The Miami Hurricanes' reliance on comebacks this season was getting ridiculous, getting magical, getting dangerous. This was the perfect season that felt fragile, built on miracles.
Saturday, the miracles ran out and the perfection ended.
It ended in Atlanta with Georgia Tech fans storming the field as their Yellow Jackets beat No. 4-ranked Miami, 28-23, the first blemish on a Canes season 9-0 going in.
It was neither an unlucky loss, nor a fortunate win.
Georgia Tech led from the second quarter on and dominated possession with a brute-force offense that mauled UM's defense for 271 yards rushing.
Miami entered the day well-positioned to make the ACC championship game as a favorite and to enter the College Football Playoff with high rank. Now? The dream has not died, just been battered.
UM by winning out vs. Wake Forest and at Syracuse still will be a good bet for the ACC title game. The CFP ranking will drop but Miami will surely remain positioned to be in the 12-team playoff.
This was the sixth game in 10 that Miami had trailed, the fourth game they had trailed by 10 or more in the second half -- and the first they had failed to summon a Cam Ward miracle.
Miami also had trailed this season in games against South Florida, Virginia Tech, Cal, Louisville and Duke before Saturday. Deficits were 10 or more points against Va.-Tech, Cal and Duke, all overcome. But not this time.
Ominous signs came fast.
Tech's Jamal Haynes cracked UM's defense for a 65-yard run and soon after a 16-yard scoring run for a quick 7-0 Canes hole.
But just as fast Ward hit Elijah Arroyo for a 74-yard touchdown pass and a 7-7 tie. Ward's 30th TD pass set a single-season UM record.
Miami briefly led 10-7 on a 41-yard field goal before Tech scored on a 5-yard pass for a 14-10 lead the Jackets wore into halftime. They wold never trail again.
Georgia Tech's first two scoring drives were 85 and 75 yards as the home team used 189 yards on the ground to dominate first half time of possession, 18:17 to 11:43, and help keep Miami's high-powered offense on the sideline.
Ward, chasing a Heisman Trophy as his team chased a perfect season, was a pedestrian 9 for 18 in the half for a modest (for him) 133 air yards.
He would end up with big stats: 25 for 39 for 348 yards and three TDs. Those numbers won't hurt his Heisman candidacy as much as the loss will, but Ward did not play great. He was sacked three times and hounded often. His accuracy was off at times.
Tech grew its lead to 21-10 when Miami scored on Isaiah Horton's 8-yard TD catch followed by a missed two-point attempt to make it 21-16.
The pressure on UM really ratcheted up with a 28-16 deficit followed by a UM possession that included a TD pass negated by a holding penalty in a series that ended with a sack on fourth down.
There was hope for yet another miracle by the Cardiac Canes when Xavier Restrepo's 38-yard scoring play made it 28-23 with 6:07 left, and then UM forced a Tech punt.
But Ward then lost a fumble on a strip-sack. The Yellow Jackets then went kneel-kneel to end the game as Miami's perfect season also took a knee.
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