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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) – The State of Michigan has spent the week preparing for a fight. It’s the analogy the Spartans have been using all week, saying their game in Miami would be a decided long-distance fight in the final rounds.
Indeed, it happened.
And it was the Spartans who launched the coup de grace.
Payton Thorne had 261 yards and four touchdowns, two of those scoring shots going to Jalen Nailor, and Michigan State extended their undefeated start by passing No.24 Miami 38-17 on Saturday. The Spartans beat Miami 21-3 in the fourth quarter to pull away, somehow looking like the coolest, fittest team on a day when the temperature on the pitch hovered around 100 degrees.
“There was a point where we said ‘let’s finish this thing'” said Thorne.
Kenneth Walker III rushed for 172 yards and caught a touchdown pass for the Spartans (3-0), who are enjoying their best start since 2015.
Jayden Reed also had a catch and touchdown for Michigan State, which forced four turnovers.
King was 38 of 59 assists – the two Miami school records – for 388 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also dropped the ball once and lost another to a strip-sack in the fourth quarter. In addition, he was shaken at least twice and had to leave the field once for evaluation.
“The guy gives his all over there,” Miami coach Manny Diaz said of King. “He puts everything on the line for the University of Miami. … He’s hurt, and hurt in a way because he’s hurt emotionally. He wants us to be big and good on offense so badly. He’s such a competitor and he won’t be satisfied until we are.
King – who rehabilitated a torn ACL throughout the offseason and hasn’t missed a game – said he would have his shoulder examined on Sunday, but insisted he was “not bad.”
Charleston Rambo tied a school record with 12 catches for Miami, good for 156 yards and the Hurricanes’ two touchdowns. Andres Borregales kicked a 55-yard field goal – the fourth longest in school history – for the Hurricanes halfway through the fourth, putting them down to a touchdown.
Thorne didn’t need long to put an end to their hopes, also coming with his legs on what became the Game Sealing Disc.
He got 22 yards down the middle on third and 6, then fell forward just far enough – perhaps by a chain link, two at most – on fourth and 1 with 4:25 remaining to extend the streak. .
The effort was worth it, and a game later, Thorne had Miami fans flocking to the outings. He found a wide-open Nailor for an easy 39-yard scoreline that made it 31-17 and ensured Michigan State would finally beat the Hurricanes for the first time in five tries.
“It was a good team victory for us on the road against a good opponent”, Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. “Credit to our entire organization… everyone was involved in this. We had a lot of challenges that we knew we had to overcome to get there. “
The Hurricanes (1-2, for the second time in the past three years) were edged 193-52 in the ground race and were under-4 in the battle for turnover.
“We made an extreme effort. The effort was not a problem ”, Miami security Bubba Bolden said. “It was the little things. The little things add up. Unruly things.
After expressing frustration all week that he didn’t get a touchdown in the red zone – the Hurricanes turned eight of those trips into just two touchdowns in the first two games – Miami left the offense on the field and King hit a wide-open Rambo at the back of the end zone for a 7-3 lead.
Walker caught a 7-yard pass from Thorne with 2:56 left in the half to put Michigan State back in the lead, 10-7.
The Spartans didn’t want to hang around anymore, then ended up dominating these last few laps to finish it.
“Physical football” said Thorne. “That was our goal and our goal. “
Take it away
Michigan State: It was 87 degrees at kickoff with a heat rating making it seem like it was 97 – the hottest game for the Spartans since a trip to Arizona state in 2018. They had sun canopies on the benches with mist fans and some players resorted to putting wet towels over their heads. And clearly, they weren’t bothered by any of the weather challenges.
Miami: This is Miami’s worst non-conference home loss since a 31-6 loss to East Carolina in 1996. The Hurricanes have trailed at halftime in five straight games since last season, their longest streak like this since the middle of the 2013 season.
SURVEY IMPLICATIONS
The state of Michigan could return to the AP’s Top 25 for the first time since it was ranked 25th in the Sept. 29, 2019 poll. Miami’s 19-week streak in the poll – the eighth most long streak like this in the country – will end.
HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN
Miami’s 1991 National Championship team – with coach Dennis Erickson and quarterback Gino Torretta front and center – were recognized at halftime.
FOLLOWING
Michigan State: Host Nebraska on September 25.
Miami: Host of Central Connecticut State on September 25.
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