Seeing the old 2001 throwbacks in person, with members of that team roaming around the stadium, made the moment feel bigger than a normal Saturday. Miami then backed it up with a 52-23 win over Pitt, though the final score made it look cleaner than the game really was.
Pitt spent the week talking about how Miami plays by its rules and Pitt plays by theirs. On Saturday, the Hurricanes made that sound backfire.
Malachi Toney was the headliner, catching 16 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns while setting a record in the process. Miami had said it had a plan for him; Pitt never found one that worked.
The game plan on offense was pretty clear. Pitt sold out to stop the run, and Miami leaned right into the short passing game and screens that had been identified during the week as the answer.
That approach kept moving the chains, and it helped open up a huge day for Carson Beck - 31 completions on 37 attempts, 387 yards and four touchdowns. The three sacks didn’t tell the whole story; Beck looked more comfortable in the pocket than he has lately.
The run numbers told their own story, too. Two of the best run defenses in the country were on the field, but only one looked the part. Miami finished with 119 rushing yards, while Pitt managed just 69 at 2.7 a carry, even with the box stacked.
Mark Fletcher Jr. remains the name that needs to be discussed properly. Every time Javian Mallory, Jordan Lyle or Girard Pringle Jr. puts together a good day, some fans want to push Fletcher aside.
That misses what he brings. He is, in this view, the most physical back in America, the best short-yardage back and the best pass-blocking back in the country.
He set the tone early against the No. 1 run defense in the country, had a long run wiped out, and is on pace to break Miami’s touchdown record this season.
Mallory deserved his share of the spotlight, too. The freshman has been drawing Frank Gore comparisons since he signed, and the first touchdown showed why: the footwork, the size, the attitude.
He also had a couple of rough blitz pickups against Pitt’s pressure, which comes with the territory for a freshman. Lyle added his own burst, stopping on a dime on one run and sending a defender flying 20 yards toward the sideline.
Miami’s three bigger backs all bring something different - Fletcher’s power, Mallory’s feet, Lyle’s balance - and that mix is hard to match.
The young offensive pieces around them flashed as well. Mueller caught a touchdown and, along with Israel Briggs, delivered strong blocks on Mallory’s second score.
Ben Congdon had some trouble in pass protection against quicker rushers, but still showed what he can do as a puller. Somourian Wingo made a nice move after the catch, and Vance Spafford got involved.
There were still plenty of things to clean up. Miami’s offense piled up more than 500 yards and 52 points, but that doesn’t automatically mean the line was perfect.
The offense also took around 10 penalties, which can’t happen for a team chasing a national title. And when Beck was hit about 10 yards out of bounds right in front of Mario, nobody stepped in.
Anez Cooper and Francis Mauigoa would have handled that, and the 2001 guys around the stadium wouldn’t have let it go either. Pitt took cheap shots all game, and Miami needs someone to answer.
Defensively, the front continued to do what it has done all season. Justin Scott was tossing blockers around.
Marquise Lightfoot kept looking like a wrecking ball. When Corey Hetherman dials up pressure, the point is not always that the blitzer gets home; it is often about setting up favorable matchups for Damon Wilson II, Armondo Blount and Lightfoot to win.
That formula showed up again.
Bryce Fitzgerald handled a lot of the nickel work and turned in another good outing, sack included. JJ Dunnigan added a sack and forced a fumble with a perfect peanut punch on the quarterback. Mohamed Toure kept rolling after last week, Chase Smith had some good moments, and there was more to like from Ezekiel Marcelin Jr.
Once the backups came in, the level dropped off. Mario made that clear after the game, saying the film will decide who stays, who goes and how the program recruits. He had a message for a reason.
Outside of Dunnigan, the 2026 defensive class still hasn’t produced the same immediate impact as the freshman offensive group. Camdin Portis looks like he has a bright future, and his dad, Clinton, was in the stands wearing his jersey, but Portis had a couple of late breakdowns that won’t fly if he wants early playing time. Brody Jennings has shown well in spurts, carrying himself like he belongs and flashing real coverage ability.
After the Florida State game, Miami didn’t quite feel like the No. 1 team in the country. This week was different.
The Hurricanes looked the part in a blowout, even as BYU fell at UCF and the top of the polls kept shifting. The Heisman separation between Toney and Beck, maybe for the whole season, is Notre Dame - but first comes UNC on the road, and that game can’t be taken lightly.
In Other News...
BYU Faces A Complicated Ranking Drop After Costly Upset
Miami had no trouble staying put at No. 1 in the AP college football rankings after handling Pittsburgh, with quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney again helping set the tone. The Hurricanes keep looking like the standard at the top, while the rest of the national picture got a shakeup behind them.
BYUs double-overtime loss to unranked UCF is expected to send the Cougars tumbling after they entered the weekend at No. 2, and Ohio State appears poised to move up into the No. 2 spot. What happens after that is less clear, with Notre Dame, Indiana and Georgia all in the mix for the top six and the final order depending on how pollsters weigh a messy weekend around the country. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Faces One Growing CFP Problem Despite Holding No 1
Miami held onto the No. 1 spot in the latest AP Top 25, collecting 59 first-place votes and keeping its place atop the sport as the College Football Playoff picture continues to sharpen. Ohio State moved up to No. 2 after overtaking BYU, while Texas made the weeks biggest climb among the contenders after its win over Ole Miss. Elsewhere in the poll, USC and Iowa fell out after losses, and Oklahoma State and Wisconsin moved into the rankings.
For Miami, the ranking is a reminder that being first is only part of the equation at this stage of the season. The Hurricanes are still in position to control their own path, but every shift around them matters as the field tightens and the margin for error shrinks. With Ohio State surging and Texas now pushing upward, Miamis hold on the top line may be secure for the moment, but the broader CFP pressure is only getting heavier. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Raised The Stakes For Everyone Chasing Them
Week 8 turned into a shakeup weekend across college football, and Miami came out of it with even more momentum than it had going in. The Hurricanes rolled past Pittsburgh to improve to 7-0, then moved to No. 1 in the AP poll as several teams ahead of them stumbled around the country, from BYU and Texas Tech to Iowa.
For Miami, the ranking is only part of the story. The bigger takeaway is how quickly the chase group is thinning out, with Indiana and Alabama escaping their own scares while others fell outright, and that kind of chaos tends to sharpen the spotlight on a program that has suddenly made itself the standard everyone else is trying to catch. [Read more 🡒]