Hurricanes ‘just playing ball’ as they continue pushing for playoff spot
Mario Cristobal called it simply “playing ball.”
So what if the Miami Hurricanes were up by double digits with fewer than 30 seconds left against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday? So what if a win was all but guaranteed as they lined up for a fourth and 2 from the VT 20-yard line? Nothing was set in stone yet, Virginia Tech was stacking the box anticipating a run and Cristobal didn’t want to take any chances.
So the Hurricanes went for the kill shot.
Quarterback Carson Beck took the snap from the shotgun, backpedaled a couple steps, and floated a ball down the right sidelined for true freshman Malachi Toney, who hauled in the contested catch for a 20-yard touchdown to cap the Hurricanes’ 34-17 win over the Hokies at Lane Stadium.
“Whether some people call it style points and all that other stuff, we’re just playing ball and trying to make our team better and staying aggressive,” Cristobal said. “When we call it aggressive, our players play aggressive.”
The Hurricanes have been questioned at times this season — sometimes rightfully so — about their lack of aggression. They gave up a 14-point lead in the season opener against Notre Dame and played for the eventual game-winning field goal. They nearly saw a 25-point lead against Florida State disappear when the Seminoles scored 19 unanswered fourth-quarter points when they opened Atlantic Coast Conference play. And their offensive playcalling was conservative and at times predictable throughout their two losses to Louisville and SMU.
But now? With their backs still against the wall trying to make the College Football Playoff? Miami isn’t taking any chances.
They can’t afford to.
Every action they take or don’t take is being scrutinized by a 12-member selection committee that has already made it pretty clear what it thinks about the Hurricanes, who were slotted No. 13 in the committee’s most recent rankings on Tuesday. It’s penalizing Miami for its two losses more than its crediting it for the highs on its resume, most notably that season-opening win over a Notre Dame team that has an identical record but was four spots ahead of UM at No. 9.
“People throw around the word eye test,” Cristobal said. “Well how about field test? Where head-to-head matters, things like that. That’s what football’s always been about: On the field, getting it, finding a way to get it done.”
And the Hurricanes (9-2, 5-2 ACC), despite their lumps in the middle of the season, have been finding ways to get it done down the stretch.
In wins over Syracuse, NC State and Virginia Tech — granted, a trio that is a combined 12-21 with NC State the only team with a winning record among the three — Miami has outscored opponents 113-34, including a 58-3 advantage at halftime.
The offense, which was deemed inconsistent by the committee after the first ranking reveal, is averaging 461 yards per game while the defense has given up 274.3 yards per game over this win streak.
Quarterback Carson Beck is in better command of the offense, completing nearly 80% of his passes (66 for 83) for 858 yards — an average of 10.3 yards per attempt and 13 yards per completion — and eight touchdowns with no interceptions. He completed 27 of 32 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns against Virginia Tech.
“Felt super comfortable out there,” Beck said. “I thought the game plan was really, really good going into the week. The energy was super high. The offense was clicking throughout the week, and we had a lot of confidence going into the game. We went out there, and even with all that, you’ve got to go out and execute. We were able to do that.”
And in limited opportunities. The Hurricanes only had eight offensive possessions. They scored on six of them, including the touchdown pass from Beck to Toney with 20 seconds left to push Miami’s lead from 10 to 17. That final touchdown came after Virginia Tech tried to rally late with a touchdown, a converted onside kick and another drive down the field before safety Zechariah Poyser recovered a fumble with just over two minutes left.
“It’s a testament to our culture,” Poyser said. “We bend but we don’t break.”
Poyser said the Hurricanes had meetings following the two losses — 24-21 to Louisville and 26-20 in overtime to SMU — to reset. Ever after each defeat, Miami’s goals of reaching the ACC title game and the College Football Playoff weren’t completely gone. The paths got tougher, sure, but paths nonetheless are still there to achieve what they want to achieve.
It all had to start, though, with taking care of their own businesses.
They’ve done that for three weeks. Now, they have to do so at least one more time when they face the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday (noon, ABC) at Acrisure Stadium to end their regular season. A fourth consecutive win at minimum is what’s needed to stay alive in both the conference race and a shot at making the CFP. They could get help along the way — and will need it no matter what to get to Charlotte for the ACC championship — but that isn’t the priority right now.
It can’t be.
“It’s all about us,” Poyser said. “We’ve got to control what we can control. We can’t look ahead. We’ve got to dominate today.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2025 at 12:13 PM.
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