It’s been a season of twists and turns for the University of Miami, none more significant than the one that befell quarterback Stephen Morris’ left ankle Saturday against North Carolina.
With 8:36 remaining in the game and the Hurricanes trailing by four points, Morris badly rolled his ankle following a pass completion and was forced to leave the game. Backup Ryan Williams, who hadn’t taken a meaningful snap in two years, entered but was unable to generate a comeback in a 18-14 loss at Sun Life Stadium. The loss keeps UM (4-3, 3-1 ACC) from building distance between itself and its Coastal Division opponents.
Coach Al Golden said following the game that he had “no idea” about the extent of Morris’ injury or whether it could keep him from playing next week when the Hurricanes face Florida State at Sun Life Stadium.
Morris left the sideline in the final minutes with the assistance of trainers and with his left ankle heavily wrapped. He was not available to speak with reporters following the game.
“It’s a big deal,” fullback Maurice Hagens said. “I mean, he’s not just our starting quarterback, but our leader.”
Without their leader, UM was out of luck against the Tar Heels (5-2, 2-1 ACC).
Williams, a transfer from Memphis who sat out last season and had thrown only two passes this season, didn’t play badly. The 6-foot-6 sophomore completed 9-of-13 passes for 80 yards but made a couple of critical mistakes on UM’s last possession to keep the Hurricanes from rallying to win.
“I wasn’t really nervous,” Williams said. “I knew we needed a touchdown.”
Williams wasn’t able to provide that for a Hurricanes’ offense that struggled mightily for the second consecutive game. Williams replaced Morris and immediately converted a fourth-and-1 situation, but the drive stalled at the North Carolina 26 after his throw to Phillip Dorsett fell incomplete on fourth-and-6.
The Hurricanes got the ball back for the last time with 1:47 remaining and Williams completed 6-of-7 passes to move UM to the Tar Heels’ 29. But on second-and-10, Williams took a sack instead of throwing the ball away, setting up a third-and-16 situation.
“Obviously, we can’t take a sack in that situation,” Golden said.
That was Williams’ first mistake. His second came on fourth-and-16 when he threw to tight end Clive Walford, who caught the ball far short of the first-down marker.
“I thought (Walford) had enough for the first down,” Williams said of the former Glades Central star.
Not close. The completion gained only 11 yards and turned the ball over on downs to the Tar Heels, who ran out the clock.
“You have to get it over the (first-down) sticks in that situation,” Golden said.
After scoring 124 points during a three-game win streak against Bethune-Cookman, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State, the Hurricanes have been held to a combined 17 points in losses to Notre Dame and North Carolina the past two weeks.
UM generated 415 yards of total offense Saturday but two interceptions by Morris, penalties and dropped passes thwarted several drives.
“We’re just doing a horrible job of executing and not doing our jobs,” freshman tailback Duke Johnson said.
The offensive struggles wasted what may have been UM’s best defensive performance of the season. After permitting 114 points and more than 1,600 yards of total offense in its past three games, the Hurricanes looked to be in trouble against a North Carolina offense that ranked ninth nationally with a 44-point scoring average.
But the Tar Heels repeatedly hurt themselves with mistakes that included two missed field goals and 15 penalties for 140 yards. One penalty negated a North Carolina touchdown while several others aided the Hurricanes on their two scoring drives.
The result may have been much different if not for Tar Heels’ running back Giovani Bernard, who rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Carolina ran for 272 yards as a team.
“Nobody’s happy with the outcome,” linebacker Denzel Perryman said.
With Miami’s loss , four teams in the ACC’s Coastal Division will enter next week’s game with one loss. The Hurricanes must bounce back quickly against FSU or face the prospect of falling further in the division race.
“We can’t dwell on this,” receiver Allen Hurns said. “We have a big game coming up.”
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