Andy Borregales hits 4 FGs, Hurricanes outlast Cavaliers in 4 OTs


Miami, Florida – Andy Borregales was perfect nailing all of his field goals, helping the Miami Hurricanes outlast the Virginia Cavaliers 14-12 on Saturday. UM QB Jake Garcia got his first career start over the injured Tyler Van Dyke completing 15 of 29 passes for 125 yards without any touchdowns or interceptions. Neither team was able to score a single TD in the low-scoring affair. There were also no turnovers. By halftime, the Canes crossed into Cav territory in three of their six drives with only a 38-yard field goal to show for it. By the game’s end, UM recorded 272 yards of total offense to UVA’s 327.

After weeks of anemic performances, the running game bounced back. Henry Parrish Jr. generated 113 yards on the ground via 24 carries accounting for a big chunk of the team’s production. The defense was huge keeping the Cavaliers in check. In the third quarter, Virginia made three straight trips to the red zone and was held to six points. Borregales hit the game-tying field goal in the waning seconds of regulation sending the punt fest to overtime.

Both teams exchanged a pair of field goals before switching to alternating two-point conversion plays. Seeing an opportunity, Garcia rushed to the right and dove into the endzone for the game-winning move. The win pushes Miami to 4-4 (2-2, ACC) with their next matchup being the homecoming game versus Florida State next Saturday.

Impressions

Kudos to the defense for a tremendous effort. There were a few moments when they failed to stop Virginia on third down (also no turnovers forced) but the tackling was much better. Leonard Taylor was effective notching six tackles, half of them solo, managing 1.5 sacks and four tackles for loss. Fans wanted to see more of Parrish and the runningback delivered hitting the centennial mark. Garcia’s day is nothing to write home about but at least he didn’t turn the ball over. My player of the game has to be Andy Borregales who was hitting his shots for the Hurricanes against the Cavaliers. As I mentioned in the preview Borregales played a crucial role.

There was one play call that stood out the most. Back in the first quarter, the Canes ran on a 3rd and 13. Hardly the time to do that. Then, when it seemed like they were going for it a time-out was called. A punt followed. What? Really? It was so bizarre to me when it happened. I am not sure which victory was uglier this one or the 17-15 home win versus Central Michigan but I’ll take it. With FSU on the horizon, I really hope TVD can play.

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