The No. 1 Miami Hurricanes escaped Chapel Hill with a 38-35 victory Saturday night. But what happened in the final 98 seconds against Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels had college football fans arguing about ACC officiating all over again.
North Carolina recovered two consecutive onside kicks with a chance to stun No. 1 Miami. Both recoveries disappeared because of penalties, bringing back memories of the Hurricanes’ controversial finish against Florida State two weeks earlier.
Miami UNC Onside Kick Penalties: Why Flags Erased Recoveries
The Tar Heels cut Miami’s lead to 38-35 on Billy Edwards Jr.’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Trech Kekahuna with 1:38 remaining Saturday, Oct. 31.
On the first onside kick, North Carolina recovered the ball at its 46-yard line. Officials flagged Shamar Easter for being offside at the kick, however, sending the Tar Heels back five yards to kick again from their 30. NCAA rules require kicking-team players to remain behind the ball when it is kicked.
North Carolina recovered the second attempt at its 46, too. This time, Peyton Seelmann drew an illegal-block penalty. The CBS Sports play-by-play labeled it an illegal blindside block, while Yahoo Sports’ Teddy Ricketson described a block on a Miami player before the ball traveled 10 yards.
Under NCAA free-kick rules, the kicking team cannot block an opponent until it is eligible to touch the ball, generally after the kick goes 10 yards or the receiving team touches it. The recorded penalty was five yards, and UNC had to try again from its 25. Those are the two separate infractions that canceled the recoveries, regardless of how frustrating the timing was for North Carolina.
Miami recovered the third kick and ran out the clock.
The finish wasn’t the only time flags influenced the closing minutes. On UNC’s final touchdown drive, Miami was called for defensive holding and defensive pass interference on consecutive snaps, providing 25 penalty yards as the Tar Heels drove for a score. The onside-kick rulings went the other way.
That sequence sparked debate, with those across social accusing the ACC of protecting Miami’s playoff chances. Others said the first offside and second early block were visible and properly penalized.
Miami Officiating Debate Revives Florida State Controversy
It was not the first time Miami’s late-game officiating drew criticism this October.
On Oct. 17, Florida State lost 43-35 in double overtime after a fourth-and-21 touchdown pass from Ashton Daniels to Micahi Danzy was wiped out by a holding penalty on Xavier Chaplin. The Seminoles’ next attempt ended with Bryce Fitzgerald being awarded an interception on a contested catch with Duce Robinson.
“The holding call, it was an absolute joke,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said, via The Associated Press’ Bob Ferrante.
Norvell also questioned why possible simultaneous possession was not discussed in the replay review. Florida State still would have needed a two-point conversion if the touchdown had counted.
Against UNC, Belichick pointed to the costly fumble that led to Miami’s two-score lead before the onside-kick chaos. His opening statement, published by On3’s Jack Morris, described a competitive game that slipped away after the turnover and unsuccessful kicks.
“A lot of effort, a lot of toughness, a lot of mental toughness, a lot of competitiveness, and just disappointing to come up short here two weeks in a row,” Belichick said.
The finish also broke a remarkable streak. ESPN Insights reported Belichick was 103-0 as an NFL or college head coach when his team scored at least 35 points before Saturday.
Now he’s 103-1, and Miami is 8-0.
Did ACC Refs Save Miami? Bill Belichick’s UNC Has 2 Onside Kicks Erased