MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — On a fair-weathered South Florida afternoon with throwback jerseys on, the No. 7 team in the country, it would be a rock fight between two of the best teams in the ACC.

While Duke's offense isn't at the level of the Hurricanes', their defense is one of the best in the country. Miami's offense struggled early but found its footing as the clock continued to tick, defeating the Blue Devils 22-17.

Offensively, the Hurricanes would be stagnant and forcing plays, even with a great offense. In the first quarter, UM would be off to a slow start again, only kicking a field goal on the third drive going into the second quarter. It would be 3-3 before the team got the ball back and finally sparked a big play against the Blue Devils.

It would come from one of their former players, Cooper Barkate.

Barakte would start his excellent day with the 40-yard burst down the field before it was punched in by the all-time leading TD-scoring Hurricanes' history, Mark Fletcher Jr.

However, a bigger issue that haunted the Canes in the first half was penalties. Many drives would die after great plays because of yellow flags flying in the air,

However, the best running back in the country would respond to the Canes. Miami has the No. 1 rushing defense in the country, but Nate Sheppard would fly through the middle for a 47-yard touchdown to tie the game before the two-minute timeout.

It was the first time Miami would give up a run over 30 yards this year. He would burst for another one in the second half, gashing the Canes.

The Hurricanes would again drive the field in under two minutes, but red zone issues continued. Miami's special teams were an issue last season, but Jake Weinberg would knock in his second field goal of the day, keeping his impressive season alive.

Weinberg would get more run for the Canes at the start of the second half. Miami would move all the way down to the red zone again, but Elija Lofton would have his toe out of bounds, negating another touchdown in his stats this season.

Miami would be up 16-10, but Sheppard would continue to attack the Hurricanes from the ground and in the air. He is one of the best players in the country, and Duke would continue to use him. However, after the second half against Notre Dame, Miami's defense flipped a switch.

It would have been better if the Hurricanes had found a way to turn the ball over, with one slipping right through Bryce Fitzgerald's hands, but they stood tall against the Blue Devils all game.

Moreover, the rushing attack of the new duo of Javian Mallory and Jordan Lyle would get off in the second half.  Mallory would score on a flick from Darian Mensah for a 63-yard sprint that saw the freshman star run around and skip through the Blue Devils secondary.

Miami would go up two scores before Shepperd would burst for another explosive play. Down the field on a 47-yard gain, putting the Blue Devils in scoring position again and scoring his second touchdown of the game.

Sheppard was the player on the scouting report Miami needed to attack. However, the star, Dukey, would find himself having another career game.

However, that didn't stop Miami from going down the field and scoring again until another flag stopped the team's momentum, the team's sixth. But Mensah's Ole Reliable would continue to bail the team's offense.

Eight catches for 134 yards against his former team is good, but it's a sign that he is stepping up with Malachi Toney being hurt. Afterward, Mallory would add his second TD of the game, pushing the lead back to two scores.