It wasn’t pretty, but the No. 4 ranked Hurricanes took down the Gators in a gritty victory that was won in the trenches.
This marks UM’s second win against Florida in the last two seasons as the ’Canes now look towards the bye week with some things to clean up.
Miami’s pass rush looks better than ever
Reuben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor only finished a half sack each, but they consistently put pressure on UF quarterback DJ Lagway throughout the entire game, making him feel uncomfortable both inside and outside the pocket.
In addition to Bain and Mesidor’s contributions, Miami’s pass rush against the Florida offensive line was aided by some unlikely sources.
Safety Jakobe Thomas hit gold on a safety blitz in the first half while sophomore Marquise Lightfoot and senior Mohammed Toure chipped in with a sack each as well.
With a dominant front four that can generate pressure against any offensive line in college, it isn’t necessary that Miami needs to blitz to get home to the quarterback.
Bain and Mesidor by themselves are typically enough to generate pressure against any college football offensive line.
“It’s easy to get a good pass rush when you have two of the best pass rushers in the country,” said Toure postgame.
That being said, if head coach Mario Cristobal can continue to diversify Miami’s pass rush with a combination of different blitz schemes, then they may be able to take their already incredible defense to new heights.
Miami’s passing game takes a major step back against a staunch Gators defense
While Carson Beck and the Hurricane offense didn’t have to do much against a struggling Gators football team, their lack of effectiveness in the passing game was certainly concerning.
They impressed in their first three weeks of this season with explosive chunk plays downfield and terrific efficiency, but much of Miami’s magic seemed to disappear against the Gators.
Beck has been fantastic to start his journey as a Hurricane, but his performance against the Gators was marred by inaccuracy and poor decision making. Miami’s star quarterback finished with just 160 yards and an interception on 17-30 passing, a far cry from his performance in Week three where he finished with over 300 yards and three touchdowns.
The blame for UM’s passing game struggles can’t all be placed on Beck, however.
Even though Miami’s receiving core is remarkably talented and deep, they didn’t generate nearly enough separation against the UF secondary, especially in the third quarter where Beck threw for just 12 yards.
To be fair, the Gators defense has looked outstanding against the pass to begin the 2025 season. Following a solid performance against USF quarterback Byrum Brown in Week 2, Florida conceded just 220 yards to LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier while picking him off once as well.
Going into the bye week and preparing for a road matchup against FSU, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson will hope that the Hurricanes offense rediscovers its potent air attack. It will be needed to match up with the high-powered Seminole offense.
Mark Fletcher Jr. and CharMar Brown are Miami’s Batman and Robin
On a day where the Hurricane passing game was largely ineffective, Miami’s dynamic running back duo propelled the Miami offense up and down the field, racking up nearly 200 yards on the ground. Overreliance on throwing the football may have been an issue for the 2024 Miami Hurricanes, but it isn’t for this team.
Fletcher continued his outstanding form against the Gators, rushing for over 100 yards for a second consecutive game while finding the endzone as well. The junior year back has been an absolute workhouse for the Hurricanes, carrying defenders on his back while churning for extra yards.
Brown can sometimes be overshadowed as Miami’s backup behind Fletcher, but he was arguably the star of Miami’s rushing attack against the Gators.
Brown not only finished with 80 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, but also led the team in receiving with 53 yards on four catches.
He even broke off a spectacular long touchdown run late in the second quarter where he broke through a pile of Gators defenders, but it was called back due to forward progress — a call Cristobal deemed a mistake by the referees.
While running duos are typically composed of one physical and one quick back, both Fletcher and Brown bring an element of tough running to the Hurricanes offense. Both are fast but aren’t known for their agility, instead bruising through defenders to break off big runs.
“They’re running hard, they’re running angry,” said offensive lineman Markel Bell.
As the season continues on, the one-two punch that Fletcher and Brown provide for this Hurricanes offense will allow them to dominate time of possession and simply run teams out of the building.
