Miami vs North Carolina Takeaways
The Miami Hurricanes allowed a golden opportunity to slip away by losing 41-31 to the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Miami couldn’t tackle well, there was a mishandled snap situation between Matt Lee and Tyler Van Dyke, and the quarterback threw a critical interception (plus the one to end the game). No Miami defender could stop the Drake Maye to Devontez Walker combination either.
All in all the Tar Heels proved to be the better squad and won. Here are four takeaways from this contest, one that Miami looked like the better team in the first half.
1) This team showed grit and determination, despite the enormous mishaps.
Miami was not dwelling on the past. The Hurricanes came out and played well – at least in spurts – for much of the evening. There were plenty of errors (see below), but the Canes went into Chapel Hill and played fast and hard.
Despite the loss, this was a team that showed that it’s going to be here all season long. That was a great sign after the Georgia Tech loss. Now, if Miami fans want to complain about the big errors, go for it. It was not a lack of effort that caused the Hurricanes to lose, however. To that point, let’s talk about dominating in critical moments.
2) When you have a chance, leave no doubt.
Look, Parrish is a fantastic running back. He just can’t fumble one foot in front of the goal line. That was one of the biggest plays of the game. For their efforts on that play, credit to the UNC defensive line as well.
Reuben Bain, Jr. also hammered Maye and caused a fumble in the end zone. Miami did not get the fumble, and North Carolina even brought it out so there was no safety. Again, just have to make something happen at a critical moment.
Finally, the Van Dyke interception was about as untimely as it gets. He played well overall. There’s no debating that Van Dyke did. It’s just that any form of turnover in Miami’s own end was devastating.
3) What happened to Miami’s tackling?
UNC running back Omarion Hampton has been a good running back. He bounced around like a pinball though. Miami did a poor job of wrapping up during many of Hampton’s runs.
The UNC receivers also gained too much yardage after contact. It was surprising considering how Miami’s defense has played this season.
4) Miami has the talent to win out.
The obvious problems that were just mentioned are fixable. There’s ample talent and pride on this football team, like wide receiver Xavier Restrepo making several plays tonight. Mario Cristobal, his staff, and players, can look ahead to some other chances to continue to rebuild this program.
Look for Miami to have at least a couple more big moments before the 2023 football season concludes, and next week’s game inside Hard Rock Stadium versus Clemson will be the first test.
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Fan Nation High school football recruiting analyst covering the state of Florida, as well as across the Southeastern United States and the state of Texas.