MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. _ They vowed they would bounce back. They said they understood what was at stake.
But for much of Saturday afternoon, the 16th-ranked Miami Hurricanes looked sluggish, slow, and for the most part, like a team that still hadn't recovered from the brutal loss it endured a week ago.
And North Carolina, which like Miami needed a win to keep its Coastal Division hopes alive, capitalized.
The Tar Heels moved the ball effectively, converting on 14 of 23 third-down opportunities, put Miami in the biggest deficit it has faced all season and ultimately, hung on for a 20-13 win that will extend a stretch of misery for the Hurricanes, who have now lost two straight for the first time under first-year coach Mark Richt.
Last week, the loss came in heartbreaking fashion, with the Hurricanes blowing a 13-point lead, then fighting back before rival Florida State blocked a late extra-point that would have likely forced overtime.
This time around, the opponent gave Miami fits from the start and though the Hurricanes mustered a little bit of a second-half rally, the 17-point deficit it found itself in at half was too much to overcome.
The Tar Heels, who last week struggled in a 34-3 loss to Virginia Tech that was played in a driving rainstorm spawned by Hurricane Matthew, became the first team this season to score on Miami in the first quarter of a game when Nick Weiler converted on a 42-yard field goal on UNC's first possession.
That would seemingly set the tone for much of the afternoon.
On North Carolina's next possession, the points came on a touchdown, this one after a methodical 12-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by a 5-yard pass from Mitch Trubisky to Austin Proehl that was reviewed, but ultimately upheld after officials ruled Proehl had possession when he got his foot down.
And while the Tar Heels (5-2, 3-1 ACC) kept adding to that lead throughout the first half, Miami's offense _ which struggled last week against Florida State and was led by a quarterback in Brad Kaaya that was nursing a shoulder injury _ struggled to put points on the board.
Miami's second possession ended with a blocked field goal that likely elicited memories of the nightmarish end last week and by halftime, though Miami had 201 yards of offense, all the Hurricanes had to show for it was a 47-yard field goal from Badgley that came early in the second quarter.
North Carolina, meanwhile, added a 52-yard field goal from Nick Weiler and a 1-yard touchdown pass from Trubisky to Switzer that put the Hurricanes in a 20-3 hole going into the locker room.
Miami (4-2, 1-2) finally found some offensive life in the second half, with the Hurricanes scoring a quick touchdown on a 4-play, 61-yard drive that ended with Joe Yearby's 2-yard touchdown run, but ultimately, it wasn't enough as North Carolina's defense held the Hurricanes to a field goal late and stopped a potential game-tying drive with by forcing a turnover when Kaaya was sacked and fumbled.
Trubisky finished the day completing 33 of 46 passes for 299 yards, while Kaaya was 16-of-31 for 224 yards. Mark Walton finished with 82 rushing yards for the Hurricanes, while T.J. Logan had a game-high 84 yards for the Tar Heels.
