No. 6 Miami lost a chance at the ACC title and might have fallen out of College Football Playoff contention with a 42-38 loss at Syracuse on Saturday.
The Hurricanes kicked a 27-yard field goal on 4th and goal to cut Syracuse’s lead to four with 3:42 to go. However, Miami never got the ball back as Syracuse got four first downs to run out the clock.
The third first down came via a brutal mistake. Defensive tackle Ahmad Moten jumped offside to give Syracuse a first down with 1:52 remaining. The Hurricanes had just one timeout remaining at that point, and a wide receiver sweep by Trebor Pena for a first down two plays later sealed the victory for Syracuse.
The Miami loss means Clemson will play SMU for the ACC title. The winner will be in the College Football Playoff.
The Hurricanes gave up 28 points in the second half after taking a 21-0 lead less than 18 minutes into the game. Syracuse got two touchdowns before halftime, and then outscored the Hurricanes 21-7 in the third quarter to take their first lead of the game.
Syracuse QB Kyle McCord was 26-of-36 passing for 380 yards and three touchdowns on the day his previous team, Ohio State, lost 13-10 to Michigan and threw for fewer than 200 yards. Miami QB Cam Ward was 25-of-36 passing for 349 yards and two scores, but his Heisman candidacy is now over. It’s hard to see Ward having a chance given Travis Hunter’s greatness and a second November loss for the Hurricanes.
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