Somehow, someway, the Miami Hurricanes edged out a 16-12 victory over the favored Pittsburgh Panthers. It definitely wasn’t a pretty win, but the Canes got the job done and improved their record to 4-4.

Gaby Urrutia gave the game recap.

KappaCane gives you the three stars of the game.

The Good

• MIAMI WON!!! 5 point underdog coming in, not many people were giving them a chance especially after the debacle against Georgia Tech last week, but the Canes pulled out the W.
• D.J. Ivey redeeming himself as he’s had a rough season thus far, getting his first two interceptions of his carer, both in the first half.
• Gurvan Hall Jr. also put on the Turnover Chain for the first time, recovering a fumble that Bubba Bolden knocked loose.
• Gregory Rousseau just keeps dominating, #15 is on an absolute tear and might be the Canes best player. In just his third start, the redshirt freshman tallied 3 sacks against Pitt, bringing his season total up to 8. This kid just keeps getting better.
• K.J. Osborn, even though he had a couple drops, the receiver came up HUGE on the final drive, hauling in the go-ahead touchdown. He finished the day with 6 receptions for 94 yards and that score.
• Jarren Williams stepped up HUGE TODAY. Still not 100% from his shoulder injury, Williams didn’t get the start but he did replace N’Kosi Perry in the fourth quarter. Most of all, Jarren led a 9-play 62-yard drive, capping it off by hitting Osborn who took to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Big way for Williams to bounce back.
• Miami’s defense. 3 turnovers, 4 sacks, no touchdowns given up and just 12 points allowed. Ever since Manny Diaz took a bigger role on defense, this unit has been much, MUCH, better.
• Shaquille Quarterman, 12 total tackles, helping lead the defense with Michael Pinckney out.
• 7 TFLs
• Louis Hedley. He did receive a penalty, but he came in clutch. 7 punts, 321 yards, 45.9 average, long of 61. The Aussie helped out the Canes a lot today.
• Only 3 penalties
• We made a field goal!!! Camden Price NAILED a 22-yarder, and hit the extra point.
• Running back Cam’ron Harris. Filling in for an injured DeeJay Dallas, Harris did his job, rushing for 60 yards on 16 carries, and he did score a touchdown. Wasn’t numbers like he had last week, but Harris kept the offense moving at times.
• Canes redzone defense

The Bad

• The Miami run defense, which allowed 176 yards, and the Panthers ground game really wore down the Canes in the third and fourth quarter.
• Miami was outgained 208-322 in total yards.
• Hurricanes offensive line. The pass blocking was much better, allowing just 2 sacks today. Run blocking however, that was bad. Miami couldn't do anything on the ground.
• 3rd down defense. Pitt went 9/20 on the day.
• Allowed 17 first downs

The Ugly

• Missed tackles, missed tackles, missed tackles. The same issue that plagued the Canes last week was out and about against Pittsburgh today.
• N’Kosi Perry was awful. I know that the offensive line didn’t help him and it was raining, but Kosi couldn't hit anything. Perry finished 10-24 for 104 yards and an interception, before being replaced in the fourth quarter.
• The Hurricanes should’ve won going away. They forced 3 first half turnovers, but only got 10 points out of it.
• Miami had 7 straight drives where they either punted, threw an interception or was stopped on 4th down.
• 3rd down conversions. Miami went 2/14 on third down, and it’s amazing it has gotten this poor, and I feel like I say this every week.
• 154 yards passing
• 54 yards rushing
• Miami’s offense as a whole, besides the final drive. Dan Enos and that side of the ball needs to step it up. You can’t put your defense in this situation every single week, and just count on a late drive. Just 208 yards offensively, and some play calls were just so predictable.
• Brevin Jordan 1 catch 9 yards
• Mark Pope 1 catch 4 yards

Team Grades

Offense: C-

Only reason I’m not giving the offense a D grade is because of Jarren’s drive at the end. They had a touchdown earlier in the game off a turnover. Other that, pitiful. Stagnant beyond belief. N’Kosi Perry was brutal, and the Canes just looked so slow on offense.

Defense: B+

The defense played pretty darn good today, forcing 3 turnovers, sacking the quarterback 4 times, and holding Pitt to just field goals. However, missed tackles are still an issue, and DESPERATELY need to be improved. Also, the secondary got lucky that the Panthers receivers dropped a TON of passes today.

Special Teams: A-

Louis Hedley was bombing punts, and Camden Price hit the only field goal Miami lined up for. What more could you ask for?

Coaching: C+

Because of the defensive effort, I almost want to crank this up to a B- but I keep going back to Dan Enos and the offense. Wide receivers need to stop dropping passes, that’s on WR coach Taylor Stubblefield. But back to Enos, you can’t keep running these same plays week after week and expect a miraculous change. Show us some diversity!

Definitely many, MANY things to work on, but it was a huge win for the Canes as they were able to beat a good Pitt team on the road in the cold and the rain. Next week is rivalry week, as Miami takes on the Florida State Seminoles.

Go Canes