The University of Miami celebrated its 2001 national championship team on Saturday, and the Hurricanes made sure the day belonged to more than just the tribute. Wearing those throwback jerseys, Miami rolled past Pitt 52-23 in a game that quickly turned one-sided.
Malachi Toney delivered a huge afternoon, setting a school record with 16 catches for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Darian Mensah was sharp from start to finish, completing 31 of 37 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover. Javian Mallory also did his part, leading Miami’s ground game with seven carries for 47 yards and two scores.
Miami came out clean and aggressive, forcing an early punt and driving deep into Pitt territory. Mark Fletcher, Jr. had a touchdown run wiped out by a hold on Gavin Mueller, and after a sack the Hurricanes settled for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
That was about as close as Pitt got early. Miami’s defense kept the Panthers off balance in the first half, forcing punts on the next three possessions while the offense started stacking points. The Hurricanes struck for touchdowns on 41-yard and 78-yard drives, first getting Toney loose on a screen for a 19-yard score, then watching Mallory bounce a run outside for a 16-yard touchdown and a 17-0 edge.
The chance to bury Pitt even faster was there. Miami faced fourth-and-1 and had multiple options open, including a short throw in the flat for an easy conversion. Instead, Mensah went deep for Daylyn Upshaw, who had a clean look but couldn’t hold on.
Pitt used the miss to get back into it, marching 55 yards in six plays and finishing with Damon Ferguson, Jr.’s five-yard touchdown run to cut the margin to 17-7. Miami answered right away with a 75-yard drive, even after Toney briefly left to have what looked like his ankle tended to. He returned and turned a short pass into a 53-yard touchdown by weaving through the defense for a 24-7 lead.
The Hurricanes kept pressing. On Pitt’s next play, JJ Dunnigan forced a fumble by punching the ball out from Holden Geriner, and Justin Scott recovered.
Mensah then found Mueller for his first career touchdown, a tiptoe grab near the sideline that pushed the lead to 31-7. Pitt managed to complete a Hail Mary before halftime, but the receiver was dragged down at the half-yard line to end the half.
Pitt tried an onside kick to open the second half, but Miami recovered and immediately made the Panthers pay. A 44-yard catch by Vandrevius Jacobs set up a two-yard Fletcher touchdown run, stretching the lead to 38-7.
The Panthers did answer on their next possession, with Cataurus Hicks beating Ethan O’Connor for a 36-yard touchdown. Miami responded with an 11-play drive that ended when Mallory powered in from two yards out to make it 45-14.
Mensah and Toney connected once more early in the fourth quarter, this time on an 11-yard touchdown that made it 52-14 and shut down the rest of the night for several starters. Pitt added a safety and got a 49-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Corey Dailey in the final minute to finish the scoring.
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 🡒]