No. 6 Miami Falters at Syracuse, Fails to Reach ACC Championship Game
No. 6 Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC) did one thing all season that cost them multiple times. The Hurricanes trusted their defense when it's been one of the worst in the country all season long.
It did them in again. Miami came up short of reaching the ACC Championship Game after failing to stop the electric offense of the Syracuse Orange and losing 42-38 in the final game of the regular season.
The Hurricanes' playoff chances were also up in the air as a win would have likely locked them into a slot in the 12-team field but now they have dropped to a 40-percent chance of making the playoffs.
The Hurricanes started the game off with a 21-0 lead after scoring on the first three drives of the game and in full control of their own destiny. That is when the Orange started to storm back and aired out the Hurricanes play after play.
Then the unthinkable happened. Last week against Wake Forest, a simple screen pass caught by the Miami all-time passing yard leader and receptions leader Xavier Restrepo had the ball punched out. It happened once again and the ball was scooped up and returned for six.
The game was not determined because of that one play, but it was the game-sealing touchdown that led the Hurricanes to loss the control it had.
The issue all season long was the defense and once again, it failed to stop a cold when the Hurricanes needed them most. Syracuse's Kyle McCord and his receivers had a field day on the secondary of the Hurricanes. The Orange walked into the game leading the country in contested catches and having numerous against a horrid defensive unit.
The Orange had over 380 air yards and gave the Hurricanes a season-high in yards allowed with 479. The defense could not stop anything and no matter what Cam Ward tried to do it wasn't enough for the Canes to overcome.
Ward finished the game with 349 yards and two touchdowns, but McCord won the day with 380 yards, three touchdowns, and the win.
Now the waiting game begins. The Hurricanes will now have to hope that they sniff the top-12 seed in the College Football Playoff with a lot of things having to play in their favor.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.