Hurricanes defense responds after poor second quarter as Miami rallies to beat Duke

Miami Hurricanes freshman cornerback O.J. Frederique Jr.’s interception in the third quarter Saturday was significant for him because it was his first career pick.

But it also was a game-changer, igniting a spark in the entire Miami Hurricanes defense, which had been dominated by Duke until that moment.

The ‘Canes surrendered touchdowns on four consecutive Blue Devils possessions — not counting a kneel-down to end the half — before Frederique Jr. snatched quarterback Maalik Murphy’s errant deep pass, which Frederique Jr. returned 30 yards to Duke’s 38-yard line.

The Blue Devils’ final seven possessions of the No. 5 Hurricanes’ 53-31 win at Hard Rock Stadium?

Three points and three turnovers.

“We’ve had some ups and downs on defense, but either way, we find a way to play well when it really, really matters,” said Miami coach Mario Cristobal.

In the second half, “we were pissed off,” said linebacker Francis Mauigoa, who recorded a team-high nine tackles, including two for a loss. “That kind of fed into it.”

Frederique’s interception came two plays after the ‘Canes scored and got the two-point conversion to pull within 28-25.

“It felt great,” Frederique said of his pick. “Preparing in practice, watching film, doing all that — it was time.”

“It’s no surprise O.J.’s making plays,” Mauigoa said. “Saw this kid’s work ethic all summer and in fall camp. Now, his labor is bearing fruit. It’s no surprise he’s performing the way he is. He’s very mature. He’s very smart. And he’s very instinctive. You saw on that play [that] he played it perfectly. They picked on him and he took advantage of that.”

Frederique, who played high school ball at Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, has stepped in since Damari Brown was injured in the season opener against Florida.

“He always plays really well,” Cristobal said. “That guy is raised like the way you should raise your son. On the field, he’s an assassin. Off the field, he’s a gentleman, super polite, hard worker.

“He’s always finding ways to make himself and his teammates better,” Cristobal continued. “He’s very quiet and keeps to himself, but his game speas loudly. He’s a guy we’ve depended on since Game 1, and he has exceeded expectations.”

Duke had committed only seven total turnovers through the first eight games, but turned the ball over four times against Miami, including twice in the fourth quarter.

In addition to Frederique’s interception, safety Mishael Powell and cornerback Jadais Richard recorded a pick and freshman Cam Pruitt recovered a fumble by Murphy.

Two drives after Powell’s pick in the first quarter, the Blue Devils’ offense started rolling. Peyton Jones rushed for a touchdown and Murphy threw touchdown passes to Sahmir Hagans, Jones and Jordan Moore. The 6-yard scoring pass to Moore came on fourth-and-1 and gave the Blue Devils a 28-17 lead 4:57 into the second half.

“They created matchups,” Cristobal said. “We were playing a lot of man [coverage]. … Some great catches by them, too. They had some snags that were pretty impressive.”

“It was just getting balls to the playmakers,” Mauigoa said. “They did a pretty good job taking advantage of those opportunities.”

After amassing 310 yards on their four touchdown drives, the Blue Devils gained only 118 total yards on their final seven drives.

Sixty-eight of those yards came on the only drive that ended in points, but even that 24-yard field goal from Todd Pelino was a win for Miami’s defense.

After Tyler Baron was penalized for grabbing Que’Sean Brown’s face mask, giving Duke first-and-goal from the 7, Miami’s defense forced three consecutive incompletions and a field goal attempt.

“A lot of people were pissed off, like I said,” Mauigoa said. “We didn’t want to allow them to score in the fourth quarter. These guys came out and executed their jobs, we made adjustments, and we played fast and free to the standard we hold ourselves to.”

The ‘Canes defense started the game strong, with Powell’s interception sandwiched between a pair of three-and-out possessions for Duke.

“We came out fast at the beginning and then stopped executing,” Maugioa said. “Just being able to adjust on the field and lock in on your keys, that’s what we did in the second half.”