momentum, extending the lead once again.
With only minutes remaining, Ward found Xavier Restrepo for a 38-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 28-23. However, a late-game fumble from Cam Ward ended Miami’s hopes, sealing Georgia Tech’s upset victory.
Miami has been flirting with upset losses all year. The Canes narrowly escaped — with what some would say was help from ACC officiating and review crews — in multiple games this season, including Virginia Tech, California, and Louisville, but that finally caught up to them.
While the offense has been spectacular, the defense continues to struggle — especially against the run — and Georgia Tech was able to expose that on Saturday.
With the win, the Yellow Jackets improved to 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the ACC.
With Miami losing, we've got a little bit of chaos potentially brewing in the ACC. The Hurricanes still control their own destiny, but things could get very interesting down the stretch if Clemson were to beat Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. The Tigers, currently 5-1 in conference, would need Miami or SMU to lose two games to find themselves in Charlotte.
Miami will close out the season with Wake Forest and then a road game against Syracuse. If the Hurricanes lose either one of those, they could be on the outside-looking-in for the ACC Championship game. In addition, the loss gives Miami no room for error in the case of potentially needing an at-large bid into the College Football Playoff.
What may be wildest about this loss is that it leaves ACC newcomer SMU now alone atop the conference standings. The Mustangs, currently 5-0 in conference, control their own destiny the rest of the way. They'll play Boston College next week, followed by a road trip to Virginia, then they'll return home for their final game of the season against California.
As long as SMU wins two of those three, the Mustangs will be playing in Charlotte.
It's not quite complete chaos yet, but the ACC could be trending that way the last few weeks of the season.