North Carolina recovers two onside kicks, but both are overturned by penalties as #1 Miami stays undefeated
The No. 1 Miami Hurricanes had an upset scare against the University of North Carolina but left Chapel Hill with a 38-35 win.
This game came down to the wire and had one of the wilder endings you will probably ever see.
North Carolina scored a late touchdown and needed to attempt an onside kick, which has an 18% recovery rate across the FBS this season.
The Tar Heels recovered the first, but were whistled for being offsides.
UNC was called OFFSIDES on this kick which they recovered pic.twitter.com/wHFLK3so5w
— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) November 1, 2026
UNC re-kicked the onside kick and recovered it yet again. This one was also called back, but for an illegal block. A block was laid on a Miami player before the ball traveled 10 yards, which is a penalty.
— VIDEO (@pahrduve) November 1, 2026
Three attempts were too many, and Miami finally recovered. The Hurricanes tempted fate by running the ball to end the game, only going into victory formation for the final snap, but they didn’t suffer a surprise loss as they did a few years ago to Georgia Tech.
Miami scored on its opening drive as Darian Mensah found Malachi Toney for a two-yard touchdown. The Hurricanes led 17-14 at halftime and 24-21 heading into the fourth quarter.
North Carolina took the 28-24 lead after a 16-play drive that lasted nearly eight and a half minutes and ended with Demon June punching in the 1-yard score at the goal line.
Demon June caps off a 16-play UNC drive with a TD 🫡
Tar Heels ahead in the 4th quarter 👀 pic.twitter.com/crdLALJS9f
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 1, 2026
Miami responded with a 4-minute drive, and Mark Fletcher Jr. scored his second touchdown of the game. The Hurricanes defense then forced a fumble, which was the lone turnover of the game. On the ensuing possession, Toney caught a 9-yard pass for his second touchdown.
Darian Mensah. Malachi Toney. pic.twitter.com/8k8iLzxHhZ
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) November 1, 2026
UNC faced an uphill battle, but Billy Edwards Jr. got the Tar Heels downfield and into the end zone in five plays (thanks to two Miami penalties for a combined 25 yards).
Down four, North Carolina kept giving its fans hope with not one, but two onside-kick recoveries, both overturned by two close penalties.
Miami remains undefeated at 8-0 and will remain No. 1 as the Hurricanes face No. 5 Notre Dame next week.
North Carolina’s loss drops the Tar Heels to 4-4, including a 2-3 mark in ACC games. UNC is now 0-12 all-time against the AP’s No. 1-ranked team.
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.