North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye (10) will lead the Tar Heels into the ACC title game Saturday night in Charlotte. (AP File Photo/Chris Seward)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Drake Maye passed for 309 yards and two touchdowns, one of them a 74-yarder to J.J. Jones, and North Carolina overcame a stellar performance by Tyler Van Dyke to beat Miami 27-24 on Saturday.

Josh Downs had a receiving touchdown and Omarion Hampton ran for another score for North Carolina (5-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Van Dyke completed 42 of 57 passes for 496 yards — the second-most in Miami history, behind Stephen Morris’ 566 in 2012 — and three touchdowns for Miami (2-3, 0-1).

Key’Shawn Smith, Henry Parrish and Colbie Young had the touchdown receptions for the Hurricanes, who scored 10 points in the final 28 seconds of the first half to get within 21-17. Will Mallory had eight catches for 115 yards for Miami.

It ended up as Miami’s third straight loss. It didn’t lack for late-game drama.

Down 27-24, Miami initially appeared to recover an onside kick with about 2 minutes left; Al Blades Jr. dove along the sideline to knock the ball inbounds and the Hurricanes seemed poised to take over. The play was overturned by replay, which saw that Blades had stepped out of bounds and therefore couldn’t touch the ball.

North Carolina punted the ball back to Miami with 1:14 left, but Van Dyke was picked off with 8 seconds remaining.

Caleb Hood rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries for the Tar Heels, who have won four straight over Miami for the first time. Jones’ way-too-easy score capped a game-opening 95-yard drive, and Hampton’s score finished off a 99-yard drive that was bolstered by a 52-yard pass from Maye to Antoine Green.

But they never led, and for the first time in 15 years, Miami has gone three consecutive games without ever holding the lead. It happened at the end of that 2007 season, starting with the 48-0 debacle against Virginia that was Miami’s final game in the Orange Bowl.

Miami struggled to run the ball — 41 yards on 23 carries — but not converting on three key chances was even worse.

The Hurricanes had first-and-goal from the North Carolina 2 in the second quarter, got one yard on three carries and then saw Van Dyke’s fourth-down heave fall incomplete. In the third quarter, after intercepting Maye for the second time the Hurricanes’ drive stalled near midfield after going for it on fourth down. And in the fourth quarter, Jaylan Knighton got enough yards to convert on fourth-and-1 at the North Carolina 26 — but fumbled the ball away.

The Heels went 81 yards in 17 plays, and Noah Burnette’s chip-shot field goal put North Carolina up 27-17 with 4:10 remaining.

Van Dyke found Young from 16 yards out to get Miami a field goal with 2:20 left.

THE TAKEAWAY

North Carolina: It was the first time that North Carolina had two touchdown drives of at least 95 yards in the same game since Aug. 31, 2019. That day, the Tar Heels had them — a 95- and 98-yarder, to be specific — in a 6:01 span of the fourth quarter on the way to rallying past South Carolina 24-20.

Miami: The Hurricanes are 2-3 for the second consecutive year; the last time that happened in back-to-back years was 1978 and 1979.

UP NEXT

North Carolina: Visits Duke on Oct. 15.

Miami: Visits Virginia Tech on Oct. 15.

Ga. Tech  23, Duke 20 (OT)

ATLANTA (AP) — Quarterback Jeff Sims ran for 95 yards and threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an injury on the first play of overtime and Georgia Tech held on for a 23-20 victory over Duke.

The Yellow Jackets (3-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won two straight for the first time since they beat Miami and Virginia in November 2018. Duke (4-2, 1-1) floundered most of the game until Sahmir Hagans’ 81-yard punt return for a touchdown that cut it to 20-13 with 5:55 remaining.

The Jackets lost leading receiver Nate McCollum, who had eight catches for 101 yards, to an injury with 5:45 left in the game.

Georgia Tech’s defense had to make one last stand in regulation but couldn’t overcome three 15-yard penalties that advanced Duke to the 2, before tight end Nicky Dalmolin hauled in a TD catch to send the game to overtime.

The Jackets took a 23-20 lead in overtime on Gavin Stewart’s 37-yard field goal. On Duke’s lone possession, an offensive pass interference call pushed the ball back to the 34 and Charlie Ham was short on a 52-yard kick to end it.

Georgia Tech outgained Duke 407 yards to 272 in total offense in regulation.

St. Thomas 27  Davidson 16

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Cade Sexauer threw three touchdowns passes — all in the first half — and St. Thomas of Minnesota held off Davidson.

Sexauer threw for scores of 23 and 19 yards to Andrew McElroy and 6 yards to Jacob Wildermuth. Sexauer was 11 of 19 for 136 yards passing and the Tommies won despite managing only 251 yards of total offense.

Davidson, the FCS leader in rushing offense, relied on its ground game and compiled 235 yards rushing. Jayden Waddell was 9-of-17 passing for 93 yards for the Wildcats.

The loss knocks two-time defending Pioneer Football League champion Davidson (4-2, 2-1) out of first place and leaves St. Thomas (4-1, 2-0) and Valparaiso tied for the lead.

Coy Williams scored on a 25-yard run and Waddell hit Mark McCurdy on a 7-yard scoring pass for Davidson.

Mercer 49 Western Carolina 6

MACON, Ga. (AP)— Fred Payton threw three touchdowns passes and Mercer held the Southern Conference’s top-scoring team to a pair of field goals in the Bears’ 49-6 win over Western Carolina on Saturday.

The Catamounts (3-3, 1-2) came in as the nation’s second-best producing offense at 549.8 yards per game but Mercer, with the conference’s best defense and 11th in the country, outgained Western Carolina 520-249.

Payton was 16-of-22 passing for 247 yards and ran for 48 more. Payton has 16 TD passes without an interception this season. Devron Harper made six catches for 94 yards and a score.

Two Catamount quarterbacks combined for 175 yards passing with four interceptions, two made by the Bears’ Isaac Dowling, while Western Carolina was held to 74 yards on 31 carries.

Payton had a 15-yard TD pass to Drake Starks and scoring throws of 9 yards to Brandon Marshall and 46 to Harper in building a 42-0 halftime lead for the FCS 12th-ranked Bears.

Tulane 24, East Carolina 9

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Michael Pratt threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third while Tulane held East Carolina scoreless in the second half.

East Carolina (3-3, 2-2 American) took a 9-7 lead when Holton Ahlers found C.J. Johnson with a 24-yard touchdown with 12:08 left in the first half but had a 46-yard field goal attempt to end the first half blocked. Ahlers threw two second-half interceptions, one in the end zone, and the Pirates were stopped on fourth down twice in the fourth quarter.

Pratt found Tyrick James with a three-yard scoring pass to start the second quarter and wedged in from a yard out to take a 14-9 lead at the break. He launched a 44-yard touchdown pass to Deuce Watts, who reached up to snare the ball over a Pirate defender at the 6 and bounced into the end zone with the ball held high.

The win was the second straight for the Green Wave (5-1, 2-0).

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