Virginia coach Mike London fell to his knees on the sideline, tears falling behind his sunglasses. His team - picked to finish last in the ACC - had just upset No. 22 Miami. With the final score 24-19, the Cavaliers (4-4, 1-3 ACC) snapped a nine-game conference losing streak and defeated their first ranked foe since the 2008 season.
"When you have an opportunity like that, with the game going back and forth and you see that this time your guys pulled it out - it's emotional," London said.
It took nearly a quarter, though, for the underdogs to play at a level that would allow such emotions to surface. Both teams failed to move the ball downfield consistently and both took turns punting it away.
But with nearly 12 minutes remaining in the first half, senior defensive tackle John-Kevin Dolce laid a hit on junior quarterback Jacory Harris that gave the Cavaliers some momentum. Dolce slipped into the backfield and slammed Harris to the turf, ending the signal-caller's afternoon and sending the Hurricanes scrambling.
"When you chop the head off a giant, the rest of the body goes with it," Dolce said. "Jacory [Harris] was their leader ... I hope he's all right, and he gets to play next weekend."
Even before the hit, though, Virginia seemed to be pulling together. Harris heaved the ball downfield into the arms of junior cornerback Chase Minnifield for his fifth interception on the season, allowing the Virginia offense to put together an 11-play scoring drive.
Senior quarterback Marc Verica went 4-for-5 to begin the Cavaliers' first scoring drive, using three receivers to get in the red zone. The drive seemed to stall, but Verica hit sophomore tight end Colter Phillips on fourth-and-3 in the end zone for a 16-yard score. Phillips' reception marked his third such touchdown on the year, the most by a Virginia tight end in a season since 2006.
The offense got another chance to make the most of a Miami turnover on its next possession. Replacement junior quarterback Spencer Whipple's pass deflected off the hands of his intended receiver and was picked off by junior safety Corey Mosely for his second career interception. The Cavaliers capitalized on the turnover six plays later when senior running back Keith Payne slipped between two would-be tacklers and rumbled 30 yards to the end zone.
Payne's 11th touchdown on the season allowed Virginia to head into the locker room with a solid advantage - putting Miami's streak of not being shut out since September 2009 at risk.
Following halftime, the Virginia offense went three-and-out before finding its stride again and driving 65 yards to set up a 32-yard field goal by junior place kicker Robert Randolph.
Miami, meanwhile, could not penetrate the Cavaliers' secondary. Whipple, who threw as many completions as interceptions, was benched for freshman Stephen Morris after the break.
Morris initially struggled in his first action under center, completing 2-of-9 passes and throwing two interceptions to Mosely and Minnifield. Mosley's second interception set up another Payne touchdown from five yards out. Payne finished the day with 81 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns - giving him 12 rushing touchdowns thus far, the second-most by a Cavalier since 2000. The Virginia secondary, meanwhile, picked off five passes to tie a school record for the most in a game.
"This is the game we have been waiting for as a secondary," Minnifield said. "It is a big-time accomplishment, and we will just continue to try and make big plays. We have a lot of playmakers, and [Saturday] it showed."
With a 24-point lead, the Cavaliers appeared to become complacent during the fourth quarter and nearly allowed the Hurricanes to mount a comeback. With 10:34 remaining, Morris threw a 29-yard strike to senior wide receiver Leonard Hankerson in the end zone for Miami's first points.
After a failed two-point conversion, the Hurricanes' defense halted Virginia's next series, and the Miami offense went back to work. The Hurricanes took only 3:29 to drive 90 yards for another touchdown. This time, Morris rolled left and took it to the end zone himself.
Following a missed extra point attempt, the Hurricanes' quickly regained possession. The squad recovered an onside kick that bounced out of the hands of both Minnfield and senior wide receiver Dontrelle Inman. On the drive's first play, Morris connected with junior wide receiver Travis Benjamin for a 60-yard dash to the end zone, coming within five points of the lead.
But Miami could not finish the comeback, as Verica completed two third-down passes on the final drive to allow Virginia to run out the clock. The first pass went to junior wide receiver Matt Snyder on third-and-3, and the second to junior Kris Burd for a 20-yard gain on third-and-8. Burd found a small gap in the Miami secondary on a curl route, and Verica hit the wide receiver square in the chest.
"That was the biggest catch of my life right there on the last drive," Burd said. "To seal the deal - that was big."
Experiencing victory for the second week in a row, the Cavaliers rushed to the student section and invited the crowd to the field to bask in London's first conference win.
Sophomore offensive tackle Oday Aboushi believed the celebration was not only for the upset but also for a critical turning point for the program.
"It was great just to turn around and to barely see your teammates because there were people on people," he said. "This is how it should be and this is how it's going to be. This is a new wave of U.Va. coming on, and there will be plenty of this come."
Virginia looks to extend its winning streak to three games next weekend on the road at Duke. Kickoff is slated for noon.
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