MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Officials declared what would have been a winning, final-play touchdown by Virginia Tech an incomplete pass after a lengthy review of the final play, and No. 7 Miami escaped with a 38-34 win in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams on Friday night.
The last snap came from the Miami 30 with 3 seconds remaining. Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones dropped back 11 yards and lofted the ball toward the left corner of the end zone. Awaiting it were no fewer than seven players, and five wound up in the scrum for the ball.
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Officials originally determined that Da’Quan Felton made the catch and Virginia Tech stormed the field in celebration. After a long review, referee Jerry Magallanes — the same referee who worked the Miami-Duke game in 2015 where he and other officials were suspended two games for “a series of errors” on the play where the Hurricanes used eight laterals to win as time expired — announced the call was overturned.
“I saw an incomplete pass,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “That's all I can say.”
Predictably, the view from the other sideline was different.
“That's a tough one right there. The way that game ended, I hope they got that call right,” Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry said. "To take that, to overturn it, take it from our kids, our coaches, our fans, I hope they got it right.”
In a statement, the ACC said the pass was ultimately ruled incomplete because the ball was touched by a Miami player while he was out of bounds.
“During the review process of the last play of the Virginia Tech at Miami game, it was determined that the loose ball was touched by a Miami player while he was out of bounds which makes it an incomplete pass and immediately ends the play," the statement said.
Cam Ward found Isaiah Horton with a 1-yard touchdown pass with 1:57 left for what became the winning score for the Hurricanes (5-0, 1-0). Ward threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns for Miami, which trailed by double digits on three separate occasions — the last of those when the Hokies went up 34-24 with 12:05 left.
Drones threw two touchdown passes, while Bhayshul Tuten rushed for 141 yards and another score for Virginia Tech (2-3, 0-1). The Hokies fell to 1-10 since the start of 2022 in games decided by seven points or less.
John Love had field goals of 52 and 57 yards for Virginia Tech. The Hokies turned three Miami turnovers into 14 points and seemed poised to knock off a team ranked 7th or higher in the AP Top 25 for the first time since Oct. 2, 2004 — a 19-13 win over then-No. 6 West Virginia.
On the go-ahead drive, Miami escaped disaster — twice. Xavier Restrepo fell down on a fourth-and-3 play with the ball already headed his way, and he somehow caught it while on the ground to extend the possession.
“I slipped. Things happen. Cam gave me a chance,” Restrepo said.
Said Ward: “That's a routine play for him.”
And on first down a couple minutes later, Ward was getting dragged down by Virginia Tech’s Keyshawn Burgos for what looked like a certain sack.
Except it wasn’t. Ward got free of that tackle, broke another and flipped the ball to Riley Williams for what became a 26-yard gain to the 1-yard line, something that even drew praise from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Hurricanes scored a play later, and the ball — or the call — bounced their way on the final play.
“I didn't think there was enough evidence to overturn it,” Pry said. “Like I said, I hope they got it right.”
The takeaway
Virginia Tech: The Hokies surely will question kicking the ball deep with 20 seconds left in the half after Love's 57-yard field goal and giving Miami time to score three points of its own — along with a fake field goal that Miami's Malik Bryant snuffed out in the second half. Had the Hokies taken the three points there, all they would have needed on the final drive was another field goal and not a touchdown.
Miami: Love's 57-yarder was followed by another long one from Miami's Andy Borregales, who connected on a 56-yard field goal — a career-best — to end the first half and get the Hurricanes within 24-17 at the break. “A very big play,” Cristobal said.
Poll implications
Miami escaped what would have been a damaging loss in the AP Top 25 when the poll gets updated on Sunday. The Hurricanes should remain in the Top 10.
Up next
Virginia Tech: Visit Stanford on Oct. 5.
Miami: Visit Cal on Oct. 5.
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