Miami left Clemson with a statement win, and the AP voters barely moved a muscle.
The Hurricanes stayed at No. 4 after rolling past Clemson 41-13, keeping pace behind Texas, Georgia and Notre Dame while remaining ahead of Ohio State. Miami picked up two of the 70 first-place votes and also held at No. 4 in the coaches poll.
On the field, the Hurricanes looked every bit like a team in control from start to finish. Miami moved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the ACC, and Clemson never found much of a foothold. Darian Mensah kept things steady again, throwing for 227 yards and a touchdown.
The offense got a lift from several key pieces. Mark Fletcher Jr. returned after missing the Central Michigan game with an upper-body injury suffered against Wake Forest, and he made the most of it with 77 yards on 16 carries.
Cooper Barkate was a major target, finishing with five catches for 98 yards and a touchdown, while Malachi Toney added five receptions for 40 yards. Freshman JJ Dunnigan also delivered a big play, taking his first career interception 39 yards for a touchdown.
Miami’s defense did plenty of heavy lifting too. The Hurricanes piled up six sacks and nine tackles for loss, with Damon Wilson II responsible for 2.5 sacks. The unit also got Ahmad Moten Sr. back after he had been held out of the Week 4 matchup.
The injury picture, though, is something Miami will monitor during the bye week. Right tackle Matthew McCoy left in the second quarter with an arm injury, was out to start the second half, then came back in the third wearing a shoulder harness.
Right guard Max Buchanan exited earlier in the quarter with a left leg injury and also returned in the third. Edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot, who already leads the team in tackles and sacks, had a sack in the first quarter before leaving in the second after appearing to injure his arm.
He did not return.
Elsewhere in the poll picture, the ACC now has three teams ranked: Miami at No. 4, SMU at No. 24 and Pittsburgh at No. 25 after its 35-33 road win at Virginia Tech.
Wake Forest received votes that would place it around No. 27, with Duke in the same range at roughly No. 29.
The ProCanes kept making their mark in NFL Week 4. Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau finished with four tackles in Buffalo’s 29-26 home loss to New England. Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson had 13 carries for 47 yards and a 1-yard touchdown in New England’s win, while kicker Andres Borregales made all three extra points.
Titans quarterback Cam Ward went 20 of 31 for 222 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and was sacked once in an 18-24 loss at Baltimore. Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell had one tackle in that game. Giants offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa started again in New York’s 36-24 win over Arizona.
Rams safety Kamren Kinchens returned to action in Los Angeles’ 24-20 win at Philadelphia after missing time with a Week 1 hamstring injury. He now has 13 tackles and a half-sack on the season. Rams wide receiver CJ Daniels and Eagles offensive lineman Markel Bell were also in that game.
Panthers edge rusher Jaelan Phillips did not finish Carolina’s 32-26 win over Detroit after a back injury and a concussion evaluation. He has eight tackles and two sacks this season. Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson was inactive, and Buccaneers outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. did not play in Tampa Bay’s 14-17 loss to Green Bay.
The Monday night game sends Atlanta to New Orleans, with Falcons center James Brockermeye the only ProCane left on the Week 4 slate.
There was also news around the program beyond football. Darian Mensah signed an NIL agreement with Floridian Spring Water that includes an ownership stake. On3 lists his valuation at $6.5 million, which puts him No. 1 on the NIL100.
Miami volleyball beat Wake Forest 3-1 on Friday for its fourth straight home win, then swept NC State on Sunday in the 25th anniversary alumni match. The Hurricanes are 5-8 overall and 3-1 in the ACC.
Miami soccer won 1-0 at Pitt on Saturday behind Allie Serlenga’s first goal of the season in the 43rd minute, set up by Ciara Alarcon. Atlee Olofson made three saves for the clean sheet. The Hurricanes are 8-3-1 overall and 3-2 in the ACC.
Swimming and diving hosted Ohio and North Florida on Friday and Saturday, and defensive line commit Josh Johnson sacked fellow Miami commit Andre Hyppolite in a high school game over the weekend.
In Other News...
Former Miami Five-Star Is Suddenly Writing A Very Different Next Chapter
Hayden Lowes college path has already taken a sharp turn from the kind of trajectory that once made him one of Miamis most high-profile defensive commitments. The former five-star edge rusher began his career with the Hurricanes, but he is now at Long Beach City College after parting ways with Miami, a move that head coach Mario Cristobal confirmed without offering any details.
Lowe is now taking a hard look at what comes next, and a recent visit to Tennessee suggests he is keeping his options open. He came away sounding encouraged by the Volunteers defensive line rotation and the opportunities that could be available there, a notable development for a player whose next stop will be watched closely by Miami fans who remember just how much upside surrounded his arrival in Coral Gables. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Sent A Message But One Concern Wont Go Away
Miamis perfect start kept rolling in Week 5, and the win over Clemson was the kind of result that makes a real statement in the ACC. The Hurricanes are now 5-0, and with Pittsburgh also sitting unbeaten, the league picture is starting to take shape early as Florida State and Wake Forest added their own impressive performances to the mix.
Still, the celebration came with a reminder that a long season rarely stays simple. Marquise Lightfoot went down with an injury in the Clemson game, leaving Miami with one issue it cannot ignore as the stakes rise and the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Could Be Caught In A Realignment Fight Fans Will Hate
Conference realignment has a way of turning old rivalries into chess pieces, and Miami is once again in the middle of that conversation. With the ACC continuing to face pressure from the sports shifting power structure, the Hurricanes are one of four league brands being discussed as possible SEC targets, alongside Florida State, Clemson and North Carolina, in a scenario that would reshape the conference map yet again.
For Miami fans, the appeal and the frustration are wrapped together. Geography, rivalries, academic ties and recruiting territory all make the Hurricanes a fascinating fit for the SEC, but the same realignment chatter also brings the Big Ten and Big 12 into the picture as competing forces. However this round of movement settles, Miamis place in it could say a lot about where the sport is headed next. [Read more 🡒]