Live updates: No. 12 Miami Hurricanes knock off No. 22 Pittsburgh Panthers 38-7
The Miami Hurricanes handled their business on Saturday.
Will it be enough for UM to get into the College Football Playoff? Only time will tell at this point.
But if nothing else, the No. 12 Hurricanes’ 38-7 road win over the No. 22 Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium — giving UM consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 2002-2003 — was the latest data point showing Miami (10-2, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) is a contender and has a chance to make noise should it get into the 12-team playoff field.
Malachi Toney record
Malachi Toney continues to rewrite the Miami Hurricanes’ record book.
With his 5-yard reception in the third quarter of No. 12 Hurricanes’ regular-season finale at the No. 22 Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday, Toney has surpassed Ahmmon Richards’ school record for most receiving yards by a freshman.
That catch gave Toney 937 yards. Richards had 934 during the 2016 season as a freshman.
Toney also has 80 catches and seven touchdown receptions on the season at the time of setting the record. That’s the second-most receptions in a season ever for a Hurricanes player. Xavier Restrepo has the record with 85 catches in 2023.
Another Miami touchdown
Carson Beck to CharMar “Marty” Brown for a 9-yard touchdown.
It’s 31-7 Miami over Pitt with 4:28 left in the third quarter.
Canes keep tacking on
Miami opened the second half with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a Mark Fletcher Jr. 4-yard rushing touchdown.
The Hurricanes are up 24-7 on Pittsburgh with 9:29 left in the third quarter.
Another Toney touchdown
Carson Beck to a wiiiiiiiide-open Malachi Toney for a 22-yard touchdown.
Toney is now a rushing touchdown away from completing the pass-rush-catch TD trifecta.
17-7 Miami over Pitt, 1:55 left in the second quarter.
And a reminder: UM gets the ball to start the second half.
Another sack leads to a stop
Pitt was marching down the field again, but the duo of Rueben Bain and Ahmad Moten combined for a sack to set the Panthers back.
It forced Pitt to attempt a 43-yard field goal that sailed wide right.
UM still leads 10-7 with 6:10 left in the first half.
Malachi Toney. That is all
Kid’s good, and he was integral in Miami’s first touchdown drive.
He had a one-handed caught for a 19-yard gain AND threw a 9-yarde touchdown pass to tight end Elija Lofton.
UM up 10-7 on Pitt with 11:07 left in the second quarter.
Pitt responds
The third time was indeed the charm for Pittsburgh.
After getting stuffed and manhandled on their first two drives, the Panthers marched down the field for a 75-yard touchdown drive, with Mason Heintschel throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Justin Holmes.
The decision to go for it on fourth down early in the drive deep in their terrritory and a 40-yard pass from Mason Heintschel to Catarius Hicks (a Miami Central alum) against Ethan O’Connor was the highlight of the drive.
7-3 Pitt over Miami, 14:20 left in the second quarter.
Canes score first
Miami opened scoring with a 29-yard field goal from Carter Davis that capped a 9-play, 54-yard drive that stalled in the red zone.
A couple penalties by Pitt’s defense aided the Hurricanes’ cause.
It’s 3-0 Miami over Pittsburgh with 4:31 left in the first quarter.
Another three-and-out for Pitt
Miami Hurricanes sack counter: 2
Rueben Bain this time.
Another three and out for Pitt.
The Panthers have minus-12 yards through two drives.
Miami’s first drive stalls
The Hurricanes’ first drive got near midfield but Carson Beck was sacked on third and 5. Canes have to punt.
Strong defense to start
Three plus, minus-13 yards.
A 10-yard Ahmad Moten sack and a 6-yard Zechariah Poyser tackle for loss bookeneded the three-and-out to start the game.
Saban’s praise for Miami
Whether the Miami Hurricanes make it into the 12-team College Football Playoff or not is still up in the air.
But if the Hurricanes do get in, Nick Saban believes they’ll be a threat to anyone who gets in their way.
“If Miami finds their way into the playoffs, they will be one of the most dangerous team in the playoff — forget about the ACC,” Saban, the seven-time national champion coach, said on ESPN’s College GameDay. “With Carson Beck, the offensive line they have, the skill guys they have, the defense they have — I don’t want to say they underachieved by losing two games, but if they get in this playoff, they are going to be the most dangerous that anybody has to play because of the talent level they have.”
The other games to watch
If you plan to channel surf or set up your quad box on YouTube TV or the ESPN app, here’s a rundown of games to watch that have Hurricanes implications (it was a mixed bag on Friday)
Miami Hurricanes schedule
▪ Week 1: Miami 27, Notre Dame 24 — Carson Beck threw two touchdowns in his UM debut and Carter Davis hit a go-ahead 47-yard field goal with 1:04 left to play as the Hurricanes upset the Fighting Irish.
▪ Week 2: Miami 45, Bethune-Cookman 3 — The Hurricanes scored on all but one possession and had their starters out of the game midway through the third quarter as Miami routed the FCS-level Wildcats.
▪ Week 3: Miami 49, USF 12 — Carson Beck threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns (with two interceptions) and ran for a fourth, Mark Fletcher Jr. had two rushing touchdowns of his own and the defense held USF out of the end zone until the fourth quarter of a rout.
▪ Week 4: Miami 26, Florida 7 — Sloppy play from the Hurricanes’ offense and a strong push from the Gators’ defense kept it close early, but a stout UM defense never allowed Florida to gain momentum and the run game sealed things late as Miami finished non-conference play with a perfect record.
▪ Week 5: Bye
▪ Week 6: Miami 28, Florida State 22 — Carson Beck threw for four touchdowns, two each to CJ Daniels and Malachi Toney, and the defense was solid for three quarters before the Seminoles scored 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarters to make the final score closer than the game appeared most of the night.
▪ Week 7: Bye
▪ Week 8: Louisville 24, Miami 21 — Carson Beck threw a career-high four interceptions and the Hurricanes couldn’t overcome an early 14-0 deficit despite a fourth-quarter comeback attempts
▪ Week 9; Miami 42, Stanford 7 — Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for three touchdowns as the Hurricanes outscored the Cardinal 35-0 in the second half.
▪ Week 10: SMU 26, Miami 20 (OT) — Penalties and self-inflicted mistakes, including five drops and a pair of turnovers on offense, led the Hurricanes to their second loss of the season.
▪ Week 11: Miami 38, Syracuse 10 — The Hurricanes shook off a slow start, took a 14-0 lead at halftime and then dominated the rest of the way to rebound from the SMU loss.
▪ Week 12: Miami 41, NC State 7 — The Hurricanes put together arguably their best all-around effort of the season in a rout of the Wolfpack to keep their playoff hopes alive.
▪ Week 13: Miami 34, Virginia Tech 17 — Carson Beck threw four touchdowns, the defense bent at times but didn’t break and the Hurricanes won a third consecutive game in convincing fashion even if the final score didn’t tell the full story.
▪ Week 14: at Pittsburgh, today
Pregame Miami Hurricanes reading
Need to catch up before kickoff? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald’s coverage over the past few days.
Hurricanes ready for ‘real football weather’ as regular season ends in chilly Pittsburgh
Hurricanes ‘just playing ball’ as they continue pushing for playoff spot
After lackluster start, can Hurricanes’ Elija Lofton finish season on a strong note?
How Miami Hurricanes’ defense depth has shown up amid multiple key injuries
‘Incredible talent’ Malachi Toney having a Hurricanes freshman season to remember
This story was originally published November 29, 2025 at 11:00 AM.
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