Two areas that Beck masterfully addressed vs. FSU. And Hurricanes personnel news
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes, as No. 2-ranked UM looks ahead to an Oct. 17 Friday night home game against Louisville (7 p.m., ESPN):
▪ Saturday’s 28-22 win against FSU was a pretty convincing statement by Carson Beck, who refuted recent data that he shrinks on the road and showed the type of passing touch that has been lacking at times in the past on deep throws.
At one point late in the third quarter, Beck had as many 40-plus yard completions (three) as incompletions. He finished 20 of 27 for 240 yards, with the four TDs and no interceptions.
Here’s one reason why he needed this elite road performance, as NFL teams dissect him under a microscope:
The home/road splits over Beck’s career have been remarkably lopsided:
He has 46 touchdowns and 10 interceptions playing at home, in 19 games at Georgia, and four games in Miami. He has nine touchdowns and three interceptions in neutral site games.
Conversely, he entered Saturday’s game with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 11 road games.
So that’s 46 and 10 at home, 10 and 10 on the road, before Saturday.
Last season at Georgia, he had three touchdowns and seven interceptions in four road games — a 13-12 win at Kentucky; a 41-34 loss at Alabama when he threw three TDs and three picks; a 30-15 win at Texas where Georgia overcame his three interceptions; and a disappointing 28-10 loss at Mississippi when he threw for just 186 yards and an interception.
That humbling loss in Oxford, Mississippi, on Nov. 9 was the last time that Beck had played on the road before Saturday.
This was one of the two best road performances of Beck’s career, alongside a 298-yard, three-touchdown, no interception masterpiece in Georgia’s 38-10 win against Tennessee in November 2023.
UM has only four road games this season; the three others are in November against SMU, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. Beck’s play Saturday should ease any of last year’s concerns about how his game travels.
He also showed deft touch on Saturday, addressing another concern.
Last season, he completed just 37% of passes thrown at least 20 air yards, which ranked 61st among those who attempted at least 20. His 37% on deep throws (27 for 73) was well behind Cam Ward’s 45%.
This season, he’s 10 for 22 for 325 yards on such throws (45.5%), including 2 for 5 for 91 yards and a touchdown against FSU.
One issue that must be fixed: He was a combined 0 for 8 on throws from 10 to 19 yards against UF and FSU.
▪ Miami’s top five players on offense against FSU, per Pro Football Focus: receiver Malachi Toney, Beck, left tackle Markel Bell, receiver CJ Daniels and tight end Elija Lofton….
UM’s offensive line didn’t allow a sack against FSU, and right guard Anez Cooper was the only lineman who even permitted a quarterback pressure (he gave up two)....
Receiver Jojo Trader, who wasn’t on the injury report and was listed as available, didn’t play an offensive snap…
At tight end, UM gave 42 snaps to Alex Bauman and 23 to Lofton…
Running back snaps were distributed this way: 36 for Mark Fletcher Jr., 22 for CharMar Brown and 13 for Jordan Lyle, who was playing in his first game since sustaining an injury in the opener…
Receiver snaps were allocated this way: Daniels (55 of a possible 61), Toney (46), Keelan Marion (38), Joshua Moore (10) and Tony Johnson (4).
▪ Miami’s top five players on defense against FSU, per PFF: safety Jakobe Thomas, defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr., safety Bryce Fitzgerald and cornerbacks Keionte Scott and Damari Brown.
In eight targets, Thomas permitted three completions for 31 yards with an interception.
Scott played an incredible 87 defensive snaps. Bain played 77 and Akheem Mesidor played 76, which is remarkable for defensive linemen.
▪ Saturday exemplified the good work the Canes have done with recruiting and navigating the transfer portal.
Even in an era of unfettered player movement, recruiting remains the lifeblood of a program, and the Canes have landed more than a few difference-makers directly out of high school (Bain, Francis Mauigoa, freshman stars Toney and Fitzgerald).
UM aced college’s version of NFL free agency at every position this past offseason — quarterback (Beck), running back (Brown), receiver (Daniels, Marion), center (James Brockermeyer), defensive line (David Blay Jr.), linebacker (Mohamed Toure), safety (Zechariah Poyser, Thomas) and cornerback (Xavier Lucas, Scott).
Unlike some college programs, UM doesn’t have a general manager. So who is responsible for handling these player evaluations in the portal?
Cristobal cited “the recruiting department headed up by Dennis Smith,” who is the team’s executive director of football. But assistant coaches and others also have a role.
Before UM pursues a player in the portal, UM wants “as many [people] as possible” to evaluate the player, Cristobal said. “I want critical factors on every player; I want honest evaluation.”
In particular, three of this past offseason’s transfer additions have exceeded expectations: Daniels (who is rated 43rd-best receiver in the country by PFF), Thomas (who is rated the 30th-best safety this season) and Scott (rated the 14th-best safety, even though he’s a nickel cornerback.
Thomas arrived after a mediocre year at Tennessee, in which he played 263 plays and allowed six completions in eight targets for 103 yards, after starting just 13 games in three years at Middle Tennessee State.
He was highly impactful Saturday, with an interception, forced fumble (FSU recovered) and a tackle for loss.
Scott struggled playing boundary corner last season for Auburn (he allowed a 145.1 passer rating) but excelled in the slot for the Tigers two years ago and has thrived in that role for the Canes. On Saturday, he allowed five completions for 52 yards but recovered a fumble forced by Poyser and closed with a team-high 11 tackles.
Daniels, a No. 4 receiver at LSU, now has 23 catches for 269 yards and five touchdowns (tied for ninth most in the country) after catching five for 78 and two TDs against FSU.
▪ On their own, Fitzgerald’s three interceptions are impressive enough.
But it’s even more impressive considering 1). He arrived on campus in May and 2). He has played just 83 snaps in pass coverage. There are seven players who have a nation-leading three interceptions this season; all except Fitzgerald have played at least 135 plays in pass coverage.
“Bryce is special,” linebacker Wesley Bissainthe said. “He’s going to be a very special player in the future.”
Fitzgerald is UM’s only freshman who wasn’t enrolled for spring practice.
▪ We have observed how the Dolphins have been doomed by a combination of bad decisions and bad luck.
The Canes, so far, have had a concoction of good decisions and good luck. Though Lyle and Trader missed three games due to injury, UM has been fortunate that it hasn’t lost any key veteran player to a season-ending injury.
The biggest loss was freshman Hayden Lowe, but the Canes were already deep in edge rushers. The only other scholarship player who was ruled out against FSU was backup tight end Jackson Carver, who sustained a serious lower-body injury in the spring.
This story was originally published October 6, 2025 at 1:24 PM.
