MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. _ Ahead of Miami's nationally televised Thursday night showdown against North Carolina, most of the focus in Coral Gables _ and beyond _ was on which one of the Hurricanes quarterbacks would get the start in Miami's Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
And while that question was answered relatively quickly when redshirt freshman N'Kosi Perry took the field just after kickoff, the quarterback's first start wasn't the only significant story for Miami on this night.
The Hurricanes defense _ which came into the game ranked among national leaders in several statistical categories including total defense, tackles for loss and third-down conversation rate _ showed again why it is worth some headlines of its own as Miami moves into conference play.
Twice in the first half the Hurricanes turned North Carolina turnovers into touchdowns, defensive linemen Jonathan Garvin and Joe Jackson both scoring to help No. 16 Miami take control in what was an eventual 47-10 win over the Tar Heels at Hard Rock Stadium.
And that wasn't it for the defense. On the first play of the fourth quarter, striker Romeo Finley picked off North Carolina quarterback Chazz Surratt and returned the interception 83 yards for a third defensive touchdown, this one punctuating the dominant performance.
Those three turnovers-turned-touchdowns tied a school record and marked the first time since Sept. 23, 2000 against West Virginia that the Hurricanes defense scored three times in a game. And they weren't Miami's only takeaways on this night.
For a good chunk of the game, the Hurricanes pressured Surratt and fellow quarterback Nathan Elliott, who started the game for the Tar Heels but was taken out after some early struggles.
Miami ultimately finished with six turnovers and scored 24 points off those takeways, an interception of Surratt by Jhavonte Dean just before the half leading to a 28-yard field goal from Bubba Baxa that gave Miami a 33-10 lead heading into the locker room.
The defensive dominance only made the night easier for first-time starter Perry and the rest of the Hurricanes offense, which also played well in what turned out to be some limited opportunities, with North Carolina running 75 plays to Miami's 46.
Perry, who saw the first extensive playing time of his college career less than a week ago in Miami's 31-17 win over FIU this past Saturday, connected on his first five pass attempts and led the Hurricanes to scoring drives on two of their first three possessions.
On Miami's first scoring drive, the Hurricanes (4-1, 1-0) turned to their running back tandem of Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas to move the ball down the field.
Homer, who had his first 100-yard effort of the season against FIU, broke free on Miami's second drive for a 56-yard run, his longest rush of the season. And one play later, Dallas _ who had the first 100-yard game of his Hurricanes career two weeks ago in Toledo _ scored on a 4-yard run.
Dallas finished with a career-high 114 yards, while Homer would finish with 88 yards.
On North Carolina's ensuing possession, linebacker Shaq Quarterman sacked Surratt for a 15-yard loss. He jarred the ball loose, Garvin picked it up and scored the first of Miami's defensive touchdowns to give the Hurricanes an 11-point lead.
The Tar Heels (1-3, 0-1) pulled within 14-10 later in the first quarter when Surratt scored on a 17-yard run, but that was as close as North Carolina would get after the Hurricanes began making some defensive adjustments.
Jackson, who had scored once earlier in his career in a 2016 win at Georgia Tech, intercepted Surratt's pass with 9:00 left to push Miami's lead to 24-10 and the rout was on for a Hurricanes team that made it clear this week it hadn't forgotten how the struggling Tar Heels gave them a scare last season in Chapel Hill.
Perry, who had some freshman mistakes in his first start turning the ball over on a fumble and an interception, finished the day 8-for-12 for 125 yards with one touchdown, a 5-yarder to Darrell Langham in the second quarter.
And now, with North Carolina behind them, the Hurricanes _ who could make another jump in the polls this weekend _ will turn their focus to their annual showdown with rival Florida State.
The Seminoles are set to visit Hard Rock on Oct. 6.
