MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Cam Ward and Xavier Restrepo had another day to remember, and No. 5 Miami pulled off yet another big comeback.
Ward — Miami's Heisman Trophy hopeful — threw for 400 yards and five more touchdown passes, three to Restrepo on a record-setting day for them both, and the Hurricanes erased a double-digit deficit for the third time this season to roll past 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 Hurricane single-season record set in 1988. A 66-yard scoring grab with 7:36 left was the big history-maker: Restrepo tied Mike Harley's Miami career reception record with his 182nd, broke Santana Moss' career receiving yards record with 2,573, and Ward tied Walsh's TD pass mark for the Hurricanes (9-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
“They both played their behinds off. They always do,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “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 was intercepted three times and fumbled the ball away once. Sahmir Hagans had nine catches for 139 yards and a score for the Blue Devils, who had a 28-17 lead in the third quarter in Duke coach Manny Diaz's first game against Miami since the school fired him in 2021.
Duke trailed 14-0 early, then went on a 28-3 run and seemed poised for what would have been its first win against a top-5 opponent since 1960.
Then it all changed, the comeback Canes striking again. Miami scored five touchdowns in a span of six second-half drives — a 36-3 run in a span of barely more than a quarter — and turned it 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.”
Miami trailed by 10 or more points before pulling off two of its wins earlier this season. It trailed Virginia Tech by 10 (three different times, including the fourth quarter) before rallying for a 38-34 victory, then was down by 25 in the third quarter at California a week later before pulling off a 39-38 win.
Ward and Restrepo led them to another comeback 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.”
Duke: The Blue Devils probably didn't want to get into an offensive slugfest. Since the start of the 2018 season Duke is 31-2 (.939) when holding teams to 21 or fewer points, and now 10-40 (.200) otherwise.
Miami: Ward moved into the No. 5 spot on the NCAA all-time passing list, passing Landry Fields. He became the first Miami quarterback with a 400-yard game against Duke, and Restrepo's 146-yard day was the most ever by a Hurricane against the Blue Devils.
Miami could move up a spot — it depends where the voters put Penn State, which was No. 3 this week and lost to No. 4 Ohio State.
Duke makes the short trip to Raleigh to take on N.C. State on Nov. 9.
Miami plays at Georgia Tech on Nov. 9.
