DURHAM, N.C. – Quentin Harris ran for one touchdown and threw for another, and Duke’s defense had nine sacks in a 27-17 victory over Miami on Saturday, snapping its five-game losing streak.
Deon Jackson ran 2 yards for the go-ahead TD one possession before Harris threw a 49-yard scoring pass to Jalon Calhoun, helping the Blue Devils (5-7, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) win a game played in a persistent downpour that made things tough on the offenses.
Harris, who had an early 24-yard scoring run, was 10 of 24 for 156 yards and rushed for 49 yards for Duke - a figure skewed by six sacks. His 18-yard pass to Calhoun to the Miami 5 set up Jackson’s score that made it 20-17 with 9:37 to play.
Miami replaced starting QB Jarren Williams with N’Kosi Perry for the next drive - a three-and-out that netted 1 yard - and the Blue Devils needed only four plays to take a two-score lead, with Harris hitting Calhoun down the left sideline.
They stopped Miami on a fourth down at the Duke 43 with 4:32 to play, then sealed it when Trevon McSwain sacked Perry and knocked the ball loose for Koby Quansah to recover at the Miami 26 with 2:17 to play.
Williams was 11 of 26 for 142 yards with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Robert Burns and Cam’Ron Harris ran 8 yards for an early touchdown for the Hurricanes (6-6, 4-4), who closed the regular season with consecutive losses.
THE TAKEAWAY
Miami: The Hurricanes are headed to a second-tier bowl but the lasting memory of Manny Diaz’s first season will be the numerous head-scratching losses. They lost to a last-place Georgia Tech, a seemingly inferior Florida International team - Diaz called that loss “unacceptable” earlier in the week - and now a Duke team that had been stuck in a five-game slide.
Duke: At least the Blue Devils won’t have to carry a six-game losing streak into the offseason after losing close games (North Carolina, Wake Forest) and blowouts (Notre Dame, Syracuse) during a challenging 1½ months. The defense was dominant, and the offense did just enough at the right time to rally in the fourth quarter after being held to minus-6 yards on 13 offensive plays in the third.
UP NEXT
Miami: Awaits its bowl destination and opponent.
Duke: Waits for spring practice to start.
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