PITTSBURGH — The Hurricanes stumbled in the middle of the season, losing to Louisville and SMU. But they improved over the final month of the season and ended their regular-season slate with arguably their best piece of work this year.
No. 12 Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC) rolled to a blowout 38-7 road victory over No. 22 Pittsburgh (8-4, 6-2) at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, clinching the Hurricanes’ second straight season with double-digit wins and making the best possible case to the College Football Playoff selection committee.
This is the first time Miami has won 10 or more games in back-to-back seasons since 2002-03.
The Hurricanes got off to a strong start, pushing the Panthers back 13 yards on Pitt’s first offensive drive, but Miami’s offense could not turn it into anything. After forcing a second three-and-out on Pitt’s second drive, UM scored the game’s first points on a 29-yard field goal by Carter Davis.
The Panthers were the first ones to find the end zone. Pitt drove 75 yards, capping the game’s first touchdown drive with a 6-yard pass from freshman Mason Heintschel to tight end Justin Holmes early in the second quarter.
Miami responded with a touchdown of its own. The Hurricanes lined up do-it-all freshman star Malachi Toney — who had a one-handed catch earlier in the drive — at quarterback, and he acted as if he was going to run to the outside. When the Panthers’ defense bit on the run, Toney tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Elija Lofton.
Toney found the end zone a second time later in the second quarter, moving out of the backfield and getting wide open for Carson Beck, resulting in a 22-yard score.
Miami got the ball to start the second half, and Pittsburgh helped UM move the ball downfield. Two Pitt unsportsmanlike conduct penalties — including one in the red zone after a third-down pass breakup that would’ve likely forced a Miami field goal — set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Mark Fletcher Jr. to put UM ahead 24-7 early in the second half. The touchdown was Fletcher’s 10th rushing touchdown of the season, which is a career-high.
Miami continued its strong offensive performance with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Beck to running back Marty Brown (who had a touchdown run wiped out two plays earlier after offensive guard Matt McCoy was called for a penalty for assisting Brown across the goal line).
The Panthers’ last gap for a comeback attempt late in the third quarter ended with Miami forcing a turnover on downs on a fourth-and-short play. Beck threw a fourth-quarter interception, but Pitt could not do anything with the ball.
The Hurricanes added a late touchdown on a 33-yard pass from Beck to CJ Daniels, who made a stellar diving catch for the score.
Five takeaways
1. Miami makes its case
The Hurricanes have won four straight games since losing to SMU, steadily climbing up the playoff rankings. They made their final presentation to the selection committee on Saturday.
With the blowout win over a ranked Pittsburgh, Miami showed that it is almost certainly the best team in the ACC. The Hurricanes beat the Panthers by a bigger margin than potential playoff roadblock Notre Dame. Now it will likely come down to how the committee views UM.
2. Toney, Toney, Toney
Toney is proving to be a truly special player. The American Heritage alum eclipsed Ahmmon Richards’ freshman record for receiving yards with 13 catches for 126 yards in the win on Saturday.
“Congratulations on this achievement!” Richards wrote on social media. “Welcome to legacy, it’s forever! Can’t wait to watch the rest of your long career.”
Toney also kept making plays in the passing game, tossing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Elija Lofton.
3. Defense takes Panthers apart
The Hurricanes’ pass-rush dominated the Panthers’ offensive line. UM was constantly in the Pitt backfield and ended the game with four sacks.
Star defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. had 1.5 sacks, and defensive tackle Ahmad Moten had 1.5, as well.
4. Some issues in pass coverage
The Hurricanes allowed a few big plays when Heintschel was in at quarterback in the first half. The freshman quarterback connected on a pair of long passes and tossed a touchdown to a tight end who had no one near him in the flat.
The Hurricanes buckled down on pass defense in the second half, and Bryce Fitzgerald sealed the game with an interception. Heintschel completed 22 of his 32 passes for 199 yards.
5. Tight ends get involved
The Hurricanes got their tight ends involved more in the passing game on Saturday.
Sophomore tight end Elija Lofton dealt with injuries and a slow start to the season, but he has come along well in recent weeks. Lofton caught the 9-yard touchdown pass from Toney, scoring a touchdown for the third straight game.
Transfer tight end Alex Bauman had three catches for a season-high 58 yards.