A Game-by-Game Look at Miami’s 2020 Season

Although bowl season has lost some of its shine over the years, it’s still exciting in that teams play teams that they had no idea about entering the year.

Oklahoma State’s Cheez-It Bowl tilt against Miami looks to be a fun one, but the average OSU fan probably won’t know a ton about the Hurricanes entering the Dec. 29 matchup. So, here is a game-by-game look at Miami’s 2020 season and how the Hurricanes got to 8-2.

UAB, 31-14 W

The start to D’Eriq King’s Miami career was a good one. In his first game as a Hurricane, King threw for 144 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for another 83 yards and a score.

This game was tight into the third quarter. UAB scored midway through the third to make it 17-14. However, the Hurricanes then scored on back-to-back possessions to end the third to take the lead they would eventually win with.

Miami running back Cam’Ron Harris competed with King for player of the game honors. Harris had 134 rushing yards and two scores on just 17 carries.

at Louisville, 47-34 W

Miami beat Louisville in a track meet to start ACC play. King proved in his first ACC game that he is much more than just a runner, as he threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns.

Brevin Jordan was King’s favorite target, as the two hooked up seven times for 120 yards and a score. Jordan is a walking mismatch of a tight end at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds.

This game also saw the Turnover Chain be tossed around three times, and it saw Miami kicker Jose Borregales hit a program-record 57-yard field goal.

Florida State, 52-10 W

The Hurricanes were able to kick in-state rival Florida State while it was down in this stomp fest.

Miami went into halftime with a 38-3 lead and was able to get some young guys some run. D’Eriq King didn’t play in the fourth quarter but finished with 267 passing yards and two touchdowns while running for another 65 yards.

The Miami defense followed up its three-turnover performance against Louisville with another three-turnover day against the Seminoles.

at Clemson, 42-17 L

After picking on Florida State, the Hurricanes got picked on in their next game.

At this point, Miami was up to No. 7 in the polls facing No. 1 Clemson, but that gap was bigger than the pollsters anticipated.

Clemson led 21-10 at the half after Miami blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown as time expired, but that momentum didn’t carry over. King threw his first and second interceptions of the season in the second half. He was also sacked four times in the game.

Pitt, 31-19 W

The Canes didn’t let one loss turn to two. King bounced back against Pitt and threw for 222 yards four touchdowns. Despite being sacked another four times, King was able to be Miami’s leading rusher with 32 yards.

A Pitt touchdown midway through the third cut Miami’s lead to 21-16, but Miami was able to stabilize and hold on.

Virginia, 19-14 W

Virginia entered this game just 1-3 but gave the Hurricanes a good scare. What had been an explosive Miami offense went cold, as the Canes had a hard time turning their 444 yards of total offense into points.

Without much help from his running backs, King had to do the heavy lifting, finishing with 322 passing yards and 28 rushing yards.

at NC State, 44-41 W

After fighting through a defensive struggle, the Hurricanes were back in their shootout ways with NC State.

The Wolfpack hit a field goal early in the fourth quarter to take a 41-31 lead. But after a pair of Miami field goals cut that lead to 47-31, King hit Mike Harley 54-yard catch and run to take a lead with 2:43 to go.

A speedster, Harley finished the day with 153 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions. King was dominant. He had 430 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and 105 rushing yards.

at Virginia Tech, 25-24 W

King got sacked six times in this close win. Virginia Tech was up 24-13 with two minutes to go in the third, but Miami’s defense was able to shut the Hokies out from there.

King had another game-winning touchdown pass in the fourth, when he hit Mark Pope from 36 yards out. King finished with 255 passing yards and two total touchdowns.

For those keeping track, Miami’s past three games at this point were decided by a combined 9 points.

at Duke, 48-0 W

After a lengthy COVID break, the Hurricanes got back to action when they pounded Duke.

King didn’t play the fourth quarter and finished with 248 passing yards and three TDs while running for another 46 yards and a score.

Miami’s defense recovered four fumbles and also forced an interception. The Turnover Chain made its way around.

North Carolina, 62-26 L

Miami was a top-10 team entering this game against No. 17 North Carolina, but things went south quickly. North Carolina opened up a 34-3 first-half lead, and the Hurricane defense had little answers in the second half.

All Miami’s offense had going for it was King and Jordan. King finished with 239 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Jordan caught six passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. But outside of that, not a lot happened for Miami.

North Carolina running backs Michael Carter and Javonte Williams combined for 544 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 47 carries. That’s 11.6 yards per carry.