No. 8 Miami stays unbeaten, tops North Carolina 24-19

Oct 28, 2017 - 8:56 PM CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Malik Rosier threw for a career-high 356 yards with three touchdowns to help eighth-ranked Miami hold off North Carolina 24-19 on Saturday. Rosier had a 51-yard touchdown throw to Christopher Herndon IV late in the first half and a 78-yarder to Jeff Thomas to open the third quarter. His 5-yarder to Braxton Berrios gave the Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) a 24-13 fourth-quarter lead. Still, Miami — which led just 7-6 at halftime — had to come up with a couple late plays after UNC made it a one-score game. First the Hurricanes recovered a fumble by Jordon Brown after the Tar Heels had pushed near the Miami 35 with 2:11 left. Then Rosier ran for a chains-moving keeper near the 2-minute mark, allowing Miami to run out the clock. "I know this: If we keep a cool head and we make good decisions and we execute what we're calling, we've got a chance to come back and win," Miami coach Mark Richt said. "That's what I think the team has done, even in the tightest of circumstances." Nathan Elliott threw for one touchdown and three interceptions for the Tar Heels (1-8, 0-6) after starter Chazz Surratt was knocked from the game in the opening quarter. "They go out there, and they care about each other, they love each other, and they play hard together," UNC coach Larry Fedora said. "But we still made too many mistakes to overcome to win a football game, especially against a really good football team." THE TAKEAWAY Miami: The Hurricanes went from squeaking by in their last three wins by a combined 13 points to struggling much of the day against a 1-7 team relying on a third-string quarterback. Not the best way to go into the November stretch run, even as they remain unbeaten. UNC: The Tar Heels responded to last week's blowout loss at Virginia Tech with a better showing. Still, UNC's offense struggled in the red zone by getting just three points on three first-half trips. And the defense repeated its habit of surrendering a couple huge plays to wipe out long stretches of solid execution. UP NEXT Miami: The Hurricanes host No. 13 Virginia Tech on Nov. 4 in a key Coastal Division matchup. UNC: The Tar Heels have an off week before going to Pittsburgh on Nov. 9. ___ More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25 ___ Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap