Harris raised some eyebrows this week when he suggested the Hurricanes'
offense couldn't be stopped.
Georgia Tech did nothing to disprove that theory.
Cool and in control throughout,
Harris completed 20 of 25 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns,
and the 20th-ranked Hurricanes put an emphatic end to a four-game
losing streak against No. 14 Georgia Tech with a 33-17 victory Thursday
night.
Miami (2-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast
Conference) matched its best league start since 2004, outgained Georgia
Tech 453-228 and set up a Coastal Division showdown at Virginia Tech on
Sept. 26. Graig Cooper ran for 93 yards, Javarris James rushed for 72
more and a touchdown, and LaRon Byrd caught five passes for 83 yards
and another score.
Georgia Tech (2-1, 1-1) blew Miami
out a year ago, dooming the Hurricanes' conference title hopes by
rushing for 472 yards. This time, Miami handled the triple option with
relative ease, holding the Yellow Jackets to 95 yards rushing — nearly
half of those on the game's first drive.
Tech's reigning ACC player of the
year, fullback Jonathan Dwyer, was slowed by a shoulder injury and
finished with 7 yards on five carries. Josh Nesbitt completed 6 of 15
passes, all to Demaryius Thomas, for 133 yards, including a 56-yard
touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
Harris led Miami to scores on its
first three possessions, the Hurricanes led 24-3 early in the third
quarter after James scored from 3 yards out to cap a 60-yard, six-play
drive, and the Hurricanes sauntered off celebrating their most
significant win in years.
"Man, Georgia Tech last year and
years before, they always stop us from going to the ACC championship,"
Harris said. "But now, we had to come out and beat them. We were 0-4
… we were playing with a chip on our shoulder. We had to let them
know, this can't go on."
Since taking a 24-0 lead against Clemson last Thursday night, Georgia Tech has been outscored 60-23.
Georgia Tech ran the ball on its
first 12 plays, quickly forcing Miami into a series of frantic
substitutions. Eric Moncur — Miami's sixth-year defensive end who was
injured most of last season and was held out of this year's opener —
got a big stop on third-and-6, forcing Tech to settle for a field goal.
The Yellow Jackets ran for 45 yards on that drive — and managed only 42 more the rest of the half.
Meanwhile, Harris was the picture of cool, setting the tone for the Miami sideline.
"As long as we play as a team," he said, "we'll come out with victories like this."
He used seven receivers in the first
half alone, the Hurricanes scored on their first three possessions and
the big-play capability that Miami flashed against Florida State
continued, with nine gains of at least 10 yards in the opening two
quarters.
A 35-yard pass to Leonard Hankerson
was immediately followed by a 40-yard toss to Byrd for Miami's first
touchdown. Dedrick Epps caught a 13-yarder for a 14-3 lead early in the
second quarter, and Matt Bosher connected on a 34-yard field goal with
5:45 left in the half.
Meanwhile, even when Georgia Tech
caught a break, the Jackets couldn't cash in. A pass interference call
against Vaughn Telemaque on fourth-and-12 from the Miami 29 extended
one drive; the Yellow Jackets went for it there because kicker Scott
Blair was 0 for 7 lifetime from outside 40 yards.
Three plays later, he tried a field
goal from 39 yards: Wide right it sailed off the Florida Marlins'
infield dirt, only Blair's second miss in 18 career tries from that
distance or less, according to STATS LLC.