For Immediate Release
November 07, 2011
Contact Information

Vanessa Loy
Black PR Wire Newsroom

(BPRW) Hurricanes Firing on All Cylinders

(BLACK PR WIRE) – MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – It was a sight to behold, unless, of course, you were a Duke Blue Devil fan. The Miami Hurricanes, for the first time this season, came out and completely dominated in every aspect of the game to near perfection. And it didn’t take long to figure out it was going to be a long afternoon for the Duke faithful. After it was all said and done, Miami posted a convincing 49-14 win, a score which could have been much worse, if Head Coach Al Golden didn’t purposely rein in the high powered offense toward the end of the game.

With almost the entire 2nd quarter left to play, Jacory Harris threw his 2nd touchdown pass of the game to WR Phillip Dorsett, jumpstarting the Hurricanes to a blazing 21-0 lead. The Hurricanes wouldn’t look back, executing a flawless game plan before an announced crowd of over 62,000 at Sun Life Stadium. Indeed, the ‘Canes scored a touchdown on their first 5 possessions of the game and punter Dalton Botts didn’t step on to the field until late in the 3rd Quarter.

Harris, who had his best game of the year, was impressive. With a precision like that of a skilled surgeon, Harris threw crisp and accurate passes to wide open receivers, which made the offense unstoppable. He completed 70% of his passes (14-20) and totaled 202 yards in passing while throwing for 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. It seemed like every incomplete pass Harris threw was intentional - preferring to throw it away and take their chances on the next play. Chances ended up being very good.

For the year, Harris has flourished under the guidance and tutelage of new Offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch. Harris has rewarded both Golden and Fisch by throwing 18 TDs and only 4 interceptions. His 64% completion rate has helped him climb to the 6th best QB rating in Division 1.

As you would expect with the high octane offense, there were many contributors, most notably RB Lamar Miller, who ran 20 times for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 22 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter proved that if you give Miller just a few inches on either side and a little daylight in front, his amazing acceleration to the end zone will just about guarantee the Hurricanes 6 points. This was his sixth game so far this season where he has gained over 100 yards. Miller, with his performance on Saturday, became the first UM running back since 2002 to reach 1,000 yards for the season.

Of course, the Hurricane defense also played a very good game, limiting the Duke offense to just 2 scores. Most importantly, they caused two turnovers that sealed the game for the Hurricanes in the 4th quarter.

Hopefully, the defense can build on these turnovers because with the team traveling to Tallahassee to play Florida State this upcoming week, the Hurricanes will have to continue to fire on all cylinders if they want to leave Doak Campbell Stadium with a victory.

Having to deal with all of the distractions and suspensions that have burdened the Miami Hurricanes this year, Coach Golden has done a tremendous job getting the team prepared and focused on the job at hand each week. With this being the biggest rivalry game of the year, we can expect that Miami will be ready to play in Tallahassee.