Tag: Hurricanes

Nov 15, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; against the Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman watches from the sideline before the game against NC State Wolfpack at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Report: Miami extends coordinators Shannon Dawson, Corey Hetherman

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Miami has agreed to multi-year extensions with offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman after its run to the national title game last season, according to a report by ESPN.

Terms of the contract extensions, in years and salaries, were not reported.

Dawson arrived at Miami ahead of the 2023 season, immediately improving the Hurricanes’ offense from 85th to 25th in total offense in Year 1. In his second season, he anchored the best offense nationally in total offense and scoring offense, which led quarterback Cam Ward to being a Heisman Trophy finalist and the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Hetherman left the same position at Minnesota to become Miami’s defensive coordinator ahead of the 2025 season. The Hurricanes’ defense finished the 2024 season 70th in scoring defense before surging up to fifth and leading the nation in sacks (50) in Hetherman’s first season.

–Field Level Media

History waiting to be written when Indiana, Miami collide in title game

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Top-seeded Indiana stands one victory away from becoming the biggest rags-to-riches story in college football history.

A program that went 9-27 over a three-year span earlier this decade and had the most losses in FBS history until earlier this season is on the verge of becoming national champions when it faces No. 10 Miami on Monday night in the College Football Playoff title game at Miami Gardens, Fla.

Indiana has never won a national championship, while the Hurricanes have won five, the most recent coming in the 2001 season.

Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers (15-0) smashed No. 9 Alabama and No. 5 Oregon by a combined 94-25 in their first two playoff games. They now look to seal the deal behind second-year head coach Curt Cignetti, who is 26-2 since leaving James Madison to become the Indiana coach.

“If you look at the record since Indiana started playing football and relative to the success we’ve had the last two years, we’ve broken a lot of records here in terms of wins, championships, postseason games, top-10 wins on the road, et cetera,” Cignetti said.

“So it’s been kind of surreal, but you get it done with the right people, properly led. You’ve got to have a blueprint, plan and process. You’ve got to have the right people on your staff and the right people in the locker room.”

One of those right people turned out to be Mendoza, who was a competent quarterback with 30 touchdowns against 16 interceptions during two starting seasons at Cal.

But with the Hoosiers, the transformation was stunning. Mendoza leads the nation with 41 touchdowns passes and has completed 73% of his passes for 3,349 yards while being intercepted just six times.

Mendoza became the first Heisman winner in Indiana history and is the overwhelming favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

But first, Cignetti had to sell Mendoza that Indiana was the right place for him.

“I still remember when I was in the transfer portal, Coach Cignetti said, ‘Hey, if you’re going to come here, you’re going to develop into a hell of a quarterback,’” Mendoza said. “It wasn’t about, at that point, ‘Hey, I’m going to promise you a national championship.’ It was, ‘You’re going to develop and have that belief.’”

The Hoosiers became a powerful force. The semifinal bludgeoning of Oregon marked the seventh time the team scored 50 or more points this season.

That kind of firepower overshadows that the defense has allowed 10 or fewer points nine times. Safety Louis Moore grabbed six interceptions and outside linebacker Rolijah Hardy amassed eight sacks.

Miami (13-2) gets to play in its home venue and has impressively recorded three straight playoff wins despite some observers feeling they shouldn’t have made the CFP field.

That’s no longer a topic after the stellar string of victories over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Ole Miss. The Hurricanes trailed the Rebels late in the semifinals before Carson Beck guided the decisive 15-play, 75-yard drive and scored on a 3-yard run with 18 seconds left.

Beck is in his sixth college season but first with Miami after spending five years at Georgia. He has thrown for 11,493 yards and 87 touchdowns against 31 interceptions in that time.

And now the possibility looms for a storybook career-ending victory.

“I don’t know if it’s hit me yet, to be honest,” Beck said. “I feel like during the game, or probably when the game starts, it will. It’ll be a thought that crosses my mind.

“Knowing that it is my last college football game ever and it being a national championship, what an opportunity. And regardless of what happens, what a season as well.”

The Hurricanes were 6-2 after losing twice in three weeks before turning it on for the rest of the regular season. But coach Mario Cristobal said no team his club has faced is on par with the Hoosiers.

“They’re the best overall team and best defense we have faced,” Cristobal said. “I know that their rankings and anything statistically important are between 1 and 5. It starts with this. They’re really fast, physical, explosive, talented and smart. They play with a lot of physicality, a lot of violence. They make it very challenging.”

Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. has been superb in the postseason with rushing outputs of 172, 90 and 133 yards. The defense is led by stellar defensive ends Akheem Mesidor (team-best 10.5 sacks) and Rueben Bain Jr. (8.5 sacks).

–Field Level Media

Carson Beck score vaults No. 10 Miami past No. 6 Ole Miss in CFP semifinal

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Carson Beck’s 3-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds remaining provided the winning points for Miami’s 31-27 College Football Playoff semifinal comeback win over Ole Miss in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night in Glendale, Ariz.

The Hurricanes (13-2) capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive to secure their first opportunity to play for a national championship since 2002. Miami, which has won five national championships, is seeking its first since 2001.

Miami, the No. 10 seed, won the Fiesta Bowl for the first time in five all-time appearances, and will also get to host when it faces either No. 5-seed Oregon or top-seed Indiana on Jan. 19th at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Ole Miss (13-2), the No. 6 seed, which persevered to reach the CFP semifinals despite its coach Lane Kiffin departing to become LSU’s coach in November, put together a go-ahead touchdown drive when quarterback Trinidad Chambliss connected with Dae’Quan Wright for a 24-yard touchdown. The Rebels added the two-point conversion when Chambliss found Caleb Odom in the back of the end zone.

But Beck, who completed 23 of 37 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, engineered Miami’s third scoring drive of 13 or more plays.

The Hurricanes took a 24-19 lead with 5:04 left when Malachi Toney caught a bubble screen, broke a tackle and sped his way to the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown.

The lead changed four times in the final seven minutes of the game after Lucas Carneiro’s fourth field goal from 21 yards put Ole Miss ahead 19-17.

After holding Ole Miss to minus-1 yard in the first quarter, Kewan Lacy broke through Miami’s defensive line and scored from 73 yards out to give the Rebels a 7-3 lead.

Lacy left the game due to a right hamstring issue, but he returned on the Rebels’ first drive of the second half. He finished with 103 yards on 11 carries.

The Hurricanes committed 10 costly penalties for 74 yards and Ole Miss sacked Beck four times while Miami’s prolific pass rush, which accumulated 46 sacks entering the game, only sacked Chambliss once.

Chambliss completed 23 of 37 passes for 277 yards, one touchdown pass and no interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Dramatic CFP run to end for Miami or Ole Miss at Fiesta Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Miami and Ole Miss have provided two of the most compelling storylines of this year’s College Football Playoff.

But only one will earn the chance to play for a national title after the teams square off on Thursday night in the Fiesta Bowl in a CFP semifinal in Glendale, Ariz.

After making the 12-team field as the final at-large selection, the 10th-seeded Hurricanes (12-2) have defied the odds twice with dominant defensive performances in wins against seventh-seeded Texas A&M 10-3 in the first round and a 24-14 Cotton Bowl triumph against No. 2 Ohio State on Dec. 31.

The No. 6 Rebels (13-1), who will play Miami for the first time since 1951, drubbed 11th-seeded Tulane 41-10 and put together a stunning 39-34 comeback win over No. 3 seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal last Thursday.

The winner of Thursday’s game will face the winner of the Peach Bowl semifinal matchup Friday between top-seeded Indiana and fifth-seeded Oregon for the national championship on Jan. 19 in Miami.

Ole Miss continues to persevere and extend its best season in program history despite having its coaching staff in flux since head coach Lane Kiffin departed in November to become LSU’s head coach.

With Pete Golding promoted to head coach and multiple assistant coaches such as offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. remaining with the Rebels until their season ends, they have continued to find ways to extend their season.

Ole Miss quarterbacks coach Joe Judge on Tuesday compared the situation to how they handled the uncertainty of coaches’ availability during the COVID pandemic in 2020.

“We always talk ahead basically after every game, me and Charlie (Weis Jr.) and Pete (Golding) have sat down and talked about the next week coming up and how we’re going to handle it,” Judge said. “And when he’s going to Baton Rouge, when he’s coming back, how we’re going to prep for the next week. Throughout the week, we’ve communicated in terms of all the what-ifs.”

Ole Miss is seeking its first national championship while Miami is one win away from playing for a potential sixth national title and its first since 2001.

Two of the biggest keys for the Rebels will be trying to slow down Miami’s rushing attack led by Mark Fletcher Jr. and keeping quarterback Trinidad Chambliss protected from the Hurricanes’ dominant pass rush led by defensive linemen Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor.

The Hurricanes have posted 12 sacks in two CFP games and lead the nation with 46 sacks overall over 14 games.

“We’re a D-line that puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback,” said Mesidor, who has 3 1/2 sacks in the playoffs. “Our DBs are big and fast and great players. I think we help each other out, 100%. We put pressure on the quarterback, have him make a mistake.”

Ole Miss is ranked No. 65 nationally in rushing defense (146.1 yards per game), and yielded 124 yards to Georgia last week. Fletcher ran for 172 of Miami’s 175 yards against Texas A&M and ran for 90 of the Hurricanes’ 153 yards on the ground against Ohio State last week.

“They have a lot of confidence in their run game,” Ole Miss linebacker TJ Dottery said Tuesday. “It’s very physical, and that’s somewhat of a model to dominate up front. And that’s our plan, to dominate their line of scrimmage and shut that down.”

Chambliss had one of the best games of his career against Georgia, completing 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Miami’s top defensive players are conscious of the challenge that awaits them with Chambliss’ playmaking ability.

“I definitely think it’s something everybody collectively as a defense has to focus on,” said Miami defensive back Keionte Scott, who had a key 72-yard interception return for a touchdown against Ohio State. “I don’t think you can put it on one or two position groups. When it gets to that point where it breaks down or it doesn’t break down, I think everybody doing their job (1 through 11) can erase a lot of those things.”

–Field Level Media

Report: ACC allowing Miami to keep $14M CFP payout

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Atlantic Coast Conference is giving Miami the entirety of the College Football Playoff prize money it earned so far, according to Front Office Sports.

While the conference is entitled to keep a portion of the winnings, the ACC is electing not to do so due to its success initiatives model which went into effect for the 2024-25 academic year.

That allows Miami to keep its entire prize pool, which currently sits at $14 million after the 10th-seeded Hurricanes beat No. 2 Ohio State 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.

The Hurricanes didn’t make the ACC championship game due to two conference losses and a tiebreaker they lost to Duke, but made the CFP as an at-large team.

To date, Miami (12-2) has made $4 million for making the 12-team CFP, $4 more million for winning its first-round game and $6 million for winning its quarterfinal.

With a win over No. 6 seed Ole Miss (13-1) in the CFP semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 8, the Hurricanes would earn $6 million in additional money, bringing their potential haul to $20 million in addition to $3 million in travel expenses for each round they play in.

–Field Level Media

ACC, CFP stakes on both sides as No. 22 Pitt hosts No. 12 Miami

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Miami and Pitt each face a must-win situation to keep their respective College Football Playoff and Atlantic Coast Conference championship hopes alive when they clash on Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh.

The No. 22 Panthers (8-3, 6-1 ACC) returned to the CFP rankings this week following their 42-28 victory last Saturday at Georgia Tech.

Pitt needs to beat Miami and hope either No. 18 Virginia loses to Virginia Tech or No. 21 SMU loses at California to clinch a spot in the ACC championship game. Being a 3-loss team, the Panthers’ only obvious path into the CFP is by winning the conference title.

The 12th-ranked Hurricanes (9-2, 5-2) need more help to make it to the conference title game as it involves Miami beating Pitt and two of three teams (SMU, Virginia and Duke) losing. A Miami win paired with Duke and Virginia losses would set up a Miami-SMU matchup for the ACC title.

Unlike Pitt, though, the Hurricanes have a slim chance of being selected as an at-large to the CFP even if they do not win the ACC or play for the title.

“It’s all about us,” said Miami safety Zechariah Poyser. “We’ve got to control what we can control. We can’t look ahead. We’ve got to dominate today.”

Pitt has persevered despite numerous injuries and bounced back after a lopsided 37-15 loss to Notre Dame on Nov. 15. Pitt had 12 players out against Georgia Tech and still found a way to come up with one of its biggest wins of the season.

Ja’Kyrian Turner led the Panthers with 201 rushing yards and a touchdown as they jumped out to a 28-0 first-half lead before needing to hold off a Yellow Jackets comeback late in the fourth. Pitt’s defense was clutch with a pair of interceptions of Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, who had thrown only two prior to Saturday’s game.

“Not a surprising win even though a lot of people said that. We have a good football team here at Pittsburgh,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. ” … We talk about toughness. Our guys maximized that, as we needed to and as we have in the past.”

Since Miami’s loss at SMU on Nov. 1, it has also been resilient and playing much better. In wins over Syracuse, NC State and Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes have outscored their opponents 113-34.

Miami was in danger of letting a 27-10 lead slip away last week against the Hokies, but found a way to nail down its victory when Poyser recovered a fumble forced by Akheem Mesidor on a strip sack.

Quarterback Carson Beck has completed 66 for 83 passes for 858 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions during the Hurricanes’ three-game win streak.

On the injury front, there’s a chance the Hurricanes have key players return this week as Miami coach Mario Cristobal indicated defensive tackle David Blay Jr., who has missed the past two games, and cornerback OJ Frederique Jr., who has missed the past four, might be available. Miami also seems to have caught a break regarding standout safety Jakobe Thomas, who is expected to play after injuring his arm in last week’s win at Virginia Tech.

It’s unclear whether any key players could return this week for Pitt. That includes starting kicker Trey Butkowski, with Narduzzi saying he has no timeline to return. Sam Carpenter made all six of his extra points against Georgia Tech, but he missed his lone field goal try. Butkowski has converted 19 of his 21 field-goal attempts.

–Field Level Media

No. 15 Miami rolls past NC State behind Jakobe Thomas’ defensive heroics

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Jakobe Thomas intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown to lead a stellar defensive effort as host Miami routed NC State, 41-7, on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The 15th-ranked Hurricanes (8-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their second in a row in their regular season home finale to keep both their hopes of reaching the ACC Championship Game and College Football Playoff alive.

Miami limited NC State (5-5, 2-4 ACC) to just 149 total yards with 75 of those coming on the Wolfpack’s final drive which resulted in their only points of the game on a CJ Bailey 10-yard touchdown run.

The Hurricanes recorded their third 500-yard game on offense, finishing with 581 total yards. The Wolfpack lost for the third time in their past four games and have lost five of their last seven following a 3-0 start.

With 3:36 left in the first quarter, Thomas jumped the route on a pass to the far sideline intended for Justin Joly from NC State quarterback CJ Bailey and raced 60 yards to the end zone to push Miami’s lead to 10-0.

On the Wolfpack’s ensuing drive, Thomas again intercepted Bailey with 1:15 left in the first after Ahmad Moten applied pressure.

Bailey was held to 17 of 30 passing for 120 yards and NC State mustered only 23 rushing yards.

Thomas has a team-leading four interceptions this season for Miami. The Wolfpack did not cross the 50-yard line until Bailey completed a pass to Terrell Anderson to the Miami 47 with 5:39 left in the fourth.

On offense, Carson Beck completed 21 of 27 passes for 291 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions to lead the Hurricanes. Freshman Malachi Toney showed off his versatility once again, hauling in a pair of touchdown passes among his five catches for 54 yards. Toney also threw a 44-yard pass on a wide receiver option to Joshisa Trader to set up CharMar Brown’s 1-yard touchdown with 11:16 left in the second quarter.

Keelan Marion led Miami in receiving with seven catches on seven targets for 96 yards. Freshman Girard Pringle made his first collegiate start and totaled 116 rushing yards on 17 carries.

–Field Level Media

No. 15 Miami hanging on to playoff hopes, faces dangerous NC State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

As No. 15 Miami tries to improve its chances of reaching both the College Football Playoff and the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, it hosts a potentially dangerous opponent in North Carolina State in its home finale on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The Hurricanes (7-2, 3-2 ACC) are the highest-ranked ACC team, but they have alternated wins and losses following a 5-0 start. It’s taken away any margin for error as Miami must win its final three games to have any chance of accomplishing those aforementioned goals.

The Wolfpack (5-4, 2-3) aren’t in the CFP or conference title picture, but they have proven themselves a menace to teams that still are — or aren’t, anymore, thanks to them. NC State is coming off a bye that followed an 48-36 upset win at home against previously unbeaten Georgia Tech. The Pack also have wins over Virginia (in a nonconference game) and Wake Forest this season.

“It’s just a really good growth by the football team,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said. “And with all the things we’ve been through that are well-documented, it was great to see them, you know, step up and play that way in a game of that magnitude, in a game we needed to win. And so now coming off a bye week, it was good timing, having two byes later in the season with our health, definitely going to help us at certain positions.”

The Wolfpack have been inconsistent, though, as that victory followed a 1-4 stretch with the only win coming against FCS Campbell. NC State’s CJ Bailey, who is from Miami, has been one of the consistent factors, posting the second-best passer rating (158.3) of any quarterback in the ACC. Bailey has thrown for 2,411 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Running back Hollywood Smothers leads the Wolfpack on the ground with 825 yards (6.9 yards per rush) and six touchdowns. His total yards and average per game (103.1) are best in the league.

“There’s been spurts where we’ve really played well off of each other and set up our offense or defense with special teams play,” Doeren said. “We hadn’t done it for four quarters. And then you get into a game like that and do it.”

Miami is coming off a 38-10 win at home over Syracuse last Saturday during which quarterback Carson Beck threw for a touchdown, caught a touchdown from receiver Malachi Toney and surpassed the 10,000-yard passing career mark.

The Hurricanes’ running game managed despite the absence of top tailback Mark Fletcher Jr., who sat out with an injury. Freshman Girard Pringle Jr. stepped in and amassed a team-best 55 yards and a touchdown to help Miami seal its win over the Orange.

“I was ready and prepared,” Pringle said. “When they told me to go in there, there were no second thoughts.”

Fletcher remains doubtful for Saturday’s game, but Miami expects to have linebacker Wesley Bissainthe back and possibly receiver C.J. Daniels as well.

NC State is giving up 4.15 yards per carry this season, which ranks 12th of 17 teams in the ACC.

“We need to get more out of the run game,” Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “(Pringle) came in and gave us a spark, and I think it’ll lift everybody up in that room.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (10) carries the football against the Louisville Cardinals during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

No. 10 Miami faces ex-OC Brent Lashlee, SMU in key ACC tilt

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Miami and SMU appeared to be trending toward an Atlantic Coast Conference championship game matchup last season before the Hurricanes fell out of the conference title picture.

The teams will finally get their chance to face off Saturday when the Mustangs host the No. 10 Hurricanes. In their only previous meeting in 1965, SMU beat Miami 7-3 in the Orange Bowl in Miami.

The Hurricanes (6-1, 2-1 ACC) and Mustangs (5-3, 3-1) each need the victory to realistically remain in the race for the conference title. Miami is alive in the battle to earn a College Football Playoff berth as well.

The Hurricanes bounced back from their first loss by routing Stanford 42-7 at home last Saturday, scoring 35 second-half points.

SMU needs its own recovery game after a disappointing 13-12 road loss at Wake Forest last Saturday.

Miami is quite familiar with the Mustangs, who are coached by former Hurricanes offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and reached the CFP last season before losing to Penn State in the first round.

Four former Hurricanes are on the Mustangs’ roster, including receiver Romello Brinson and former Miami starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, a backup to SMU starter Kevin Jennings (ACC-leading 17 passing TDs).

“Really impressive football team,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said during his press conference Monday.

It’s been a more difficult season for SMU this year, which got worse after the Mustangs put together what Lashlee called “their worst offensive performance” since he joined the program in 2022.

SMU’s 12 points were its lowest in a regular-season game since Sept. 9, 2023, against Oklahoma. The Mustangs turned the ball over three times and were held to 246 total yards.

“It’s not even close, hands down,” Lashlee said about SMU’s offense against Wake Forest. “That’s my responsibility from play calls to prep, the adjustments, all those things.”

SMU, which finished last season No. 8 in the nation in scoring at 36.5 points per game, ranks 50th this season as its average has dropped to 31.4.

Lashlee expects his offense to have a major challenge on its hands against Miami’s defense. The Hurricanes rank eighth in the nation in scoring defense, ninth in rushing defense and 24th in passing defense and are holding teams to 14.1 ppg (eighth in nation).

“It’s the most complete team we’ve played since I’ve been here,” Lashlee said. “They’re national championship-good on defense. They’re really, really good.”

Miami’s offense, which struggled two weeks ago in a 24-21 home loss to Louisville in which quarterback Carson Beck threw four interceptions, saw a revival of its ground attack against Stanford.

The Hurricanes scored five rushing touchdowns, including three by Mark Fletcher Jr., who leads the team with nine scores on the ground.

Star freshman receiver Malachi Toney continues to impress. Toney leads the Hurricanes with 43 catches and 562 receiving yards through seven games and ranks third in the ACC in receiving yards per game (80.3) and fourth in receptions.

C.J. Daniels’ six touchdown catches are tied for the most in the ACC.

“It’s so funny because nobody knew what he was going to be, but I remember just telling all my family and friends about what he was going to be able to do for us this year and that we definitely had a secret weapon,” Beck said Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

Oct 4, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck (11) scrambles during the first half against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Carson Beck tosses 4 TD passes to lift No. 3 Miami over No. 18 Florida State

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Carson Beck threw four touchdown passes and No. 3 Miami held off a late charge from No. 18 Florida State for a 28-22 win Saturday night in an Atlantic Coast Conference rivalry game in Tallahassee, Fla.

In a game the Hurricanes led 28-3 in the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Seminoles rattled off 19 unanswered points in less than 10 minutes.

But Miami recovered an onside kick with 20 seconds left to prevent a total collapse.

Beck was a smooth operator, completing 20 of 27 passes for 240 yards. He led an offensive outburst that saw the Hurricanes (5-0, 1-0 in ACC) rattle off 28 straight points, gradually squeezing the life out of the Seminoles (3-2, 0-2).

After Florida State was held without a touchdown in the first three quarters, quarterback Tommy Castellanos threw a pair of fourth-quarter TD passes, finishing 25-of-45 passing for 272 yards, with two interceptions and a game-high 57 rushing yards.

After allowing a 23-yard field goal in the game’s opening drive, Miami’s defense stifled the Seminoles, allowing no more points or even trips to the red zone until the fourth quarter while creating three turnovers that the offense turned into 14 points.

The Hurricanes’ Malachi Toney tallied a game- and career-high 107 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and CJ Daniels posted a season-high 78 receiving yards and two TDs. With eight touchdowns between them, they’ve accounted for the vast majority of Beck’s 11 TD passes this season.

Beck connected with Daniels on a 47-yard pass to set up a go-ahead 4-yard TD strike to Daniels to give Miami its first lead.

Then, after Bryce Fitzgerald returned his third interception of the season across midfield, the Hurricanes padded their lead on the next play on a 44-yard flea flicker from Beck to Toney with 11:25 left in the first half.

Toney didn’t have to wait long for his second touchdown, catching a fourth-and-3 pass and weaving his way through the Florida State defense for a 40-yard score on the opening drive of the second half.

After another interception of Castellanos, Miami padded its lead with a screen to Daniels that turned into a 24-yard touchdown.

The Seminoles finally reached the end zone with 10:04 left on an 8-yard pass from Castellanos to Lawayne McCoy.

Castellanos then capped off a 96-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Randy Pittman Jr. A Jake Weinberg field goal made it 28-22 with 20 seconds left.

Duce Robinson led the Seminoles with 87 receiving yards on six catches.

–Field Level Media