Cam Ward threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Arroyo with 26 seconds left and No. 8 Miami recovered from a 25-point, third-quarter deficit to register a 39-38 victory over Cal in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday night at Berkley, Calif. Ward completed 35 of 53 passes for a season-best 437 yards, along with two touchdowns and one interception for Miami (6-0, 2-0 ACC), which scored 21 unanswered points in the final 10:28.
Mark Fletcher Jr. and Damien Martinez rushed for scores before the fourth quarter, Xavier Restrepo caught seven passes for 163 yards, and Isaiah Horton had nine catches for 83 yards and the first of the final three touchdowns for Miami. The Hurricanes drove 92 yards on six plays in 76 seconds for the decisive score.
A broken coverage helped Ward and Restrepo team up for a 77-yard pass play on the first play to move the ball from Miami's 8-yard line to the Cal 15, setting up the winning points. Francisco Mauigoa intercepted a pass from Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza with five seconds left to seal it. The Hurricanes outgained the Golden Bears 278-26 in the final quarter and 575-370 for the game.
Mendoza, a native of Miami, completed 11 of 22 passes for 285 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Golden Bears (3-2, 0-2). Nohl Williams collected his fifth interception of the season and returned it for a score, Jaydn Ott scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving), and Jack Endries had a scoring reception for the Golden Bears. Miami.