University of Miami players meant business when they walked shirtless onto the field before Friday afternoon's game.
All week they had heard how cold it would be in the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh.
Temperatures in the low 30s couldn't cool off the Hurricanes, who scored on four of their first five drives as they beat the Panthers 41-31 at Heinz Field.
Miami kept its ACC Coastal Division dreams alive with the victory. If Duke and Virginia Tech lose Saturday afternoon, there will be a four-way tie atop the division.
That would give the Hurricanes (9-3, 5-3 ACC) the tiebreaker over the Blue Devils, Hokies and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Here are a few thoughts and observations on a chilly day when Miami equaled its highest win total in nine years by holding off Pittsburgh (6-6, 3-5 ACC) and a late rally.
1. Superior special teams.
Twice the Hurricanes started drives inside Panthers territory thanks to their special teams unit.
Graduate Pat O'Donnell forced a fumble on the opening kickoff and Miami recovered at the 35. Three plays later, senior quarterback Stephen Morris threw to freshman wide receiver Stacy Coley for a 32-yard touchdown.
After a three-and-out, sophomore Tyriq McCord partially blocked Pittsburgh's punt as the Hurricanes took over at the opponent's 42. Two plays later Morris and Coley scored again on a 34-yarder.
When the next drive stalled on third-and-four, an illegal substitution by Pittsburgh gave Miami a first down. Sophomore Matt Goudis would make a 29-yard field goal.
The Panthers, on the other hand, missed a 43-yard kick after losing yardage on a third down.
2. Explosive plays.
Four of Miami's five first-half scoring drives consisted of either two or three plays. The other lasted 6:35 and a season-long 18 plays, culminating on Goudis' field goal.
Coley and Morris' two first-quarter connections each went for 30-plus yards. Coley also scored on a 73-yard end-around with 1:34 before halftime.
The freshman now has nine total touchdowns (at least one in each of the past three games). He is the only FBS player this season with touchdowns via a reception, rush, kickoff return and punt return.
Senior Allen Hurns caught a season-high nine passes for 173 yards for his fourth straight game of 100-plus yards. He became the fourth UM player to achieve a 1,000-yard receiving season. He picked up two big catches on UM's final drive that answered Pittsburgh's score.
One week after missing on his first four passes in the rain, Morris completed his first four Friday.
By halftime Morris had gone 7 of 15 with 193 yards (169 after first quarter) and two touchdowns. Two of those incompletions were dropped in the end zone.
Morris finished 17 of 28 with 296 yards and three touchdowns, finding six different targets. He moved up to third in program history for passing yards.
The ground game, which has been lost since losing sophomore Duke Johnson to a season-ending injury three weeks ago, finally got on track.
In last week's 45-26 win over Virginia, the Hurricanes managed just 22 yards at halftime. Miami had 124 through two quarters (73 on Coley's run), but the three backs ran with success (182 combined yards).
Freshman Gus Edwards ran for 64 yards on 11 carries (5.8 average) and a touchdown. Senior Eduardo Clements added 20 yards on five rushes (4.0. average). Sophomore Dallas Crawford battled to 22 yards on 14 runs (1.6 average).
On the final drive, Edwards powered his way to a pair of first downs, which led to senior Asante Cleveland's first career touchdown on a 5-yard completion.
3. Defense filling in.
With three cornerbacks out due to injuries, it wouldn't have come as a surprise if the Panthers tried to get their yardage through the air.
But Miami's secondary came ready.
Pittsburgh senior quarterback Tom Savage didn't complete his first pass until 3:03 left in the first quarter. He went 12 of 19 with 109 yards heading into halftime with just a 5.7 average.
Savage and the Panthers rebounded in the second half even with the absence of senior Devin Street. He went 24 of 43 with 281 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Freshman Artie Burns recorded his first career pick late in the fourth.
For the fourth week in a row, the Hurricanes' run defense proved to be troubling. Over the previous three games, opponents accumulated 784 yards on the ground.
Junior Isaac Bennett breezed through the unit to the sideline for a 45-yard touchdown -- the largest run by Pittsburgh this season -- in the first quarter. He had 90 yards on 10 carries by halftime (21 for 141 for the game).
Freshmen Rachid Ibrahim and James Conner combined for 73 yards on nine rushes. As a team, the Panthers tallied 220 rushing yards despite averaging just 103 per game.
Savage escaped pressure and tacklers to score on a 7-yard touchdown run, trimming the deficit to 31-17 with 6:59 left in the third. On the 10-play drive, eight were rushes for 73 yards.
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
