Walton's 3 TDs help Miami beat NC State 27-13

Posted November 19, 2016 6:00 am

By AARON BEARD

North Carolina State running back Matt Dayes (21) is tackled by Miami's Shaquille Quarterman (55) and Jamal Carter Sr. (6) during the first half of an NCAA college football game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP) The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Mark Walton ran for three second-half touchdowns to help Miami beat North Carolina State 27-13 on Saturday.

Walton ran for 120 yards for the Hurricanes (7-4, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), the last coming when he bounced off two tacklers for a 24-yard clinching score with 2:06 left.

Walton scored twice in the third quarter in a big day against a run defense ranked fourth in the Bowl Subdivision and best in the ACC, breaking a 3-3 tie to put the Wolfpack (5-6, 2-5) in catch-up mode.

"Sometimes you've got to chip away - you've got to chip away and eventually something will break," Miami coach Mark Richt said. "And you've got to stay patient running the ball. You can't just avoid the running game completely and chuck it every down. It's not healthy for anybody."

Matt Dayes ran for 76 yards and a touchdown to become N.C. State's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2002. But the Wolfpack committed just too many mistakes to make comeback, including an end-zone interception thrown by Ryan Finley, a penalty negating a fourth-quarter TD run by Dayes and Bra'Lon Cherry's fumbled punt return - all in the second half.

Finally, cornerback Jack Tocho committed a pass-interference penalty on third down with 2:56 left, giving Miami a first down and setting up Walton's clinching run.

"We didn't make enough plays when we needed to," Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. "It was a hard-fought first half but we just didn't play well enough to win."

BIG PICTURE

MIAMI: A week after securing bowl eligibility for the ninth straight season, the Hurricanes closed the regular season at 4-2 on the road for another positive sign in their first season under Richt.

N.C. STATE: This game just about summed up the Wolfpack's season full of missed opportunities as N.C. State tried to become bowl eligible for the third straight year.

UP NEXT

MIAMI: The Hurricanes close the regular season at home against Duke, a year after beating the Blue Devils on an eight-lateral, final-play kickoff return that officials later determined shouldn't have counted in a controversial finish.

N.C. STATE: N.C. State closes the regular season with a trip to rival North Carolina for a Friday afternoon matchup over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The Wolfpack won the last visit there, a 35-7 romp in 2014.

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More AP college football at http://collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

North Carolina State cornerback Mike Stevens (2) tackles Miami wide receiver Malcolm Lewis (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP) The Associated Press

North Carolina State quarterback Ryan Finley (15) passes during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Miami at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP) The Associated Press

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