The Hurricanes answered on their next possession, regaining the lead when Fletcher Jr. lined up behind a trio of Miami tight ends, caught a pass from Mensah and sprinted up the field for a 31-yard touchdown.
Again, though, North Carolina responded, tying it when Edwards and Thurman connected on another 8-yard scoring play. This time, the drive went 75 yards on 12 plays.
By halftime, the Tar Heels had totaled 152 passing yards – their second highest total in a half this season.
Miami did get the ball back in the final minutes of the second quarter, but the Hurricanes weren’t able to find the end zone, instead settling for a 25-yard field goal from Jake Weinberg that sent Miami into the locker room with a 17-14 lead.
“We just had to stay poised, just go out there and make routine plays and catches, what we do every day out there on Greentree,” Toney said.
The second half brought more pressure from the Tar Heels, who not only kept pace with the Hurricanes, but took the lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
And again, it was a touchdown pass from Edwards that put points on the board.
This time, the graduate transfer from Wisconsin threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordan Shipp that put the Tar Heels ahead 21-17 with 10:51 left in the third.
That lead wouldn’t last long, though.
The Hurricanes answered with an 8-play, 80-yard drive that culminated when Fletcher scored on a 2-yard run that was upheld after a brief review.
But Fletcher and the Hurricanes weren’t done.
After North Carolina took a 28-24 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run from Demon June, Fletcher scored again, capping a 9-play, 75-yard scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown run that put Miami ahead 31-28 and tied McGuire’s record.
Now, with this game against North Carolina behind it, the Hurricanes will turn their focus to what will undoubtedly be one of the most-watched games of the college football season.
Miami is set to travel to South Bend, Indiana next week to face longtime rival and fifth-ranked Notre Dame, which is likely to rise in the polls after its 35-13 win over Navy on Saturday.
The two teams last met last season when the Hurricanes beat the Irish, 27-24, in the season opener for both teams.
It was a game that later made a world of difference for both teams when Miami advanced to the College Football Playoff as an at-large team, while the Irish did not.
“Certainly looking forward to the opportunity,” Cristobal said.