University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
2-0 , 1-0
Miami
0-2 , 0-1
Carolina Completes Fourth-Quarter Comeback to Beat Miami, 28-25
September 8, 2019 | Football
Howell's perfect throw found Newsome dragging his toes inches from the sideline to cap a stunning clutch drive led by the true freshman. Howell also completed a 20-yard pass to Rontavius Groves on fourth-and-17 to extend the drive, which came after the Tar Heels had surrendered the lead on a Miami touchdown with 4:38 left.
Michael Carter's diving-for-the-pylon 2-point conversion pushed the lead to 28-25, only to see Miami (0-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) drive past midfield to set up a tying field-goal attempt. But Bubba Baxa's 49-yard kick went wide left, sending several Tar Heels players sprinting toward the student section to celebrate even though there were still 5 seconds left.
Howell threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns for the Tar Heels (2-0, 1-0).
THE TAKEAWAY
Miami: The Hurricanes were coming off a loss to No. 11 Florida on Aug. 24, a game that saw them surrender 10 sacks while committing 14 penalties in their first game under Manny Diaz. They were better in both areas Saturday and after a slow start that put them in a 17-3 first-quarter hole, the Hurricanes controlled much of the game and pushed back ahead when Jarren Williams found Will Mallory for an 11-yard score with 4:38 left -- only to see the Tar Heels respond with a drive that gave Miami its first 0-2 start since 1978.
UNC: The Tar Heels were coming off a close win against South Carolina in the opener, which provided a jolt of optimism considering they had closed out the kind of close game that they kept giving away a year earlier. This is sure to help that confidence even more under new coach Mack Brown, a Hall of Famer in his second stint with the Tar Heels. Howell was unflappable in the closing moments, sending North Carolina to its first 2-0 start since 2014.
UP NEXT
Miami: The Hurricanes host Bethune-Cookman on Saturday in their home opener.
UNC: The Tar Heels visit Wake Forest on Friday in a nonconference game between league opponents.
Team Stats
UM 0, NC 3
NC - Ruggles, N 37 yd field goal 7 plays, 55 yards, TOP 2:02
UM 0, NC 10
NC - Brown, D 62 yd pass from Howell, S (Ruggles, N kick) 1 plays, 62 yards, TOP 0:09
UM 3, NC 10
UM - Baxa, B. 50 yd field goal 10 plays, 42 yards, TOP 4:13
UM 3, NC 17
NC - Williams, J 2 yd run (Ruggles, N kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:06
UM 6, NC 17
UM - Baxa, B. 21 yd field goal 9 plays, 60 yards, TOP 3:39
UM 13, NC 17
UM - Osborn, K. 6 yd pass from Williams, J. (Baxa, B. kick) 6 plays, 47 yards, TOP 1:13
UM 13, NC 20
NC - Ruggles, N 40 yd field goal 10 plays, 58 yards, TOP 3:12
UM 19, NC 20
UM - Harris, C. 4 yd run (Baxa, B. kickblocked), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:16
UM 25, NC 20
UM - Mallory, W. 11 yd pass from Williams, J. (Williams, J. passfailed) 8 plays, 68 yards, TOP 4:08
UM 25, NC 28
NC - Newsome, D 10 yd pass from Howell, S (Carter, M rush) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:37
