Miami QB Brock Berlin had one of his best performances to date and made his case for ACC Offensive Player of the Year, throwing for a career-high 361 yards on only 13 completions. It was Berlin’s fifth 300-yard passing game of his career and his third of the season. Berlin completed 13 of 19 passes and has not been intercepted in 153 pass attempts, which dates back to the first quarter of the NC State game.
When teammate Joel Rodriguez was asked if Berlin should win the ACC Offensive Player of the Year award, Rodriguez said “No question. He is the best player on the best team in the ACC.”
Berlin also threw four touchdown passes, which moved him into a tie for eighth place on Miami’s single-season touchdown list with 21. Also, Berlin moved into ninth place all-time on Miami’s all-time completion list and in yards with 4, 789. He also moved into eighth place on Miami’s all-time touchdown pass list with 33, tying him with Jim Kelly.
Gore runs well again
Frank Gore had 13 carries for 88 yards, a 6.4-yard per carry average and one touchdown. With a 13-yard run on his first carry of the game, Gore moved into 10th place on Miami’s all-time rushing list, passing Eddie Dunn’s 1,778 yards from 1936-38. Also, Gore’s first quarter touchdown plunge moved him into a tie for 10th place for touchdown rushes with 17 rushing touchdowns in his career, tying Ottis Anderson and James Stewart.
Roscoe Parrish continues solid play
In the Hurricanes’ 52-7 victory, Roscoe Parrish recorded the first 100-yard receiving game of his career, catching five passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. His first quarter touchdown reception was his eighth of the season, which moves him into a tie for 10th place on Miami’s all-time single season touchdown reception list. He is tied with Santana Moss, Andre Brown and Kellen Winslow.
Perhaps most significant was the improvement of the wide receivers as a whole, who cut down on dropped passes and seemed to get open all day.
“It all starts in practice,” Parrish said. “We spent the week working on the patterns we missed last week. We also worked a lot after practice and it paid off big today.”
Significant team achievements against the Demon Deacons
Miami set a season high for total yards with 579, passing for 424 yards and rushing for 155. The team’s previous best was 431 against Louisville. The 579 yards was the most Miami has gained since having 601 yards against Temple last season.
The last time a Miami team scored more than 21 points in the first quarter was Oct. 22, 1988, against Cincinnati. The Hurricanes scored 24 first quarter points on their way to a 57-3 victory.
Greg Threat’s first-quarter fumble recovery was Miami’s 12th of the season and its 23rd takeaway this year compared to only nine turnovers. Rashaun Jones’s recovery of Santana Moss’s blocked punt was Miami’s eighth non-offensive touchdown of the season. It was the Hurricanes’ second blocked punt of the season. Anthony Reddick blocked one against Houston earlier this year.
More significantly, Miami’s blocked punt for a touchdown marks their sixth punt return for a touchdown this season. That mark is one shy of the NCAA record of seven set by Southern Mississippi in 1987.
Darren Grossman can be contacted at d.grossman@umiami.edu.