On today’s episode of Eye of the Hurricane, Camila discusses finals tips with senior Amanda.
‘Canes get ready for senior night matchup against NC State
After jumping up to 15th in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, the Miami Hurricanes (7-2, 3-2 ACC) are going to need to continue to impress the committee down the final stretch.
Their opponent on senior night Saturday, the NC State Wolfpack (5-4, 2-3 ACC), have already upset one top tier ACC team and the Hurricanes need to be on alert to avoid being their second.
In his press conference Monday, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal told reporters how good this Wolfpack team has been as of late.
“They understand that they have a great team coming in here,” Cristobal said. “Maybe the hottest offensive team and maybe one of the most physical defenses that we have faced.”
More than ever, this Miami offense is going to need to be consistent and start fast, something they’ve had trouble with over this recent stretch of games. While Louisville had a top tier pass defense that forced four turnovers from Miami, in its most recent games UM has had trouble exploiting the weaknesses of opposing teams.
In their last three games, the Hurricanes have faced three bottom tier pass defenses and struggled to capitalize on all three. The Mustangs allow an average of 303 passing yards per game and despite a strong start, finished with 274 passing yards and elected not throw downfield.
Even in its last two blowout matchups, Miami’s offense has started off slow. Despite winning by a combined 60 points against the Cardinal and the Orange, most of those came in the second half. In each game, Miami’s offense scored just seven points in the first half.
The Hurricanes are likely to be without some of their important weapons with wide receiver CJ Daniels and running back Mark Fletcher Jr. potentially out once again. However, against the Orange, the Hurricanes showed that they are confident in their depth in those areas with freshmen stepping into roles to make big plays. True freshmen running back Girard Pringle Jr. and wide receiver Daylyn Upshaw both made big plays and their execution and practice habits both stood out to Cristobal.
“Daylyn Upshaw would take four reps for the scout team,” Cristobal said. “He’d sprint over to the other field and take four reps with the offense, sprint back and do the same. And so did Gerard Pringle. They were really paying attention to detail.”
With the injuries on this offense, Cristobal seems confident in the ability of his younger playmakers to step up when their name is called.
NC State has struggled to stop the run but has struggled against the pass especially in their last two games. Allowing 292 yards through the air this season, opposing quarterbacks have thrown for 400 yards in both of the last two games. Teams are averaging 30 points against this Wolfpack defense and Miami can exploit a secondary that due to injuries has had to move guys around and give younger players increased opportunities.
The Wolfpack especially struggled against crossers and mesh patterns against Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 ACC) , something receivers like Malachi Toney and Keelan Marrion can exploit. With teams able to throw with ease against NC State, running backs haven’t had too much individual success.
Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King went over 100 yards but aside for that, the Wolfpack hadn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher since Virginia Tech. Teams are averaging just over four yards per carry, an area Miami can exploit.
However, the NC State struggling passing defense is definitely where the Hurricanes should attack. Turnovers also shouldn’t be too much of a worry with the secondary only having six interceptions and eight total turnovers on the year.
The Hurricanes cannot start slow against this Wolfpack offense led by breakout sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey. The 6-foot-6-inch second year starter out of Chaminade High School in Hollywood, Fla. has completed 70% of his passes, thrown for 19 touchdowns to 7 interceptions and rushed for another four touchdowns on the ground.
In their win against Georgia Tech at the beginning of November he dominated, with 374 total yards and three touchdowns. His go-to target has been wide receiver Terrell Anderson, who has been a big play machine. In five of the Wolfpack’s games this year, he’s had a catch of 30 yards or more.
With just 28 receptions on the year, he has gone for 527 yards averaging almost 19 yards per reception. OJ Frederique’s health is still a question mark but this Hurricanes secondary has held together. Keionte Scott has flown around and has stolen the show but, Damari Brown has quietly also been a lockdown corner leading ACC defensive backs with a 33% forced incompletion percentage. This Hurricanes secondary is more than up for the challenge.
The Hurricanes are going to need to minimize the explosive passing plays from this NC State passing offense and keep Bailey contained and that is going to need to be the work of this Hurricanes pass rush. Bailey has 14 touchdowns and zero interceptions when kept clean as he has been on 70% of his drop backs, under pressure Bailey has thrown all of his seven interceptions.
According to PFF, Bailey holds the ball longer than most power four quarterbacks at 45th of 68. This is an area of attack for Miami’s elite pass rush anchored by Rueben Bain Jr. and Ahkeem Mesidor. Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman is well aware of that.
“We got to affect the quarterback. We got to hit him. We got to try to hit him as much as we can early in the game.” Hetherman said in his Monday press conference.
Bailey is a good scrambler but is more likely to go up the middle rather than outside of the pocket. The Hurricanes will need to maintain discipline in their rush lanes and keep Bailey from stepping up and finding guys downfield or taking off.
Miami’s interior defensive lineman such as Justin Scott and David Blay are going to be huge in collapsing the pocket from the inside and putting the pressure on Bailey. If Miami is able to get some early hits onto him, it could rattle and throw off this NC State passing game.
This Wolfpack offense is not only limited to the air, with a strong running game as well. While they don’t run it too often with just 289 rushing attempts on the year (Miami has 324), NC State averages five yards per carry and have some big play threats on the ground as well.
Lead rusher junior Daylan “Hollywood” Smothers averages almost seven yards per carry and has rushed for 825 yards and six touchdowns on the year leading the ACC. He bounces off tacklers with a great combination of speed, vision, and elusiveness.
NC State runs a lot on the inside and Smothers is often able to make one guy miss in the hole and then break off a long run. The Hurricanes linebackers are going to need to fight around pulling guards and rally to tackle and prevent Smothers from taking off. Despite the flash that this team has, coach Cristobal talked about how physical the NC State offense has been as well.
“It was really important for our edge guys to watch today and see how physical they are running the power counter.”
There’s a chance that the Hurricanes don’t see Smothers who missed the Georgia Tech game but, in his stead Duke Scott has filled in more than adequately. Against Georgia Tech, Scott became the first freshman running back to top 100 yards with 196 yards and a touchdown.
Scott is more of a big bruising back but, as he showed against Georgia Tech can make one cut and go as he did with a big 69-yard rush. The Hurricanes regardless are going to need to play fast and physical defensive football and are going to be really tested against this explosive offense and could let up their first 30 point game of the year.
If that happens Miami will need its offense to start out hot and give the defense the leeway to make some mistakes and let up some points. With the slow starts offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson seems to be trying to get the offense to play looser.
“I mean I think that’s been the goal, the recent goal for us,” Dawson said. “I felt good about calling them [trick plays] was because I want our guys to have fun and you know we have to play loose.”
This Miami offense has come out sluggish, playing too tight and restricting themselves. Whether it’s trick plays or taking shots down field Miami needs to come out firing against NC State and get off to a hot start. While hopes for the playoff require a lot of help from outside Cristobal and the ‘Canes need to take everything one step at a time. And according to the leading man the focus is just that.
“It’s all on us and about us and we have some great opportunities coming up and from there everything else does take care of itself,” Cristobal said.
The Hurricanes need to control what they can control but they need it all to come together and more than ever this week.
Saturday’s kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. and will air on ESPN. It will be the Hurricanes last home game of the regular season.
Ditch the Sephora 10-year old lifestyle and bring back pre-teen media
The children of today have lost the art of the “awkward phase.” All too often I see 12 year olds buying products for their Drunk Elephant skincare routine, buying outfits from Garage and listening to Sombr.
There is a huge lack of pre-teen media, leading to a loss of the true cringey “childhood experience” so many of us had. A rise in the use of social media and exposure to more mature content at increasingly younger ages has caused many children, more specifically young girls, to want to “fix” their insecurities rather than embrace them and discover who they truly are.
The early 2000’s saw the peak of pre-teen culture: Disney stars like Hannah Montana and the Sprouse Twins, stores like Justice and Claire’s and of course, a bedazzled flip phone filled with lipgloss.
As opposed to embracing their quirkiness, pre-teens are now being pushed to mature faster due to social media. According to Omega Pediatrics, children are now being introduced to social media as young as eight years old, with the average age being 12.
“The overuse of social media can actually rewire a young child or teen’s brain to constantly seek out immediate gratification, leading to obsessive, compulsive and addictive behaviors,” said Dr. Nancy Deangelis, Director of Behavior Health at Jefferson Health Abington.
Children who are being exposed to social media so early on in their development are negatively affected, both mentally and physically. They begin to mature at a much quicker rate than younger generations who were able to experience each phase of childhood.
“My little sister missed out on the world of magazines, toys and shows made specifically for pre teens,” said freshman student Audrey Booher. “She went straight from Cocomelon to scrolling on TikTok and there was no in between.”
The blame is not all on social media platforms though. As it turns out, there are no outlets for pre-teens to express themselves anymore.
Justice, marketed as one of the largest tween clothing brands, began closing its stores in 2020 and 2021. Claire’s now has a new owner, and it has resulted in the shut down of almost 300 stores nationally.
Today, young shoppers go to places like Brandy Melville or Hollister. While there’s no explicit issues with this, it raises some alarms when an eight-year-old is in the checkout line buying the same outfit as a 24-year-old.
Recently, there was also controversy surrounding artist Sombr’s recent tour, highlighting the need for pre-teen music.
According to one TikTok user @meganator_, the 20-year-old artist’s concert was filled with thousands of shrieking pre-teens who “lacked decorum.” That wasn’t the worst part though. Sombr reportedly made inappropriate comments for the age group present, telling them to “bark for me” and asking a member of the audience to get on stage and call their ex.
The incident caused many on TikTok to criticize the artist, stating his behavior is inappropriate when he knows he has a much younger fan base. The point was also made that nowadays, there is little to no appropriate music for children ages 11-14 to listen to, so they begin listening to much more mature content like that of Sombr or Sabrina Carpenter.
In the mid to late 2000’s, children had musical talents like Taylor Swift and One Direction, who curated music for audiences in the preteen and teen years just like them. It allowed children a safe outlet for music that was appropriate but still relatable to them and their experiences.
A recent TikTok trend also dubbed this “new age” of pre-teens the “Sephora ten year olds,” pointing out that extremely young children are shopping around Sephora for expensive makeup and skincare that they honestly don’t need and shouldn’t be using.
“Kids don’t even need most of what Sephora sells and they are ruining their skin in the process,” said one TikTok user @ashley_g1287.
“Why did they take all the Claire’s and teen stores away,” said another.
It’s time for there to be a new age of pre-teen media. Rather than forcing them to be stuck between choosing a Disney cartoon or a Netflix drama series, we need to curate media that fits them. It’s so important to allow younger audiences to retain their innocence, but also still allow them to feel seen and heard through the media they are watching and listening to.
Cancel culture needs to be #canceled
We’ve all seen the embarrassing online apologies: the notes app explanations, the ukeleles, the very obvious practiced speech.
So, why do we continue to ask for apologies from influencers, even when we know they don’t really mean it?
Cancel culture doesn’t do anyone any good. Yes, the influencer might apologize for their actions and move on, but nobody else does. They’re still trolling the influencer’s comment sections, condemning them for their actions and inevitably still giving them attention they desired in the first place.
Let’s consider James Charles. He had an insane media presence in the late 2010’s, but struggled for years to remain relevant. One viral video he took in Disney recently made him a meme again, giving him the traction he had been chasing for years since he first went viral.
People have even begun to change their minds on social media, asking why he was ever hated in the first place.
“Almost every influencer has been cancelled at some point. They do something controversial and then everyone forgets about it after like a week, and it makes cancelling them pretty much pointless,” said freshman student Gabrielle Walsh
This year, Cierra from Love Island was also under fire for using a racist slur in an old TikTok post.
At first, everyone in her comment section left hateful comments, urging her to apologize for her actions. However, only four months later, people are now beginning to feel bad for her and saying she has paid her dues and no longer deserves hate.
What was the point of “canceling” her?Who decides when it has been a sufficient amount of time for her to be hated on and bullied?
TikTok content creator Chris Olsen said it best: “Cancel culture doesn’t work because people love it too much. It has become a form of entertainment.”
TikTok’s internet trolls sit back and wait for someone to go viral, dig up dirty secrets or slip ups from when they were 14 years old, and then hold it over their head until the next person messes up.
It’s no longer a form of accountability. It’s just something fun for (unemployed) people with parasocial relationships to do every now and then.
According to findapsychologist.org, parasocial relationships are one-sided, and occur between one person who is deeply emotionally invested, while the other has no idea the person exists.
With the rise of social media influencers and the concept of “authenticity” in the media, parasocial relationships are thriving more than ever.
However, what your every day TikTok or Instagram user seems to forget is that they have no idea who that person truly is or what they stand for. They remove the humanity from the person, replacing it with this idolatry and raising their expectations for how that person should act.
Yes, cancelling someone can be great for accountability purposes. Someone who is consistently hateful or does not deserve fame should be removed from the public eye. But the art of “cancel culture” has become less about responsibility and more about amusement.
Rather than going around digging for dirt on someone in the public eye, I think it’s time we go outside, touch some grass and focus on ourselves.
Good riddance to Blackboard
For the past 20 years, University of Miami students and staff have endured the clunky and outdated learning system known as Blackboard. From the constant glitches to the outdated format, it caused more headache than not.
But now with the decision to fully commit to Canvas as its main learning system, the university has chosen to step in the right direction — into the future, to create a better learning experience for all.
When I transferred to UM this year, I was shocked to see the university still using Blackboard. After using Canvas throughout high school and my previous college, Blackboard felt 20 steps backwards. Everything felt slow and confusing. I probably spent more time submitting my assignments than I did actually doing them.
While the full transition to Canvas will offically take place next year, the university is still in a mix phase with classes using both Canvas and Blackboard. This period of mixing give students the opportunity to get used to Canvas’s functions while at the same time using a learning system that they are already familiar with in Blackboard.
Unlike Blackboard, Canvas is actually intuitive and built for the students of today. The assignments are easier to find, the navigation is smoother and even the notifications are easier and more helpful than Blackboard. Canvas even adds confetti when you submit your assignment, which offers a sort of sense of accomplishment when I submit my assignments.
The faculty at UM also benefit from this switch. Canvas streamlines grading and allows professors to give faster feedback to students, saving professors time and helping students stay on track in their learning.
“I love how it allows me to organize everything into modules, creating a clear and logical flow for students,” said Dr. Johayra Bouza, a lecturer of psychology at the University of Miami. “Each module includes a variety of course materials such as lecture slides, readings, assignments and discussion board posts.”
The transition to Canvas reflects the university’s commitment to modernize the student experience. Adopting a user-friendly platform such as Canvas shows that the university is ready to make the school more accessible and technologically friendly to students.
Of course, no system change is perfect. There will likely be a few bumps along the way as students and staff adjust to the new interface. But the short term confusion is a small price to pay for a platform that works. In time, the university’s commitment to Canvas will pay off in dividends.
The decision by the school to upgrade from Blackboard to Canvas isn’t just about upgrading software, it’s about improving the overall experience of learning at UM. Students deserve a platform that supports their learning, not one that hinders it. And professors deserve tools that make their jobs easier and not more complicated.
After years of dealing with Blackboard, the university’s switch to Canvas marks a long overdue step forward.
Good riddance Blackboard, you will not be missed.
Numerous students come forward about firework-related injuries
More students have come forward about being injured during UM’s firework shows for the 2025 Homecoming celebration on Friday, Nov. 7, and the Centennial celebration on April 8, 2025.
Maxwell Holton, an alum who graduated in December of 2024, came back to campus for the 2025 Homecoming celebration. During the fireworks show, Holton said he was standing on Fate Bridge with his back to the UC pool when a firework shell hit him in the face.
“All of a sudden, it felt like somebody elbowed me in the face. I thought someone hit me with their phone or something,” Holton said. “But then I felt my face and it was hot so I looked down.”
Holton said that he was looking around to see if anyone else felt anything and noticed a “shotgun-shell looking item” on the ground.
“It was a firework shell, so I tried to pick it up,” he said. “It was piping hot so I dropped it, but then I picked it up again.”
Holton said that the shell narrowly missed his eye and he had blisters on his face. He did not seek medical treatment or report the incident at the time, but added he will likely report it this week.
“The University advises that if a student was impacted by a firework on Friday, they should report the incident to the Division of Student Affairs at 305-284-4922, and/or UMPD at 305-284-6666,” the University of Miami said in a statement to The Hurricane.
The Hurricane’s Instagram posted on Saturday, Nov. 7 asking for information about anyone allegedly hit by the fireworks. The Hurricane also published an article about freshman Isabella Ramharakh who sent The Hurricane a video showing her being burned by the fireworks.
Since then, multiple people have come forward about injuries resulting from UM’s fireworks shows.
Daniela Herbert, an alum who graduated in 2025, said that she was burned during the Centennial celebration in April. She remembers sitting in the grassy area next to the Eaton Residential College near the trees.
“I mean it wasn’t too bad, just a couple of burns, but the fireworks looked like they were calibrated wrong and shot off at an angle instead of straight up,” Herbert said. “So the sparks fell on all of us and we all started running toward Eaton.”
A current UM architecture student who wishes to remain unnamed said that she witnessed people get injured by the fireworks last year during the Centennial celebration.
“I know people were burned because right after the first strike last year the people who were hit moved away from the area. I also decided to back up to a different spot, sitting on the architecture building stairs instead,” she said.
She was originally standing on the path between Eaton Residential College and Lake Osceola — similar to where Ramharakh and Herbert were standing when they said they were burned.
User @lisset17c commented under TMH’s Instagram post, “I was burn[ed] too, how do I report it!” The Hurricane reached out via direct message and email and has not yet received a response.
Both the unnamed student and Herbert said they saw rope around the lake this year, but they did not notice other additional safety measures.
“I feel like if this has happened twice in a row now … I can’t say [UM] handled safety well,” said Holton. “I know [UM] wants to make it special for everybody, but if they can’t make it special without securing people’s safety, they have to look into that.”
Holton encourages UM to acknowledge the safety errors and share its safety plans moving forward.
Hurricanes MBB cap off homestand with 102-61 win over Stetson
A well-rested Miami squad took on the Stetson in dominant fashion Monday night, taking down the Hatters in a 102-61 victory at the Watsco Center.
Forward Malik Reneau led the way for the ’Canes with a double-double, with his 20 points and 10 rebounds leading the team in both scoring and rebounds on the night.
Guards Tru Washington and Tre Donaldson both also had standout games as Washington scored 17 points, and Donaldson picked up a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
Stetson came into this game after they had just blown out University of Fort Lauderdale 106-77 with sophomore guard Jamie Phillips Jr. leading the team averaging an impressive 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists through the first two games.
The Hatters took the lead early and looked to be carrying some solid momentum from their prior game, forcing UM first-year head coach Jai Lucas to call an early timeout.
At around the 12 minute mark, the Hurricanes found themselves down by six, but after clawing their way back with about nine minutes to go they tied things up at 20-20
The ’Canes would end the half strong, outscoring the Hatters 35-16 and taking a 55-36 lead into halftime.
Although the team has had some struggles shooting from beyond the arc so far this season, Miami was able to drain eight three’s on the night.
Continuing their momentum towards the end of the first half, the Hurricanes woke up as they started the second half on a 12-2 run forcing an early Stetson timeout after a Malik Reneau steal and score.
Following that timeout, there wasn’t much the Hatters could do. Miami kept up their relentless defense as the Stetson offense couldn’t do much of anything.
And with about 5 minutes to go Miami subbed out its starters as UM coasted to a 3-0 start to the season.
As this happened, freshman forward Timotej Malovec caught fire as he hit three three-pointers and ended the game with 12 points for the ’Canes as they won 102-61.
Miami (3-0) will look to continue the win streak on Sunday, as the Hurricanes play No. 10 Florida (1-1) on a neutral court in Jacksonville.
The Hurricanes will look to upset the defending national champions this weekend, in what could be Lucas’ first signature win as a head coach at Miami.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 and will air on ESPN.
Update: Chickens trapped by City of Coral Gables vendor
The chicken and rooster caging that occurred on Oct. 29 near University Village at The University of Miami was authorized by the City of Coral Gables. A licensed vendor was hired by the city to cage and relocate the animals to a farm.
“This approach ensures the animals are treated ethically while maintaining public health and neighborhood quality of life,” said Martha Pantin, the director of the communications and public affairs division of the City of Coral Gables, in a statement to The Hurricane.
Although the University of Miami has contracted its own vendors to trap and relocate campus animals in the past, UM was not made aware of this activity since the caging occurred on public property.
“The city’s code does not permit the keeping of chickens or other poultry, and in this case, the animals had become a nuisance,” said Pantin.
According to AP, domesticated poultry are culturally significant to those from rural parts of Cuba and Latin America. As people from Cuba and Latin America moved to Miami and surrounding areas, they brought the chickens and kept the animals as pets in backyards.
The wild chickens, relatives of the domestic pets, started walking through public areas about 20 years ago and quickly became a symbol of the area. In 2002, Little Havana put up fiberglass statues of roosters as part of “Rooster Walk,” a project designed to celebrate the culture of the neighborhood.
However, Pantin added that, “Poultry are generally not compatible with dense urban environments, as they can attract predators, create sanitation issues and generate noise concerns.”
Trapping and relocating the chickens was done in a safe and humane way with the interest of the animals in mind.
20sUnfiltered: Professors
Professors either make your lives 100 times easier…or 100 times harder…we’re here to put you at ease and to help you create a good relationship with your professor as special guest Professor Antonio Mora joins your hosts…
Canes volleyball outlast FSU on the road in 5-Set thriller
The No. 14 ranked University of Miami women’s volleyball team secured a hard-fought 3–2 victory over rival Florida State on Saturday afternoon, outlasting the Seminoles in a back-and-forth battle in Tallahassee.
Miami entered the season with one of its strongest starts in program history at 16–1, but a three-match losing streak from Oct. 12–19 raised concerns of a midseason collapse. Since then, the Hurricanes have regained their form, as Saturday’s win marks their sixth straight victory, reestablishing the dominance they showed early.
Senior outside hitter Flormarie Heredia Colón led the Miami offense with an outstanding 32 kills, and redshirt sophomore setter Ariana Rodriguez operated the offense with poise, finishing with 48 assists and 10 digs.
Florida State started the match strong, opening with four unanswered points and controlling the tempo on the way to a 25–17 first-set win. Miami struggled to settle in, posting a negative hitting percentage and committing costly errors across the court.
The Hurricanes responded immediately in the second set. Miami pulled ahead 13-11 before a timely block by Marin Wilson sparked a run that stretched the lead to 17–12. Behind efficient attacking and a sharp .429 hitting percentage, Miami closed out a convincing 25–15 win to tie the match at 1–1.
Set three was tightly contested from the start. Colón made her presence felt at the net with five blocks, but Florida State swung the momentum with a 7–0 run to take a 16–15 lead. Despite a late push from Miami, the Seminoles held on for a narrow 25–23 win to go up 2–1.
Miami flipped the script in the fourth set, delivering one of its best defensive frames of the match. The Hurricanes held FSU to just .150 hitting, applying pressure on every rally. Freshman Amina N’Diaye provided the spark, serving three consecutive aces to help Miami roll to a 25–16 victory and force a fifth set.
The final set opened with Florida State jumping ahead 8–4, but Miami refused to back down. Consecutive kills from freshman Sonja Danilovic helped the Hurricanes seal the match 15–10 after a reviewed call confirmed an FSU touch on a ball that sailed out of bounds.
With the win, Miami improves to 21–4 overall and 11–3 in ACC play, climbing to third in the conference standings. Florida State falls to 7–7 in the ACC, snapping its recent four-match winning streak.
Miami travels to Notre Dame on Nov. 14, looking to build on its late-season resurgence and strengthen its hold at the top of the conference.
Takeaways from No. 18 Miami’s 38-10 win over Syracuse
On Saturday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Hurricanes took down the Syracuse Orange 38-10 in a dominant second half showing.
After losing 26-20 in overtime to SMU a week ago, the Hurricanes needed a bounce back, and they got just that against the Orange. The offense totaled 385 yards while the defense stifled anything Syracuse tried to do.
With losses from No. 14 Virginia and No. 15 Louisville on Saturday, the Hurricanes hopes to make the College Football Playoffs have grown. But, the ‘Canes need to still play their best brand of football for the last three games of the regular season.
Keionte Scott is Miami’s best defensive player this season
After the Hurricanes were off to a slow start in the first quarter, they were able to pick up the momentum following a trick play touchdown from Miami quarterback Carson Beck, who threw the ball to Malachi Toney, who threw it back to Beck and ran it in for a 14-yard score.
Despite this play being the first score of the game, the real show started with the defense, a pattern consistent throughout this game and this season as a whole.
With less than two minutes left in the second quarter, sixth-year redshirt senior defensive back Keionte Scott was able to secure a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown, sending a wave of electricity throughout Hard Rock Stadium.
Scott has been working hard all season, leading the team in solo tackles with 28, and placing second in passes deflected with four.
With two sacks this season, including one tonight, the Auburn transfer has showed he can be a real threat on all facets of the defense for Miami, transforming into the team’s best defensive player.
Miami harnessed the game with explosive plays
On the defensive side, Scott’s 38 yard pick-six was one of many notable plays from Saturday’s matinee.
In the ensuing drive, the Orange was threatening to score in the last seconds of the first half. On first down, sixth-year redshirt senior defensive end Akheem Mesidor forced a fumble on Syracuse’s Yasin Willis, which was recovered by Jakobe Thomas.
Following his fumble recovery, Thomas continued to make his presence felt. On Syracuse’s last drive of the third quarter, Thomas sacked Rickie Collins, putting an even bigger halt on the little momentum that Syracuse had.
On the next play, Collins threw to Darius Johnson, who tipped the ball up in the air and landed in the hands of Thomas. Thomas himself thought the ball was incomplete, until he was told by Mohamed Toure to run.
His interception was the last of Miami’s three forced turnovers on the Orange offense. The defense finished the game with seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and four pass breakups.
On the offensive side, Miami was able to show its talent despite a slow first quarter. After putting up just 20 points in Dallas last week, Beck and the Miami attack was able to move the ball at-will in the second half against a struggling Syracuse defense.
Miami’s creativity, which was lacking last week, came right away on the trick play from Beck and Toney.
That five play, 90 yard drive was set up by the explosiveness of true freshman wideout Daylyn Upshaw. On second down at their own 33-yard line, Beck hit Upshaw for a 41-yard catch and run to truly get the Hurricane offense up and running.
The offensive explosiveness continued to showcase in the third quarter, when Beck hit Keelan Marion for a 61-yard touchdown. Marion’s touchdown jumpstarted some of the most authentic football Miami has played in a while.
The ‘Canes relied heavily on Toney, the team’s best offensive player, in the third quarter, but another true freshman was able to make real advances.
With 2:25 left in the third quarter, running back Girard Pringle Jr. scored a 19-yard rushing touchdown to extend Miami’s lead to 25.
The final stand-out explosive play was made by 335-pound offensive lineman Francis “Sisi” Mauigoa, scoring a 3-yard rushing touchdown after a backwards throw from Beck, putting the score at 38-3.
Mauigoa revealed after the game that the team had been practicing this play for over three years, and head coach Mario Cristobal promised him he would be able to run it in a game during his time at Miami. Today was finally the day.
Miami followed its middle eight mantra
After the game, Cristobal reiterated the importance of the “middle eight mantra” for the Hurricanes. The “middle eight” is known as the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the third quarter.
With the touchdown by Beck and the interception by Thomas happening in the last four minutes of the second quarter, both the offense and defense proved how important it was to spark momentum to close out the half.
Similarly, on the other side of the middle eight, Marion’s 61-yard touchdown from Beck connected just within the first four minute mark of the second half. Those eight minutes ultimately defined Miami’s win on Saturday, as it broke the game open and set the tone for the rest of the game.
Cristobal utilized the idea of harnessing the middle eight in the massive win against Notre Dame in the first game of the season, with a score of 27-24.
If Miami continues to dominate the middle eight, they should be able to close out the final three games of the season strong.
Carson Beck is just having fun, despite his recent struggles
While Beck’s gameplay was better than it was in the loss against SMU, the win against Syracuse did not come without a few hiccups from him.
In the first quarter, he nearly threw an interception on the first drive of the game and then couldn’t get out of his own way, throwing an interception in the last three minutes that was called back for a defensive holding. Beck was also sacked twice, finishing the game with -10 rushing yards.
After a pretty clean second quarter from Beck, he made another error during the end of third quarter, almost throwing an interception with five seconds left.
Despite these few hiccups, Beck played a significantly better game and ultimately looked like he was having fun out there. He finished the game completing 18-of-24 passes for 247 yards and two total touchdowns and no turnovers.
From his trick play with Toney, to his rocket to Marion, and wrapping up with a big boy backwards touchdown pass to Sisi, Beck displayed his playful spirit out on the field.
“I thought we played loose,” Beck said. “I thought we had fun, and I think that’s the biggest thing for us right now.”
Following Saturday’s win, the Hurricanes will take on NC State next weekend as their last home game of the season. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and will air on ESPN.
No. 18 Miami takes care of business against Syracuse, wins 38-10
After a 42-38 loss that effectively ended its season last year, No. 18 Miami looked to get revenge against Syracuse and come away with a victory on Saturday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.
After a slow first quarter, the Hurricanes offense took off, defeating the Orange 38-10 on Homecoming.
With less than two minutes left in the first half, redshirt sophomore quarterback Rickie Collins dropped back in the pocket and fired a ball right into the chest of Miami defensive back Keionte Scott. Scott ran down the left side of the field, evading tackles for a 27-yard pick-six that took the score to 14-0.
Scott’s touchdown return set the tone for the rest of the game.
After a slow first 20 minutes that saw zero points and eight punts, the Hurricanes opened the scoring with a nifty trick play. With just over two minutes left before halftime, sixth-year redshirt senior Carson Beck threw a pass to freshman wideout Malachi Toney, who threw it back to Beck and ran it in for a 14-yard score.
Beck’s touchdown run came after a short screen pass to freshman wide receiver Daylyn Upshaw, who ran for 41 yards — a play which sparked the momentum for Miami’s 38 point outburst.
Syracuse tried to drive down the field as the half winded down, but the Hurricane defense stood strong. On first and goal at the Miami 10, defensive end Ahkeem Mesidor forced a fumble on Syracuse’s Yasir Willis to end the half.
At the start of the third quarter, the Orange came back with an eight play drive, resulting in a 38-yard field goal from redshirt freshman Trip Woody to make the score 14-3. After that score, the Hurricanes outscored the Orange 24-7.
Miami’s explosive offense showed up early in the third quarter. At its 39-yard line, Beck fired a ball right up the middle of the field to redshirt senior receiver Keelan Marion who broke away for a 61-yard score.
“I think we played more freely,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “We just cut it loose and stopped worrying about the outcome and just started focusing more on the process.”
Beck’s touchdown pass put the quarterback over 10,000 career passing yards, joining Fresno State’s E.J.Warner as the only two active FBS quarterbacks to do so.
“It’s been a long career, and there’s been a lot of diversity that I’ve had to fight through, and a lot of great teammates, a lot of great coaches along the way,” Beck said. “To be able to have an achievement like that obviously means a lot to me.”
With junior running back Mark Fletcher Jr. out because of an injury, freshman Girard Pringle Jr. played a big role in the rushing game. On the Syracuse 30, Pringle ran 11 yards for a first down. The next play later, Beck handed the ball off again to Pringle who ran 19 yards for the touchdown to take a 28-3 lead.
Corey Hetherman’s defense continued to play well against the struggling Syracuse offense behind a quarterback carousel.
Collins threw a ball intended for freshman wideout Darius Johnson but it tipped off the fingers of Johnson and into the hands of redshirt senior safety Jakobe Thomas. The unit finished with seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
Up by 28 points with less than five minutes left in the game, Cristobal decided to run up the score and keep the starters on the field.
On Syracuse’s three yard line, Beck tossed a ball back on the right side to right tackle Francis Mauigoa who ran it in for a touchdown, his first of his collegiate career. Beck finished the game for 247 yards on 18-of-24 passing.
“I was a bit mad, but it was a good touchdown,” Mauioga said. “But you know, I wanted to run someone over.”
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown took the struggling Collins out, in for freshman quarterback Joseph Filardi. Filardi, a four star lacrosse recruit, dotted up redshirt freshman tight end Elijah Washington-Baker for a 17-yard score.
The Hurricanes got the job done with a 38-10 win, cleaning up pre snap penalties as they finished the game with five compared to last week’s nine.
“We’re a really, really good football team, and we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times, Cristobal said. “But we’ve all seen enough games this year to know that when Miami’s on, Miami really distinguished itself as one of the better teams.”
Miami will face off against NC State for its last game at Hard Rock Stadium on the season. Kick off is scheduled for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and will air on ESPN.