Is Miami back?
The early returns are promising.
The Hurricanes are 5-0 for the first time since 2004 thanks to the exploits of Stephen Morris and Duke Johnson, who helped lead No. 14 Miami to a 45-30 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday. It was the Hurricanes’ fifth-straight win over the Yellowjackets.
But it wasn’t a foregone conclusion.
The ‘Canes had a horrible opening quarter, falling behind Tech, 17-7, before waking up. Morris threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns on 17 of 22 passing and overcame two interceptions, while Johnson rushed for 184 yards on 22 carries.
Miami stormed back to take a 24-17 lead after Allen Hurns caught a 69-yard third quarter touchdown pass from Morris and it looked like the ‘Canes were in control. But Georgia Tech got new life when Phillip Dorsett fumbled a punt on his own 42-yard line and the Yellowjackets recovered. After a short drive, David Sims punched it in on a six-yard touchdown run and Tech was back in business.
Except they missed the extra point. Still, a one-point deficit seemed to point to a dramatic finish between the two teams.
Nope. Miami then exploded for 21 points in the final seven minutes to put the game away.
That’s what good teams do -- they rise to the challenge when up against it.
Is Miami what it once was? Not even close. But after today, it’s pretty clear that the ‘Canes are no longer what they had recently become.