SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 17, 2013
No. 11 Miami 27, North Carolina 23: Dallas Crawford rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 16 seconds remaining, as the visiting Hurricanes rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Stephen Morris threw a career-high four interceptions but led the Hurricanes (6-0, 2-0 ACC) on a pair of touchdown drives in the fourth and finished 19-of-35 for 322 yards. Miami has won eight straight dating to last season and denied North Carolina its first win over a ranked opponent since 2010.
Bryn Renner completed 15 straight passes - a single-game school record - and finished 28-of-36 for 297 yards and a touchdown for North Carolina (1-5, 0-3), but he threw a key interception in the final quarter. The Tar Heels moved to the Miami 28 on the final possession, but Quinshad Davis couldn't pull in Renner's heave to the end zone as time expired.
The Hurricanes didn't score an offensive touchdown until Crawford's 3-yard run with 11:29 left, which came on Miami's fifth trip to the red zone. They cashed in again when Crawford produced another 3-yard score to cap a 13-play, 90-yard drive for their first lead since taking a 13-7 advantage on a blocked field goal return for a TD in the second quarter.
The Tar Heels led 17-13 at halftime and had a chance to put it away in the second half but had to settle for a pair of field goals from Thomas Moore and a 23-13 advantage. The Hurricanes finally finished a drive when Crawford capped a 75-yard march to pull Miami within 23-20.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Miami lost RB Duke Johnson and WR Phillip Dorsett to injuries in the first quarter. Johnson rushed for 83 yards on eight carries and Dorsett had two catches for 68 yards before exiting. … North Carolina TE Eric Ebron's 199 receiving yards (on eight catches) mark a school record for a tight end, surpassing Tony Blanchard's 149 yards versus Wake Forest in 1968. … Morris became the sixth 6,000-yard passer in school history and moved past Vinny Testaverde for fourth on Miami's all-time list.