Miami Hurricanes Break Out The New Turnover Chain? | Brevin Jordan Scores And Gets Touchdown Ring | Deejay Dallas Spins Away From Gators For A Touchdown
ORLANDO, Fla. (HurricaneSports.com) – A back-and-forth battle between two bitter rivals ended with the Miami Hurricanes falling short to the Florida Gators, 24-20, at the Camping World Kickoff.
The Canes and Gators combined for five lead changes before 66,503 fans on Saturday night at Camping World Stadium. The two rivals also teamed up for 23 penalties and 225 penalty yards, but it all came down to a fourth quarter full of excitement.
Facing a four-point deficit heading into the final 15 minutes of football, the Hurricanes wasted little time flipping the margin in their favor.
A 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on Kyree Campbell after a four-yard loss by DeeJay Dallas gave the Hurricanes a boost and Dallas exploded for a 50-yard touchdown run that gave Miami a 20-17 lead just 45 seconds into the final quarter.
Miami carried that momentum into its third forced turnover of the night, as junior safety Amari Carter hauled in his first career interception and returned it 23 yards to the Gator 25. Three plays later, kicker Bubba Baxa was hit late out of bounds after rushing on a fake field goal.
The penalty gave Miami an automatic first down and helped erase the effect of a hold called during Baxa's run. It also appeared like Miami was poised to add to it's lead, but Florida caught a break as Baxa missed a 27-yard field goal attempt four snaps later to keep Miami's advantage at three.
The Gators rode the momentum shift in a big way, as Feleipe Franks hit Josh Hammond for a 65-yard gain on their first play from scrimmage following the missed kick. Three plays later, Franks scored on a three-yard quarterback keeper to put Florida back on top, 23-20, and mark the fifth lead change of the night.
The game appeared to come down to fourth-and-9 from the Florida 30, with Miami trailing by four. The Gators, who went 4-for-4 on fourth-down conversions on Saturday night, stopped the Canes on their first fourth-down conversion attempt of the night when Miami quarterback Jarren Williams was sacked for the seventh time in the game.
The Canes bounced back in a big way, as Romeo Finley picked off Franks on the first play of the Florida possession to give Miami another shot to make up the four-point deficit. A rash of offensive penalties put the Canes in a tough spot, facing a third-and-27 from their own 43.
Gators defensive end Jabari Zuniga sacked Williams to give Florida their ninth sack of the night and put the Hurricanes in a fourth-and-34 from the Miami 36. But Florida's Marco Wilson was called for pass interference on a throw intended for Jeff Thomas and Miami was gifted a fresh set of downs.
Another pass interference on the Gators, this time by Trey Dean on third-and-12 from the Florida 49, kept Miami's drive alive and gave them another free first down with under a minute remaining in the game.
Miami's final shot came on fourth-and-12 from the UF 26 with 20 seconds remaining in the game, but Williams bobbled the snap and the Gators converged on Miami's quarterback for their 10th sack of the night and Florida took a knee to wrap up the four-point win.
The first drive of the 2019 season resulted in three points for the Hurricanes, as Baxa hit a 36-yard field goal to cap a nine-play, 56-yard drive engineered by Williams.
Miami's defense appeared to force a three-and-out on the first Florida drive, but Gators punter Tommy Townsend rushed for a first down on a fake punt. One play later, Kadarius Toney used his blockers and broke some tackles to scamper for a 66-yard touchdown that put the Gators ahead, 7-3, with 7:37 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Hurricane defense made a big play with the Gators in the red zone, as defensive end Scott Patchan recovered a fumble to give Miami possession on its own 9 less than two minutes into the second quarter. When Patchan reached the Miami sideline, he became the first player to don the new edition of the Miami Turnover Chain featured a bejeweled U and a giant "305" for the Miami area code.
Miami forced its second turnover of the quarter when senior linebacker Shaquille Quarterman recovered a fumble by Florida running back Malik Davis. Quarterman was rewarded with the Turnover Chain and the Hurricanes took over possession on its own 48 with 10:46 remaining in the first half. Five plays later, Baxa converted a 42-yard field goal that brought the Canes within one, 7-6.
The Canes had their own slippery screen late in the opening half, as Dallas broke free for a 40-yard gain on second-and-19 from the Miami 45 to push the Hurricanes to the Florida 15.
Miami took its first lead of the night when Williams connected with Brevin Jordan and the sophomore tight end broke a tackle before sprinting across the goal line for a 25-yard touchdown that put the Hurricanes ahead, 13-7, with 45 seconds remaining in the half.
Jordan also made history, becoming the first Miami player to wear the "Touchdown Rings" – a new Canes football tradition that serves as the offensive counterpart to the "Turnover Chain." The sapphire encrusted rings are worn in tandem, with one half spelling "Hurri" and the other half "Canes" in Miami's iconic orange and green script font.
Redshirt freshman Gregory Rousseau punctuated the opening half with his first career sack, dropping Franks on the final play of the first 30 minutes to send the Miami to the locker room ahead by six points.
After their first possession of the second half ended in a punt, Florida benefitted from a missed false start by right tackle Jean Delance. Instead of a penalty that would have put the Gators in a fourth-and-10 situation from the Miami 42, Trevon Grimes hauled in a 10-yard reception for their fourth fourth-down conversion of the night.
Grimes' play was followed by an 18-yard catch by Kyle Pitts that put the Gators at the UM 9, but the Miami defense held firm and limited the Gators to a 27-yard field goal that brought them within three, 13-10, with 6:30 to go in the third quarter.
Miami's defense forced a punt with under two minutes to go in the third quarter, but the Gators caught a break as Jeff Thomas . muffed the punt and Florida regained possession at the UM 11. Three plays later, Franks connected with Lamical Perine for a go-ahead eight-yard touchdown that put Florida on top, 17-13.
The Hurricanes will face North Carolina in Chapel Hill on September 7th.