After UMass scored with one second left to cut what had been a 20-10 Miami fourth-quarter lead to 20-19, the game came down to a two-point conversion attempt.
Logan Inagawa handed the ball to Drew Alsup running left. Alsup pitched it to Reece Adkins coming back right. Inagawa, the quarterback, began to leak out of the backfield to the right to try and catch a pass and win the game.
But the pass never came.
That's because McCain was already in the backfield bringing down Adkins for a double-digit yardage loss to preserve Miami's first conference victory of the season.
"Honestly, it's just next-play mentality," McCain said after the RedHawks came out on top by the narrowest of margins. "The coaches harp on this all the time in practice: You never know what play is going to win the game. You never know what play is going to change the game.
"You can't dwell on the last play, whether it was good or bad. You've just got to reset, get to the next one and execute your job."
"Both teams fought to the end, and we made the last play," head coach Chuck Martin said. "We've had four straight like this, and I don't think it's going to change...
"Obviously defense – nice step forward today...the whole defensive staff worked really hard this week. On our toes, we were aggressive, we got after the quarterback, we got sacks, we caused a turnover and we had a bunch of other opportunities with the ball in the air...
"Our man coverage was way better, and as the game went on we were getting stickier and stickier on them. Great effort by the defense. Making the last play of the game to get the victory for us was really huge....
"It was a hard-fought game and we're happy to get the victory."
The RedHawks improve to 3-3 (1-1 MAC), while UMass falls to 4-2 (1-2 MAC).
HOW IT HAPPENED
UMass took a 7-0 lead on its second possession, but Miami came roaring back. Five straight running plays, including three first downs on the ground for Caleb Heavner, ended with a 20-yard touchdown run by Scoop Smith on a reverse to even the score at the 3:51 mark.
Desmon Yharbrough and the RedHawks' defense then came up with a critical stop on 4th-and-inches to give the Miami offense the ball in UMass territory at the 34-yard line. From there, the Red and White only needed two plays to score again. A Rodney Nelson 15-yard rush and a defensive holding call set up Heavner's nine-yard keeper to make it 14-7 with 1:11 left in the period. The only score of the second quarter was a 56-yard field goal for the hosts, trimming Miami's lead to 14-10.
Miami extended its lead to 17-10 in the final minute of the third period after the Minutemen dropped a pitch on a toss sweep attempt and Grant Lyons fell on the ball at the Massachusetts 21-yard line. Kellan McLaughlin converted a 27-yard field goal six plays later to stretch the cushion to seven points.
The visitors took the first two-possession lead of the game with 11:36 remaining, capitalizing on a 20-yard punt return by Lynel Billups-Williams that gave Miami the ball near midfield. A 13-yard completion to Maleek Huggins on third down moved the RedHawks near field goal range, and McLaughlin eventually capped the drive with a 47-yard kick to put Miami on top 20-10.
UMass needed nearly seven minutes on its next drive to trim the lead to 20-13, settling for a field goal in the red zone with 4:55 to go. The hosts took over again with 2:22 left and put together a scoring drive that ended on a 21-yard touchdown pass with one second remaining, but McCain's heroics helped Miami hold on for a dramatic one-point victory.
Linebacker Malcolm McCain signs a sandal for a young fan after a
20-19 win over UMass. McCain stopped a game-winning two-point
conversion attempt by UMass during the game's final seconds. MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE: As a jubilant McCain left the field, young fans were screaming his name and asking for autographs. He stopped before heading to the locker room to hand his gloves to one, while agreeing to sign for another. The item in question: a flip-flop sandal.
"That was a first," McCain laughed later. "I've signed a few things – I try to interact with the kids because I was in their shoes at one point. You never know what might make somebody's day."
During a postgame interview, McCain also broke down what he saw on the contest's pivotal play, when he was about to wrap up Alsup before pivoting to take down Adkins after the pitch. "I was blitzing the A gap. I saw the QB hand off the jet sweep, and out of the corner of my eye, I did see the reverse," McCain explained.
"I think they were running 'Philly Special' [a play made famous by the Eagles in the Super Bowl a few years back]. Obviously we stopped it before it was able to develop, but I just came back on the reverse and made the play."
It sounds so simple, and even looks that way in the box score ('#83 R. Adkins rush attempt failed'), where a stop on a two-point attempt doesn't even register as a tackle for loss. But while the veteran linebacker may have made it look easy, the result was enormous for Miami.
"It's tough to run a reverse pass against pressure. But we still had to make a play," said Martin. "We got off a block and made a huge play...
"He's a really talented player," Martin added. "The thing about Malcolm is he's gotten better every year, and he's taken another step this year. He works really hard at it and he's really talented...
"Very proud of him and happy to have him on our team."
CALEB'S CARRIES: Heavner's 29-yard run in the first quarter was the second-longest run by a Miami player this year (David McComb had a 32-yarder against UConn). Heavner finished with 11 carries for 54 yards and a rushing touchdown. In all, Miami racked up 165 yards on the ground on 36 carries for an average of 4.6 yards per rushing play.
"Obviously early, he was huge," said Martin. "Then it forced them to try to defend him, which they weren't early – they were just trying to defend our running backs. Then that opens up the rest of the game."
SCOOP'S SCORES: Smith added to the list of ways he's produced a touchdown this year for the Red and White with a 20-yard rush on a reverse. Smith has also scored via kick return (vs. Cincinnati) and reception (vs. UConn) as well as blocking a punt that turned into a Miami touchdown (vs. Holy Cross).
McLAUGHLIN'S MASSIVE MAKE: McLaughlin went 2-for-2 on field goals, including a career-long 47-yarder in the fourth quarter. The redshirt junior has now made six consecutive field goals.
"Special teams – really good," Martin said. "Kellan again is back in hopefully a good place, and a huge 47-yard field goal is the difference in the game."
BAI, BAI, BAI: UMass quarterback Aedan McCarthy had to get a new jersey after Bai Jobe dragged the quarterback down on the final play of the first quarter. The five-yd loss ripped McCarthy's jersey in half. In all, Miami collected five total tackles for loss in the game.
MR. ROOSEVELT:Roosevelt Andrews III recorded 2.5 sacks to set the tone for the Miami defense, setting a new career high. Andrews finished with a game-high and career-high nine tackles.
STRINGING TOGETHER STOPS: Miami's defense set new season bests today against FBS opponents in total yards allowed (319), third-down conversions allowed (four), and yards per play allowed (4.9) in the game.
UP NEXT:
The RedHawks return home for a Family Weekend game against Akron on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Yager Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m, and tickets are available here.
