Miami Hurricanes’ defense stands tall in four-OT win over Virginia Cavaliers

It took four quarters and four overtime periods for the Miami Hurricanes to beat the Virginia Cavaliers 14-12 on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia.

It also took four quarters and four overtime periods worth of big plays from the Hurricanes’ defense to set up Jake Garcia’s game-winning two-point conversion — the only time a player reached the end zone at Scott Stadium on Saturday.

Miami’s defense dominated the first half, bent but didn’t break in the second and made stop after needed stop as the game went into overtime until the offense finally broke through.

The Hurricanes didn’t force a turnover, but they did have a season-high 11 tackles for losses (their most in a game since Dec. 5, 2020 at Duke), five sacks — including a key sack from defensive lineman Leonard Taylor in double overtime (one of his game-high four tackles for loss) — broke up six passes and forced Virginia to punt on six of its nine drives in regulation and turn the ball over on downs on a seventh.

The full rundown of the defense’s big day:

▪ The Hurricanes held the Cavaliers scoreless in the first half. Virginia gained just 81 yards of offense on its five drives, all of which ended in punts, and failed to pick up a first down on three of the five drives.

▪ Miami then made three consecutive goal-line stands to start the second half, holding Virginia to just six points on a pair of field goals with a turnover on downs sandwiched between despite the Cavaliers racking up 207 total yards on those three possessions.

▪ UM followed by holding Virginia to 14 yards on five plays on what ultimately was the Cavaliers’ final drive of regulation. Miami’s offense held onto the ball for the final 5:29 of the fourth quarter, going 53 yards on 13 plays to set up the game-tying 20-yard field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime.

▪ Virginia managed just 2 yards in its two overtime possessions as the Hurricanes and Cavaliers exchanged field goals to make it 12-12 heading into the third overtime, at which point the game became a battle of alternating two-point conversion attempts.

Miami stopped Virginia on both of its two-point conversion attempts in triple and quadruple overtime. Tyrique Stevenson broke up Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong’s pass attempt near the back of the end zone in triple overtime and defensive lineman Jahfari Harvey was involved in a heavy pass rush to pressure Armstrong into an incompletion on his quadruple overtime attempt.

And the Hurricanes did this despite injuries impacting the group.

Safety James Williams didn’t play, with coach Mario Cristobal saying it was a “game-time decision” and that he “will be fine.” Third-year sophomore defensive lineman Ahkeem Mesidor, who transferred to Miami from West Virginia ahead of this season and has made an instant impact, left Saturday’s game in the first half with a right hamstring injury and did not return. Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe was ruled out late in the third quarter and was being evaluated postgame.