RALEIGH, N.C. -- Miami didnt back away from its ground game, even as it went nowhere against one of the nations top run defenses through Saturdays first half.Eventually, coach Mark Richt figured, the Hurricanes would break a few runs.Mark Walton responded by running for three second-half touchdowns, turning in a huge performance to help the Hurricanes beat North Carolina State 27-13.Walton ran 120 yards for the Hurricanes (7-4, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) to crack the 1,000-yard mark on the season. The last of that production came when he bounced off two tacklers and sprinted free for the 24-yard clinching score with 2:06 left.The line did a great job for me, coach was trusting in me, Walton said. The first half, it didnt go so well for our running game. The second half we came out and we ran the ball well.Indeed. Walton ran for 102 yards after halftime, including a 30-yard score as one of two third-quarter touchdowns against a run defense ranked fourth in the Bowl Subdivision and tops in the ACC by holding opponents to 99.4 yards per game.Those two TDs broke a 3-3 halftime tie to put the Wolfpack (5-6, 2-5) in catch-up mode.Sometimes youve got to chip away -- youve got to chip away and eventually something will break, Richt said. And youve got to stay patient running the ball. You cant just avoid the running game completely and chuck it every down. Its not healthy for anybody.Matt Dayes ran for 76 yards and a touchdown to become N.C. States 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 BraLon Cherrys 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 Waltons clinching run.We didnt make enough plays when we needed to, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. It was a hard-fought first half but we just didnt play well enough to win.BIG PICTUREMIAMI: A week after securing bowl eligibility for the ninth straight season, the Hurricanes closed the regular season at 4-2 on the road after managing a combined three road wins over the past two seasons -- another positive sign in Richts first year.N.C. STATE: This game just about summed up the Wolfpacks season full of missed opportunities as N.C. State tried to become bowl eligible for the third straight year, falling right in line with a dropped late interception to potentially seal a win against Florida State and a missed short field goal to upset Clemson on the road.Its tough right now because theres a lot of mistakes made out on the field and a lot of missed opportunities, Dayes said. Thats why it hurts so bad.MILESTONESIn addition to Dayes and Walton reaching 1,000 yards on the season, Miami receiver Ahmmon Richards broke the Hurricanes single-season freshman receiving record (840 yards) set by program great Michael Irvin in 1985. He finished with nine catches for 117 yards.UP NEXTMIAMI: 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 shouldnt have counted in a controversial finish.Hopefully we wont get to that point next week, said Walton, who was on the field during that final return. Were not trying to get to that moment again. ... I dont want to revisit that play.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 in a final shot to go to a bowl. The Wolfpack won the last visit there, a 35-7 romp in 2014.Weve still got one more game left, safety Josh Jones said. Its not too late.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college football at http://collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Corey Dickerson Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. David Freese Jersey . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final hole after a misjudged approach shot. 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The 14-time major champion hasnt featured competitively since a tied-10th finish at Augusts Wyndham Championship, with Woods since falling to 472nd in the world rankings.Woods underwent a back operation in September and a surprise follow-up surgery several weeks later, with the American previously revealing he had no idea if or when he would be back in action. Woods previously missed the Masters through injury in 2014 Although Woods has frequently insisted there is no timetable for his return to the PGA Tour, speculation about whether the four-time Masters champion would play at Augusta increased when he released a video on social media of him hitting shots with a 9-iron.But Woods agent, Mark Steinberg, told the GolfChannel.com on Monday that there was no further update at the moment when asked whether the 40-year-old planned to take paart in the opening major of the year.ddddddddddddUnlike regular PGA Tour events, Woods wouldnt have to commit to playing in the event until he registered at the tournament office before a first-round tee time on Thursday April 7. Woods last appearance came at Augusts Wyndham Championship Should Woods not be involved in next months Masters, it would only be only the second time since his Augusta debut in 1995 that he hasnt been part of the field. Its eight years since Woods claimed his last major title, when he defeated Rocco Mediate in a play-off to win the US Open, while his Augusta appearance last April saw him end the week tied-17th. Watch all four days of the Masters live on Sky Sports - your home of golf Also See: Tigers injury timeline Memorable Augusta moments Woods unable to predict return Golf live on Sky Sports ' ' '