“Miami Is Who You Thought Alabama Was for All These Years”: CFB Analyst Sounds Off on Controversial Reversed Onside Kick Calls Against UNC
The Miami Hurricanes remained undefeated after Saturday’s showdown against the North Carolina Tar Heels. They secured a 38-35 victory over Bill Belichick and his team to improve to an 8-0 record. However, the fourth quarter saw two controversial moments take place on the field.
Analyst Chris Marler, who works for ‘104.5 ESPN’ and ‘Louisiana Sports.Net,’ took to social media to highlight two onside kicks recovered by the North Carolina Tar Heels that officials overturned.
“Hey y’all… UNC recovered not one but two onside kicks and was awarded neither,” Marler wrote. “Miami is who you thought Alabama was for all these years.”
With 1:38 left on the clock, UNC cut Miami’s lead to 38-35 after quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. connected with Trech Kekahuna for a 15-yard passing TD. Bill Belichick’s team then attempted an onside kick recovery to retain possession. However, despite retaining the ball, a UNC player was flagged for offside, forcing a re-kick.
On the second attempt, the Tar Heels recovered the ball again. However, this time, linebacker Peyton Seelmann was flagged for illegal blocking. UNC had to attempt the onside kick for the third time. However, the Miami Hurricanes recovered the ball on this attempt and secured the win on Saturday.
UNC’s Billy Edwards Jr. completed 28-of-34 passes for 341 yards and four TDs. Meanwhile, Darian Mensah completed 22-of-29 passes for 274 yards and three TDs.
Mario Cristobal shares his thoughts after Miami’s 38-35 victory over UNC
In the postgame press conference, Mario Cristobal labeled the Miami vs. UNC showdown as a close game that could have gone either way. He also commended his players for persevering and staying level-headed even during intense moments to secure the win.
Cristobal also discussed the controversial fourth-quarter onside kicks.
“It was an awesome game, an awesome college football game,” Cristobal said. “A lot of back and forth. Maybe an instant classic. At the end of the day, we scored six of seven possessions and they scored on five of seven. Really proud of our team’s resiliency.
“Certainly, some things we got to remedy and tune up on the defensive side. Those onside kicks at the end, there were a couple of issues with their side with a penalty and whatnot. But, again, just a low-possession game. Got to make them all count on both sides of the ball. In games like that, it’s important to tell our players to just keep playing, because you don’t know what play is going to turn the whole thing around.”
The Miami Hurricanes will next face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Nov. 7. Last season, they made the national championship game but lost to the Indiana Hoosiers.
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