Cam Ward and Xavier Restrepo had an unforgettable day, and No. 5 Miami pulled off another impressive comeback.
Ward, who is a hopeful for the Heisman Trophy, threw for 400 yards and added five more touchdown passes, three of which went to Restrepo on a record-setting day for both players. The Hurricanes came back from a double-digit deficit for the third time this season, winning against Duke 53-31 on Saturday.
“The most important thing is that we’re undefeated,” Restrepo said. “Without the team success, none of this would matter at all.”
Ward now has 29 touchdown passes, tying Steve Walsh’s Miami single-season record from 1988. A key moment was a 66-yard touchdown catch with 7:36 left, which helped Restrepo tie Mike Harley’s Miami career reception record with his 182nd catch.
He also broke Santana Moss’ career receiving yards record with 2,573 yards, while Ward matched Walsh’s touchdown pass record for the Hurricanes, improving to 9-0 and 5-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“They both played their behinds off. They always do,” said Miami coach Mario Cristobal. “They have a unique chemistry. … Those two guys, as much as they’re gaining all those accolades, they don’t talk about it. It’s not the end-all, be-all for them.”
Maalik Murphy threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns for Duke (6-3, 2-3), but he also threw three interceptions and lost a fumble.
Sahmir Hagans had nine catches for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Blue Devils, who were leading 28-17 in the third quarter during Duke coach Manny Diaz’s first game against Miami since he was fired by the school in 2021.
Duke fell behind 14-0 early in the game but then went on a strong run, scoring 28-3. It looked like they might get their first win against a top-5 team since 1960.
However, everything changed as the Hurricanes made their comeback. Miami scored five touchdowns in just six second-half drives, putting together a 36-3 run in a little over a quarter, turning the game into a blowout.
“It’s a game of turnovers and explosive plays,” Diaz said. “It’s hard to beat anyone on the road if you lose those two battles. It’s definitely hard to beat a team as talented as they are. I thought that was the top difference in the second half.”
Earlier this season, Miami had come back from being down by 10 or more points in two of their wins. They were down by 10 against Virginia Tech three times, including in the fourth quarter, but came back to win 38-34. A week later, they trailed California by 25 in the third quarter but rallied to win 39-38.
Ward and Restrepo helped lead another comeback on Saturday.
“I’m proud of the way our guys competed,” Diaz said. “We came here absolutely believing that we would win the game. We just made mistakes that cost us the football game.”
