In its final home game of the regular season, Miami demolished the NC State Wolfpack 41-7 in what UM head coach Mario Cristobal called its most “complete game.”
Miami quarterback Carson Beck and the offense dominated in every aspect with freshman running back Girard Pringle Jr. making the most of his first start. On the defensive side the ’Canes had Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey uncomfortable all night, with impressive pass rush schemes and disguises.
Miami must remain in this groove going into its final two games to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Senior night spectacle
Beck threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns in 27 attempts, one of his stronger performances so far this season.
And while a quarterback can elevate a wide receiver room, it also works vice-versa, and that’s exactly what happened Saturday afternoon.
10 different Hurricanes caught passes on the night which totaled to 367 yards of pass offense — a positive performance for a team that was struggling to find explosiveness just a few weeks ago.
Senior Keelan Marion led the way for the group with 96 yards on seven catches and has quietly established himself as one of the top options in this Hurricane offense.
True freshman receiver Malachi Toney had two touchdowns on five receptions, but that wasn’t the most notable thing he did tonight.
He also got the chance to flex his muscles as a quarterback.
During the second quarter, Toney threw an absolute bullet to JoJo Trader to put the ’Canes within scoring distance. UM capped off that drive with a Marty Brown touchdown run.
Toney’s pass is now back-to-back weeks in which Miami has opened the playbook to include “trick plays” which has taken the offense to new heights. With veteran wideout C.J Daniels looking to make his return next week, things could get even more interesting for this Miami offense.
Pringle pops off
Despite being a freshman, Pringle executed a brilliant game in his first start as the lead back for the ’Canes.
The Tampa native tallied 32 yards receiving and ran for 116 yards, leading all players in rushing.
Pringle’s performance may not have found the endzone, but he didn’t need to. He ripped off runs of 12, 15, 17 and a game-long 23 yards, repeatedly breaking through the Wolfpack front which set up short-yardage situations for Beck and the passing game.
And despite only growing into this role with the season nearing a close, Pringle had no shortage of confidence heading into the game.
“I got a great team around me,” Pringle said. “I knew when I got the chance I’d take it.”
With lead back Mark Fletcher Jr. sidelined for the foreseeable future with an injury, expect Pringle to continue to carry the workload for this Hurricane run game
Keep up the momentum
With the ’Canes set to face two tricky opponents to close their season, they must continue to play aggressive on both sides of the ball. More Jakobe Thomas interceptions and more playtime for strong freshmen like Toney and Pringle will contribute to big wins.
Beck must also continue to play as consistently as he did in this game, should the ’Canes want to move up in the playoff brackets — the “eye test” will be a key term moving forward for Miami discourse.
Under Cristobal, Miami has notoriously struggled in the month of November — dating back to last season’s inexcusable collapse to Syracuse which wiped out the ’Canes postseason hopes. In the months of November and December, Cristobal is 6-11 at UM. That needs to change if the Hurricanes have any chance to make the College Football Playoffs.
Miami cannot afford to continue that pattern this year, and as both the staff and players reiterate:
“1-0 every week.”
The Hurricanes will head north as they get set to face their rival Virginia Tech Hokies (3-7, 2-4 ACC) in Blacksburg, Virginia. Saturday’s kickoff is set for noon at Lane Stadium and will air on ESPN.
