The No. 2 Miami Hurricanes suffered a devastating 24-21 loss to Louisville on Friday night at Hard Rock stadium. Quarterback Carson Beck had a night to forget, throwing four interceptions — including one to linebacker T.J. Capers that sealed the game.
The Hurricanes dropped their first game of the season and their first home loss since November 2023, which was also against Louisville. So, what does this mean for Miami going forward?
Despite still being favored to make the College Football Playoff, the ’Canes no longer control their own destiny in the ACC. Entering Saturday, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Duke, and SMU all remain undefeated in conference play. Miami faces only SMU among those teams, while Georgia Tech and Virginia do not play each other this season.
It also marks the end of Beck’s Heisman Trophy campaign. The sixth-year redshirt senior entered the Louisville game as the odds-on favorite, but finished without a touchdown pass and four interceptions, effectively removing him from the race for the nation’s most outstanding player.
Still, this loss does not end Miami’s season. In the 12-team CFP era, the Hurricanes remain very much alive. While the defeat is frustrating and will have fans concerned, there’s no reason to panic.
Beck put it best after the game: “It’s a good thing that we play twelve games and not just one.”
However, the loss exposed several problems that head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff need to address immediately. If not, Miami’s promising season could unravel quickly.
Beck’s struggles need to be addressed
In one night, Beck went from Heisman front-runner and fan favorite to a source of frustration in Coral Gables.
His four interceptions were more than he had thrown the rest of the season combined. While Beck wasn’t solely to blame — Miami’s running game and run defense also struggled — his turnovers proved decisive.
The Hurricanes still had a chance, trailing by only three in the fourth quarter thanks to a pair of late defensive stops and a forced fumble. But, Beck’s fourth interception sealed Miami’s fate, overshadowing everything from this game.
While his Heisman hopes may be gone, Miami needs Beck to lean on his experience and help the team rebound from this rough outing.
A night to forget for the running backs
After a disappointing performance against Florida State, the Hurricane run game hit a new low versus Louisville.
UM ran for just 63 yards, averaging only 2.6 yards a carry. The entire season it seemed Miami had a two-headed monster in its run game with junior Mark Fletcher Jr. and redshirt sophomore Marty Brown. However, the Cardinals defense handled the duo with ease. Fletcher finished the night having 18 yards off eight carries, which led the team, and Brown rushed for nine yards off three carries.
The offensive line also deserves its share of blame. Running lanes were nonexistent as the team’s longest run came from sophomore Jordan Lyle, who had one 12-yard carry. Fletcher and Brown’s longest rushes were six and five yards, respectively.
Miami needs to get its run game back into form. Relying only on Beck is far too risky after his turnover-prone outing.
Malachi Toney continues to shine
True freshman wideout Malachi Toney continues to look like Miami’s best offensive weapon, and it’s not particularly close.
Fresh off a dominating performance against the Seminoles, Toney continued his record inaugural campaign with a great all-around performance against the Cardinals.
The Liberty City native led the team with 135 yards off nine receptions, averaging 15 yards per catch. Toney is as shifty as they come and that showed on the stat sheet as he had 104 yards after catch. A chunk of those yards came in the second quarter when Toney took a screen pass from Beck and turned it into a 61-yard gain, bringing Miami inside Louisville’s redzone.
Even though he is a receiver, Toney ran for a 12-yard touchdown to put Miami in a one score game and followed it up with a pass to CJ Daniels to complete a two-point conversion.
At only 18-years-old, it’s not crazy to say that Toney is the second best player on Miami’s roster, competing with Rueben Bain Jr. for the top spot. Nevertheless, Toney cannot win on his own.
“It’s not about me, we got to play team football,” said Toney after the game.
Miami can’t get out of its own way
On top of their offensive and defensive struggles, the Hurricanes were plagued by penalties and poor discipline. Miami committed nine penalties for 68 yards, five more than UM had on the ground.
Those mental errors made it nearly impossible to come back from. The holding calls, unnecessary roughness and clock-management issues proved costly.
The Hurricanes entered Friday hoping to prove they were different from the Miami teams of old: disciplined, composed, and finding ways to win football games. Instead, they looked like the same-old-’Canes that fans have seen for the last 20+ years.
Cristobal’s squad must quickly regroup and correct these issues, or a promising season could slip away fast.
Miami stays home once again this week, hosting the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. Kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium is set for 7 p.m.