Tag: miami hurricanes

No. 12 Miami races past No. 22 Pitt 38-7 for 10th win

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Malachi Toney threw a touchdown pass and caught another while amassing 156 scrimmage yards to lead No. 12 Miami to a 38-7 victory over No. 22 Pitt on Saturday afternoon at Pittsburgh.

The Hurricanes (10-2, 6-2 ACC) finished their regular season on a four-game winning streak and kept their hopes of making the College Football Playoff and perhaps the ACC Championship Game as they waited for results of other games on Saturday.

Miami secured back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time since 2003.

The Panthers (8-4, 6-2 ACC) were eliminated from contention for both the CFP and the ACC title game.

Miami quarterback Carson Beck completed 23 of 29 passes for 267 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The turnover snapped Beck’s streak of 15 consecutive quarters without throwing an interception. He bounced back with a 33-yard touchdown pass to CJ Daniels late in the game.

Beck completed 13 of his passes to Toney, who finished with 126 yards receiving and hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass with 1:55 left in the first half. Miami rushed for 140 yards overall, led by Girard Pringle’s 82 yards on 10 carries.

Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel completed 22 of 32 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Heintschel tossed his lone touchdown pass to Justin Holmes with 14:20 left in the second quarter to give the Panthers their only lead of the game at 7-3.

After Miami drove into Pitt territory, Toney lined up in shotgun, rolled to his right and lobbed a pass to Elijah Lofton from 9 yards out to put the Hurricanes ahead 10-7 with 11:07 left in the second quarter.

The score would kickstart a run of 35 consecutive Miami points.

The Hurricanes’ defense set the tone from the start when Ahmad Moten shot through and sacked Heintschel. Miami finished with four sacks overall and held Pitt to only 30 yards rushing just a week after the Panthers ran for 186 in a win over Georgia Tech.

Moten and Rueben Bain Jr. each finished with 1 1/2 sacks to lead the pass rush. Bryce Fitzgerald intercepted Heintschel on Pitt’s final drive with 37 seconds left.

–Field Level Media

Carson Beck (4 TDs), No. 13 Miami handle Virginia Tech

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Carson Beck threw for 320 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions to lead No. 13 Miami to a 34-17 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg, Va.

Beck completed 27 of 32 passes, including 12 to Malachi Toney, who finished with 146 yards and a receiving touchdown. Toney also ran for 16 yards and completed a 15-yard pass.

The Hurricanes (9-2, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their third in a row and kept themselves in the hunt for a potential berth in the College Football Playoff while beating the Hokies (3-8, 2-5) for the fifth consecutive time.

Virginia Tech lost its third in a row and has dropped five of its last six.

The Hokies made it close late after quarterback Kyron Drones exited with an apparent injury with 3:58 left in the fourth. Backup William Watson III converted a fourth-and-11 with a 39-yard pass to Aidan Greene to Miami’s 3-yard line. Watson powered his way into the end zone on the next play to cut the Hurricanes’ lead to 27-17 with 3:21 remaining.

The Hokies then recovered an onside kick at their own 39.

The Hurricanes forced a game-clinching turnover four plays later when Akheem Mesidor stripped Watson, Zechariah Poyser recovered and returned it to Virginia Tech’s 40. Miami sealed the outcome on Beck’s fourth touchdown pass — a 20-yarder to Toney — on fourth down.

Drones completed 12 of 21 passes for 124 yards while Virginia Tech totaled 194 rushing yards against a Miami defense which lost another key starter when Jakobe Thomas left with 10:32 left in the second quarter with an apparent left arm injury and did not return.

Marcellous Hawkins totaled 72 rushing yards on eight carries and Jeffrey Overton had 69 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Greene led all Virginia Tech pass catchers with five receptions for 95 yards.

The Hurricanes, who led 20-3 at the half, finished with five sacks led by Ahmad Moten, who had two.

Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. returned after missing two games with an injury and caught a 3-yard touchdown pass with 12:50 left in the first quarter.

Girard Pringle Jr. led Miami rushers with 49 yards on 14 carries and also caught a 16-yard touchdown.

–Field Level Media

Oct 25, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Joshua Moore (3) carries the football against Stanford Cardinal cornerback Lonnie McAllister III (24) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Mark Fletcher Jr.’s 3 TDs lead No. 9 Miami past Stanford

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Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for a career-high three touchdowns to lead the host Miami Hurricanes to a 42-7 victory over the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Fletcher Jr. totaled 106 yards on 23 carries and scored all three of his touchdowns in the third quarter to help the No. 9-ranked Hurricanes (6-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) break open a close game by scoring the game’s final 42 points after trailing 7-0 for most of the first half.

Stanford (3-5, 2-3) has still not won back-to-back games this season and dropped to 0-5 on the road.

The Hurricanes were held scoreless until Carson Beck lobbed a fade pass into the corner of the end zone, which C.J. Daniels snagged despite tight coverage for a 5-yard touchdown with 1:15 left in the second quarter.

Miami’s defense forced a pair of turnovers, which helped the Hurricanes score 21 more points in the third quarter, including a pair of Fletcher touchdown runs that followed interceptions by Wesley Bissainthe and Xavier Lucas, who also recorded a sack.

Fletcher’s first touchdown from 1 yard out with 9:34 left in the third broke a 7-7 tie. Malachi Toney caught five passes for 52 yards and set up that score with a 31-yard punt return to the Stanford 40-yard line.

Beck bounced back from a dismal performance in last week’s loss to Louisville where he threw four interceptions. Beck did not turn the ball over and completed 21 of 28 passes for 189 yards and the lone touchdown toss.

Cardinal quarterback Ben Gulbranson put Stanford ahead with 4:35 left in the first quarter on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Caden High, which capped a 12-play, 74-yard drive. Stanford mustered only 70 total yards following that opening series.

But Gulbranson was held to only 50 yards passing on 9 of 21 attempts and threw the two costly interceptions in the third quarter. Gulbranson was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of Elijah Brown, who completed 3 of 5 passes for 39 yards on one drive.

Stanford has some success rushing the ball led by Cole Tabb, who followed up his strong performance against Florida State last week with 64 yards on 19 carries.

–Field Level Media

Sep 13, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Keelan Marion (0) runs with the football against the South Florida Bulls during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

No. 5 Miami handles upset-minded No. 18 South Florida

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Carson Beck threw three touchdown passes and Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for two more to lead the host Miami Hurricanes to a 49-12 victory over South Florida on Saturday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The No. 5 Hurricanes (3-0) totaled 576 yards and jumped out to a 14-0 lead over the No. 18 Bulls (2-1), who earned their ranking after beating then No. 25 Boise State and then-No. 13 Florida to open the season.

Fletcher ran for 120 yards on 16 carries while Beck completed 23 of 28 passes for 340 yards and the Georgia transfer threw his first two interceptions as a Miami quarterback.

But the Hurricanes’ defense rendered the miscues inconsequential as Miami beat USF for the seventh time in eight meetings all-time.

Beck sealed the outcome when he faked a handoff and delivered a 1-yard touchdown pass to CharMar Brown with 7:05 left in the fourth.

USF quarterback Byrum Brown completed 20 of 36 passes for 274 yards, one touchdown on a 12-yard connection with Christian Neptune, and one interception.

Beck’s first two touchdown passes went to freshman Joshua Moore — from 8 and 39 yards — to give the Hurricanes their early edge.

The first of two Nico Gramatica field goals, a 45-yarder, cut Miami’s lead to 14-3 in the first quarter.

The game was then delayed for an hour and 42 minutes due to severe weather.

Chas Nimrod led the Bulls with four catches for 128 yards, and two of those big-chunk gains led to USF’s first two scores.

Leading 14-6, the Hurricanes made sure there would be no major momentum shift following the delay as Fletcher ran for 38 yards — his longest of the season — and weaved through USF defenders to the end zone to push Miami’s lead to 21-6 with 10:05 left in the second quarter.

Jarvis Lee and James Chenault recorded interceptions for the Bulls. After Beck’s second interception, Miami’s Jakobe Thomas stripped Brown of the ball and Chase Smith recovered.

Brown led USF into the red zone again, but he was stopped on a run up the middle for 1 yard on fourth-and-3 from the Hurricanes’ 9, turning the ball over on downs with 4:08 left in the third quarter.

Miami receiver C.J. Daniels exited the game with 13 minutes left in the third quarter and did not return after being tackled and landing on his shoulder.

–Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver CJ Daniels (7) catches the football for a touchdown against Bethune-Cookman Wildcats cornerback Gabe White (17) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Carson Beck shows off accuracy as Miami crushes Bethune-Cookman

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Carson Beck completed 22 of 24 passes for 267 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes as the Miami Hurricanes took care of business Saturday night with a 45-3 victory over Bethune-Cookman at Miami Gardens, Fla.

The No. 5 Hurricanes (2-0) improved to 8-0 lifetime against the Wildcats (0-2), who were held to a Juan Dominguez 32-yard field goal Saturday and have yet to score a touchdown this season. That score cut Miami’s lead to 21-3 with 3:08 left in the second quarter.

Bethune-Cookman quarterback Timmy McClain was also accurate, completing 13 of 16 passes but for minimal production, finishing with 86 passing yards. Wildcats backup quarterback Cam Ransom led all Bethune rushers with 39 yards on five carries. Keyon Clark and Stephen Sparrow Jr. recorded sacks. Clark forced a fumble and had a tackle for loss as well.

The Hurricanes answered when Beck found CJ Daniels in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown to give them a 28-3 halftime lead.

Miami had no letdown following a season-opening win over Notre Dame, totaling 543 yards of offense and scoring touchdowns on its first five possessions. After the game became a rout, the Hurricanes took advantage of the opportunity to play numerous reserves, including several of its true freshmen.

One such freshman, safety Bryce Fitzgerald, intercepted Ransom in the end zone to end the Wildcats’ best chance at breaking their touchdown drought with 8:07 left in the fourth.

Beck completed his first 15 passes, breaking the program record of 14 in a row to start a game set by Vinny Testaverde against Oklahoma in 1986. Beck and backup quarterback Emory Williams completed passes to 14 different receivers.

Daniels, who shined against Notre Dame last week with his one-handed touchdown catch, followed that up Saturday with two touchdown catches. Daniels caught all five of his targets for 73 yards.

Mark Fletcher Jr. paced Miami’s running game with 11 carries for 86 yards and ran for two touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes place kicker Carter Davis (39) kicks the game winning field goal against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

No. 10 Miami boots late field goal to edge No. 6 Notre Dame

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Carter Davis kicked a 47-yard field goal with 1:04 remaining, Carson Beck passed for two touchdowns in his Miami debut and the No. 10 Hurricanes never trailed while recording a 27-24 victory over No. 6 Notre Dame on Sunday night in the season opener for both teams at Miami Gardens, Fla.

CJ Daniels made an acrobatic touchdown grab and Malachi Toney had six receptions for 82 yards and one score for the Hurricanes. CharMar Brown tacked on a rushing score and Rueben Bain had a key interception for Miami.

Redshirt freshman CJ Carr was 19-of-30 passing for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and also rushed for a score in his first career start for Notre Dame. Micah Gilbert and Jordan Faison had scoring receptions for the Fighting Irish.

Star running back Jeremiyah Love had just 33 yards on 10 carries for Notre Dame, which lost to Ohio State in last season’s national championship game.

Beck, who transferred from Georgia, completed 12 in a row at one point and finished 20 of 31 for 205 yards.

After the Fighting Irish scored 10 straight points to tie it at 24, Miami moved 46 yards on 10 plays and Davis showed good length with his boot through the uprights to put the Hurricanes ahead.

Miami’s pass rush then kicked into a higher gear by forcing an intentional grounding — that resulted in a 10-second runoff — and notching a sack to finish off the victory.

The Fighting Irish made it a one-score game when Noah Burnette booted a 39-yard field goal with 5:32 remaining to cut their deficit to 24-17.

Notre Dame forced a three-and-out to quickly get the ball back. On the first play, Miami had a breakdown in coverage and Eli Raridon (five catches, 97 yards) was wide open at midfield and raced to the 10-yard line to complete a 65-yard play.

Two plays later, Carr scored on a 7-yard quarterback draw to tie the score with 3:21 to play.

Miami led 14-7 at halftime before opening the third quarter with a stellar 12-play, 75-yard drive that took seven minutes, 37 seconds. Brown finished the excursion with a 5-yard run to give the Hurricanes a 14-point advantage.

The Fighting Irish moved within seven on the first play of the final quarter when Carr tossed a 1-yard scoring pass in the right flat to Faison.

Notre Dame got the ball back less than three minutes later but Miami’s Keionte Scott tipped a pass thrown toward the sideline and two other players — one from each team — deflected the ball before Bain collected it and returned it 15 yards to the Fighting Irish 28.

The takeaway set up a 38-yard field goal by Davis as the Hurricanes took a 24-14 lead with 9:42 remaining.

Miami scored with 12 seconds left in the first half on Beck’s 20-yard pass to Daniels, who leaped and caught the ball with his right hand to give the Hurricanes a 14-7 lead.

–Field Level Media

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of a game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend.

No. 6 Notre Dame-No. 10 Miami: Preview, Props, Prediction

Posted on | by Field Level Media

A drama-packed Week 1 of the 2025 college football season concludes with a third matchup between top-10 teams with No. 6 Notre Dame traveling to No. 10 Miami on Sunday night.

The Irish played for the national title in their most recent game in January, while Miami narrowly missed the College Football Playoff field.

ODDS AND TRENDS
Notre Dame is a consensus 2.5-point favorite. That includes at BetMGM, where the Irish have drawn 73 percent of the spread-line bets and have been backed by 66 percent of the spread-line money.

The moneyline action has been nearly split. The Irish (-145) have been backed by 51 percent of the bets, although the Hurricanes (+120) have drawn only 41 percent of the money.

PROP PICKS
–Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love 70+ Rushing Yards (-190 at DraftKings): This has been the second-most popular prop at the book for this game, impacted heavily by the Irish’s inexperience at quarterback. Love topped 70 rushing yards in eight games last season, but was limited by a knee injury during the CFP. He’s healthy now and the offense is likely to run through him Sunday night.

–Miami QB Carson Beck 250+ Passing Yards (+104 at DraftKings): Beck is returning from a more significant injury that sidelined him from Georgia’s CFP run and ultimately led to his transfer to the Hurricanes. Miami has significant turnover at wide receiver, but that hasn’t prevented this from being the most popular prop play at the book.

TALE OF TWO QBs
Miami lost No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward from the 2024 team and replaced him with Beck from Georgia.

Riley Leonard completed his eligibility for Notre Dame and redshirt freshman CJ Carr won a tightly contested quarterback competition with third-year sophomore Kenny Minchey.

“I had to make a difficult decision, and I did,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said of choosing Carr, who will make his first college start in the primetime matchup. “As I told both of them, ‘We’re going to need both of them this year. We’re going to need both, and they both have to be mature enough to handle that decision and understand they’re chasing their full potential.’ No matter if you’re named starting quarterback or you’re the backup quarterback, you have to continue to work.”

Getting the quarterbacks up to speed is a big deal if Notre Dame wants to repeat last season’s success. The Irish went 14-2 and lost 34-23 to Ohio State in the title game.

Miami (10-3) won its first nine games last season and had a headlining quarterback but was passed over as an at-large team by the CFP committee.

Enter Beck, who passed for 7,426 yards and 52 touchdowns with 18 interceptions over the past two seasons for the Bulldogs.

Beck said he doesn’t feel like he has to match Ward, who passed for 4,313 yards, 39 TDs and seven interceptions. He compared his current lot to stepping in as the replacement for Stetson Bennett at Georgia.

“The last school I was at I followed up the two-time national champion, so I didn’t really feel any pressure there,” Beck said. “It’s a game. I’ve played football my whole life. I’ve played quarterback since I was 7 years old, and it’s something that I love to do and I’ve got a lot of good talent around.”

KEY STAT
The Hurricanes experienced some difficulties on the defensive side last season. They allowed more than 30 points on six occasions, including 42 in each of their last two games — losses to Syracuse to end the regular season and to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish were an elite defense last season. They led the nation with 33 takeaways while ranking fourth in both scoring defense (15.5 points per game) and passing yards allowed (169.4 yards per game).

FOR THE LOVE OF IT
Miami’s defensive scouting report likely doesn’t begin with Notre Dame’s quarterback. Love, who rushed for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, is an NFL prospect and scored least one touchdown in 13 consecutive games.

Love said he’s ready for an increased workload as the Irish try to take pressure off Carr.

“I would say I’m more of a physical back,” the 6-foot, 214-pound Love said. “I can hold off bigger defenders, partly because of my weight gain, working in the weight room.”

THEY SAID IT
“These are the games that you train all offseason for, top-10 matchups, two great teams going at it and battling. I’m expecting Hard Rock to be packed because this is not just any regular game. You look back at Miami versus Notre Dame history, it’s always been a great matchup and a pretty crazy game.” –Miami sixth-year defensive end Akheem Mesidor, who had 5.5 sacks last season.

PREDICTION
This is a monumental home opener for Miami as Cristobal’s team attempts to legitimize the program among the nation’s elite. Despite Beck’s experience, we expect a somewhat lower-scoring game as the Hurricanes break in a ton of new receiving threats while the Irish lean heavily on their ground game with a young quarterback on the road in prime time. Notre Dame’s defense ultimately proves the difference. –Notre Dame 24, Miami 23

–Field Level Media

Jan 31, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; Miami Hurricanes mascot Sebastian the Ibisas joins Senior Bowl football players in the Mardi Gras player parade in downtown Mobile. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Top overall prospect OT Jackson Cantwell commits to Miami

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Offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, the nation’s highest-rated overall player in the Class of 2026, will head to Coral Gables, Fla., to join the Miami Hurricanes, he announced during a Tuesday ceremony.

A five-star prospect out of Nixa High School in Missouri, Cantwell stands as the highest-rated offensive lineman in the modern recruiting era and is ranked No. 1 overall in the 247Sports composite rankings. He’s No. 3 in the country and tops at his position and in his state, according to 247Sports’ own rankings, and No. 3 overall in the 2026 ESPN 300. He selected the Hurricanes over the likes of Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State.

“I think relationships won out in the end,” Cantwell said after his announcement, citing tight relationships built with various Miami coaches over the past year, including head coach Mario Cristobol and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal.

“We’ve talked so much about offensive line development, what my potential there is at the U, and I think their history with guys like Penei Sewell, Francis Mauigoa and some of those guys from recent (memory), I just feel like it’s a place I can develop and be something great.”

Listed at 6-foot-7 1/2 and 325 pounds, Cantwell represents Miami’s first top-100 prospect — and 10th overall commit — for the Class of 2026.

ESPN reported that the Hurricanes offered him a multiyear NIL package valued at more than $2 million a year.

Cantwell also is an elite track and field athlete in the discus and shot and could continue in that sport in college. His parents are former Olympian shot-putters — Christian Cantwell, a silver medalist at the 2008 Beijing Games, and Teri Steer.

–Field Level Media

Sep 7, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes linebacker Adarius Hayes (34) reacts against the Florida A&M Rattlers during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami LB Adarius Hayes out of hospital after deadly crash

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Miami Hurricanes linebacker Adarius Hayes has been released from the hospital following a car accident that left three people dead, the school said Monday.

Hayes was driving a Dodge Durango on Saturday afternoon in Largo, Fla., when the SUV collided with a Kia Soul at an intersection.

Three people in the Kia died in the crash, including two children, and another passenger in that vehicle is in serious condition, according to police.

No criminal charges have been filed and no tickets have been issued, although the accident remains under police investigation. A police spokesperson said there were no signs of impairment with either driver.

“We are deeply saddened to learn the crash resulted in three fatalities, as confirmed by Largo Police, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those lost,” the university said in a statement.

Hayes played in 12 games as a freshman in the 2024 season, primarily on special teams. He had four tackles and one interception. Coming out of Largo High School, he was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2024.

–Field Level Media

Sep 23, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Hurricanes helmet sits on a cooler in the second half against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lewis-Imagn Images

Miami fires defensive coordinator Lance Guidry

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The Miami Hurricanes relieved defensive coordinator Lance Guidry of his duties on Tuesday.

Head coach Mario Cristobal made the announcement three days after the No. 13 Hurricanes (10-3) fell 42-41 to No. 18 Iowa State (11-3) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Miami dropped three of its last four games following a 9-0 start, also falling 28-23 at Georgia Tech on Nov. 9 and 42-38 at Syracuse on Nov. 30.

Guidry, 53, just completed his second season as the defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes after serving in the same role at Marshall, Southeastern Louisiana, McNeese State and Western Kentucky.

“I want to first thank Coach Guidry for his contributions to the University of Miami,” Cristobal said in a news release. “In a continuous effort to always improve all aspects of our program, I have decided to make a change on defense. We will move forward and make decisions that provide our players, staff and program the best opportunity to win and develop at the highest level.”

The Hurricanes allowed 25.3 points per game in 2024, ranked 70th out of 134 FBS programs.

–Field Level Media