Miami defeats Duke to near ACC title

No. 5 Miami defeated Duke 36-25 at Miami Gardens, Fla., on Saturday to position itself for the Atlantic Coast Conference title game. Darian Mensah passed for 382 yards and one touchdown, while Javian Mallory scored three times for the Hurricanes.

The victory marked Miami's 11th consecutive win in conference play, a school record. The team improved to 9-1 overall and 7-0 in the ACC. Cooper Barkate caught eight passes for 134 yards, recording his first 100-yard receiving game for the Hurricanes.

Mensah transferred from Duke to Miami after helping the Blue Devils win the ACC championship last season. He completed 30 of 41 passes and surpassed the 3,000-yard mark for the season. "I couldn't stop smiling for some reason when I first stepped on the field, because I have a lot of love for those guys over there," Mensah said.

Duke quarterback Nate Sheppard rushed for 131 yards and added 93 receiving yards and 16 passing yards. He scored twice on 47-yard runs. Duke coach Manny Diaz called Sheppard an "advertisement for one of the best players in the United States." Sheppard broke the Duke single-season rushing record with 1,253 yards.

The game remained close until the fourth quarter. Mark Fletcher Jr. scored a touchdown midway through the second quarter to give Miami a 10-3 lead. Sheppard tied the game at 10-10 on a 47-yard run. Miami led 13-10 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Mensah threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Mallory to extend the lead to 22-10. Mallory scored twice in a 3:45 span during the fourth quarter to make the score 36-17. Miami's Xavier Lucas intercepted Walker Eget with 6:54 left, and Mallory ran for a 39-yard touchdown on the next possession.

Miami will host Virginia Tech on Nov. 21. The Hurricanes will clinch a spot in the Dec. 5 ACC title game in Charlotte, North Carolina, if North Carolina defeats Louisville later Saturday. Otherwise, Miami needs one win in its final two games. Duke will host Clemson on Friday.