Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich
For the second week in a row, Miami played a heart-stopper. The difference this weekend, was that the Canes came out on top with a 28-27 road win over Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons missed their star quarterback, Riley Skinner, on the final drive, and were dependent upon their freshman kicker to make a 60-yard field goal to win the game. There was no Hollywood ending for the Deacs, though, and their 17-0 first-half lead was a distant memory.
Wake's four turnovers and eight penalties will come back to haunt them, especially the muffed punt that immediately led to a Miami touchdown. But once again, Miami quarterback Jacory Harris's short memory proved to be one of his biggest assets, as he was able to overcome mistakes, defensive pressure and dropped passes in the clutch. Harris has hardly been flawless the past few weeks -- he threw his ACC-leading 11th interception against Wake -- but he knows how to stay focused and win.
His two fourth-quarter touchdowns, combined with a better effort from Miami's defense, helped the Canes rebound from last week's overtime loss to Clemson and should keep them ranked in the top 25 this week. It also keeps their hopes alive in the Coastal Division, though the odds are against them to win the division right now with Georgia Tech and Duke leading with only one loss. Wake Forest still needs to find two wins to become bowl eligible, and with three games remaining against Georgia Tech, Florida State and Duke, it's going to be difficult.
For the second week in a row, Miami played a heart-stopper. The difference this weekend, was that the Canes came out on top with a 28-27 road win over Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons missed their star quarterback, Riley Skinner, on the final drive, and were dependent upon their freshman kicker to make a 60-yard field goal to win the game. There was no Hollywood ending for the Deacs, though, and their 17-0 first-half lead was a distant memory.
Wake's four turnovers and eight penalties will come back to haunt them, especially the muffed punt that immediately led to a Miami touchdown. But once again, Miami quarterback Jacory Harris's short memory proved to be one of his biggest assets, as he was able to overcome mistakes, defensive pressure and dropped passes in the clutch. Harris has hardly been flawless the past few weeks -- he threw his ACC-leading 11th interception against Wake -- but he knows how to stay focused and win.
His two fourth-quarter touchdowns, combined with a better effort from Miami's defense, helped the Canes rebound from last week's overtime loss to Clemson and should keep them ranked in the top 25 this week. It also keeps their hopes alive in the Coastal Division, though the odds are against them to win the division right now with Georgia Tech and Duke leading with only one loss. Wake Forest still needs to find two wins to become bowl eligible, and with three games remaining against Georgia Tech, Florida State and Duke, it's going to be difficult.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Heather Dinich
Dinich covered ACC and Big Ten football for five seasons before joining ESPN.com in November 2007. She's an Indiana grad but somehow her favorite day of the week is Saturday.
