The No.1 ranked Miami Hurricanes traveled to Kenan Memorial Stadium on Halloween night to face the North Carolina Tarheels. In a back-and-forth thriller, Miami held on for a 38-35 victory.
“Just an awesome game, awesome college football game,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said after the game. “A back-and-forth, maybe an instant classic.
Leading by three with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Miami desperately needed a defensive stop after allowing four consecutive touchdown drives.
Miami defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot looped behind North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and hit his arm as he attempted to throw. The ball fell to the ground and into the hands of defensive lineman Justin Scott, giving Miami its first turnover of the night.
Six plays later, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah connected with Malachi Toney for a 9-yard touchdown, extending the Hurricanes’ lead to 38-28 with less than three minutes remaining.
Toney finished with seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, adding another record-setting performance to his already historic career.
The sophomore’s 23 receiving touchdowns and 182 receptions rank tied for second in program history in each category. Toney needs 19 receptions and four touchdowns to become Miami’s all-time leader in both categories.
Toney’s 13 touchdown catches this season ties him with Leonard Hankerson in 2010 for the most touchdowns by a Hurricane wideout in a single season.
After a UNC touchdown cut the deficit to three, the Tar Heels attempted an onside kick to put the pressure back on Miami.
North Carolina recovered its first two onside kick attempts, but back-to-back penalties negated both plays. On the third attempt, Miami’s Ezekiel Marcellin Jr. recovered the ball to seal the victory.
Miami got off to a slow start in the first quarter, with Mensah relying on shorter passes and handoffs. With 10 minutes remaining in the quarter, Miami struck first when Mensah threw a touch pass into the back of the end zone that only Toney could reach.
UNC responded with a touchdown of its own when Edwards connected with tight end Jelani Thurman for an 8-yard score, tying the game at seven.
Among Miami’s defensive struggles, containing Thurman proved to be one of the most challenging. The junior tight end hauled in five catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns, repeatedly finding openings in the Hurricanes’ defense.
Miami drove down the field again and regained the lead on a 31-yard touchdown catch and run by Mark Fletcher Jr. The senior running back finished with 86 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns, etching his name in the program record books.
Fletcher became Miami’s all-time leader in total touchdowns with 36, passing Stephen McGuire. He is now tied with McGuire for the most rushing touchdowns in program history.
UNC took the lead in the third quarter with an explosive drive capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Shipp.
Miami struggled against Edwards and the Tar Heels’ offense. The Wisconsin transfer completed 82% of his passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns. UNC completed 27 first downs to Miami’s 25 and converted eight of 11 third-down attempts.
“They were making plays and we have to play better,” Cristobal said. “We just couldn’t get off the field on third down.”
The Canes offense responded in short order. Mensah rushed for 24 yards to move Miami near midfield before completing an 11-yard pass to Toney. Fletcher capped the drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown, putting Miami back in front, 24-21.
Mensah and the Hurricanes’ offense delivered against Bill Belichick, the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach leading the Tar Heels. The Duke transfer completed 22 of 29 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns.
“Just got to go out there and keep scoring,” Mensah said. “I think we executed at a high clip, and I think that you’ve got to give credit to UNC for doing a great job at limiting possessions.”
Following No. 2 Ohio State’s road loss to USC, Mensah emerged as the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, with four games remaining to strengthen his case.
Miami’s win in Chapel Hill also marks the first time in program history that the Hurricanes will finish a season going undefeated on the road in the ACC.
Despite the win, the Hurricane defense will need to address several issues after struggling against a North Carolina offense that entered Saturday among the ACC’s lowest-scoring teams.
“Conference football is different,” Cristobal said. “Find a way to get 1-0, find a way to get better.”
Miami’s offense — which averages 49 points 550 yards per game — once again had to carry the load. The performance echoed the 2024 Hurricanes, who relied heavily on their offense but struggled to get stops defensively.
With Cam Ward at quarterback, the 2024 Hurricanes averaged 537 yards per game and 43 points, but fell short of reaching the ACC Championship game and the College Football Playoff.
The 2026 Hurricanes, who entered the season with a stronger defense on paper and currently boast a 98% chance to make the CFP, can ill afford to repeat history.
Miami will travel to South Bend Ind. for its most-anticipated matchup of the season against No. 5 ranked Notre Dame in a rematch of last year’s game. Saturday’s rivalry game will also be the site of ESPN’s ‘College Gameday.’
Kickoff at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, is set for 7:30 p.m. EST and will air on NBC.
