Cote: No. 2 Canes, Beck have much to prove after home loss to Louisville | Opinion
The No. 2 national ranking has not been fortunate for the Miami Hurricanes -- not since the glory days and championship era ebbed more than 20 years ago.
The Canes were beaten at home Friday night by the Louisville Cardinals, 24-21, in UM’s first game at No. 2 this season. The result was justified. The whole night was an uphill climb for the favorites. Despite the close final score, Miami got whupped.
The only other time since 2003 that the Canes had been as high as second in the polls was 2017. That year, Miami won its first game at No. 2 ... then proceeded to lose their final three straight games including the ACC Championship to send a promising season crumbling.
Now, eight years later, this loss isn’t season-ruining, assuming it doesn’t prove to be the same harbinger we saw in ‘17.
It is sobering, though. The proverbial wakeup call for an unbeaten UM team that fell hard to the very good yet unranked Cards, and now will fall hard in the next polls.
It invites the question, “How good are the Canes, really?”
It demands the right answer, fast, from coach Mario Cristobal’s guys.
“A really disappointing evening and outcome,” Cristobal called it afterward. “We didn’t coach well enough, didn’t execute well enough. Came up short. Not good enough. Hurt ourselves with penalties. Our guys played with great effort but couldn’t overcome all the issues we caused ourselves.”
An easier home game vs. Stanford is next, then a challenging road trip to SMU.
Miami got handled Friday. Dominated for much of the game. Down 14-0 early and never recovered. The defense vs. both run and pass got owned by the visitors. UM’s usually reliable running game got absolutely smothered. Erstwhile Heisman Trophy favorite Carson Beck threw four interceptions including the killer late, and was only saved from a fifth by a roughing the passer flag.
Louisville had a 24-13 lead in the fourth but a late fumble gifted Miami a 12-yard Malachi Toney scoring run, followed by Toney’s two-point pass, for what proved to be the final score.
There was 7:37 left then. Miami forced a punt, and drove to Louisville’s 31, in position for at least a tying field goal to force overtime.
Then came the tipped pass that ended as Beck’s fourth pick of the night. It was a gamble to pass when already in field goal range.
“Trying to move the ball to make it closer or win the game,” explained Cristobal.
Made all the worse, that final play by Miami was botched by a mistake that led to the pickoff.
“Miscommunication of the plays that should have been run,” admitted Beck. “We ran the wrong play.”
At 5-1 now (so is Louisville), Miami still is in some control whether it gets to and wins the ACC title game and makes the College Football Playoff. But margin of error was lost Friday night.
A second loss may well ruin both ACC title dreams and a CFP shot.
The way this game started, Miami should have been pretty OK with trailing only 14-10 at the half. Grateful, even.
I say trailing only 14-10 because the Hurricanes -- both on the field and also UM’s sideline -- seemed surprised and shellshocked by the pace and trickery Louisville unveiled early. And it buried Miami in an early 14-0 hole.
The Cardinals deployed two quarterbacks on their first play from scrimmage and even a third at times. The used the Wildcat formation at times. The first touchdown was set up by a successful fake field goal.
Miami’s defense seemed flummoxed, giving up a 35-yard TD pass for the second TD.
Plainly, Miami was surprised by how Louisville came out, Cards coach Jeff Brohm one-up on Cristobal’s staff.
“Credit Louisville coaching for doing stuff not expected,” admitted UM defensive back Zechariah Poyser. “We had to adjust to stuff we weren’t prepared for. We got knocked in the mouth.”
Said Cristobal: “They came out with an opening script that was really tough to defend.”
And Beck threw two interceptions in the opening half, both on deep balls into coverage. After the second, pass-thief Jabari Mack made the downward-U gesture with his gloved hands to rub it in.
Despite all of that, UM clawed back to score on Mark Fletcher’s 2-yard run late in the first quarter, set up by Beck’s completions of 30 yards to C.J. Daniels and 40 to Malachi Toney.
Late in the half Miami seemed poised to knot the score but settled for a 27-yard field goal, partly wasting Toney’s 61-yard catch and run to the Louisville nine.
Miami was better in the second half but still had no answer for Louisville’s offense, or its own QB’s four turnovers. And the Cardinals defense was the best UM has played this year.
Hard to believe Louisville was not ranked entering Friday night. Guaranteed that changes when the new polls come out.
Miami had been favored by 13 1/2 points but that whittled to 10 1/2 by kickoff, perhaps foretelling the close game as late gambling money flooded to the Cardinals.
Cristobal had said of Louisville: “It’s as complete of a team as we have faced, or will face, all year long, both in their play style and their talent level. They have done just an excellent job forcing negative plays, disrupting the offense. They just play really hard, really fast. They get to the ball with bad intentions. They force turnovers. Just a really impressive team.”
He wasn’t lying.
The Hurricanes had won 10 straight at home, their longest winning streak at Hard Rock Stadium since moving there in 2008. The last team to beat Miami at home? Louisville, in 2023.
“This game doesn’t define us,” said Beck. “We laid an egg tonight, but it doesn’t throw away the first five games we had.”
Added Cristobal: “We’re all pissed. We’re all upset. But you better go out and do something about it. That’s what were gonna do.”
Former Canes greats at the game and on the sideline included Ray Lewis, Devin Hester and the ubiquitous Michael Irvin.
Before the kickoff Irvin had described UM football history thusly when comparing the championship era of five national titles and the promising team that entered Friday night ranked No. 2:
“Our history,” he said, “their destiny.”
That history is accomplished, and it’s for all-time.
The destiny -- as for the past two-plus decades -- is yet to be determined.
This story was originally published October 17, 2025 at 10:50 PM.
