The No. 12 Miami Hurricanes spoiled senior day Saturday and earned a 38-7 statement win over the No. 22 Pitt Panthers at Acrisure Stadium, keeping their ACC title and College Football Playoff hopes alive.
The Hurricanes, as of now, have a chance to make the ACC title game, but it’s slim as multiple teams need to lose including SMU and Virginia – both of which played later Saturday. There are eight different ways they can get in, all requiring teams that are favored to win to lose.
Miami’s win ends any hope that Pitt had of reaching the ACC title game, but the Panthers are bowl eligible.
Being 12th in the CFP rankings with wins over Notre Dame, Florida and now Pitt gives the Hurricanes a legitimate path of making the playoffs as an at-large team.
“We can compete with anyone,” Miami quarterback Carson Beck said. “We have a really talented team. Not just a few players here and there, but a talented team. We’re a team that’s efficient that plays well in all three phases in the game.”
The Hurricanes defense disrupted the Panthers as projected top-five NFL 2026 draft pick Rueben Bain racked up four tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 1.5 tackles for losses. Ahmad Moten delivered 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for losses.
Bain, Moten and the rest of Miami’s line certainly left an impression on Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi.
“Did you see what they looked like out there?” Narduzzi asked. “They’re really talented. I mean, it’s an expensive group up front, and they’re talented.”
Miami held the Panthers to 30 rushing yards on 21 carries – or 1.4 yards per carry – and limited Pitt to 87 total yards in the second half.
The Hurricanes rolled up 246 total yards in the second half and 416 yards for the game, nearly doubling Pitt’s 229 yards.
Beck led the offense, completing 23 of 29 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
Freshman Malachi Toney was his leading target, hauling in 13 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.
That wasn’t all; Toney also rushed for 30 yards and threw for a touchdown out of the wildcat formation, faking the run and tossing it over the Panthers defense to a wide open Elija Lofton from nine yards out. Miami retook the lead at 10-7 on that play and never trailed again.
“He’s a special player,” Narduzzi said of Toney. “He’s hard to stop. We should have, and could have, done a better job of stopping him. The one touchdown pass he had down there, we didn’t get the right coverage. He motioned out of the backfield. Things happen fast, and that was disappointing. He was Waldo this week, and we had to know where he was at all times.”
Beck commended Toney and the different problems he presents for a defense.
“You guys can see how he can contribute with trick plays, lining him up in the backfield,” Beck said. “It’s pretty crazy to do as a wide receiver. Again, he’s super impressive and he’s been awesome for us.”
It was all Miami after Toney’s touchdown pass.
Prior to the touchdown, the Panthers offense came alive late in the first quarter when freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel threw a bomb to Blue Hicks, who went up and pulled down a 40-yard jump ball inside the Miami 20.
The Panthers punched it in when Heintschel rolled out and connected with Justin Holmes for a 6-yard touchdown to take a 7-3 lead.
Miami followed up quickly with a three-minute drive that was capped by Toney’s touchdown pass.
On Pitt’s ensuing possession, Heintschel found Poppi Williams deep up the middle for 38 yards to get to the Miami 38. Bain’s sack forced the Panthers to settle for a 43-yard field goal attempt, but Trey Butkowski missed wide right.
Beck then connected with Toney on a wheel route for a 22-yard touchdown to extend Miami’s lead to 17-7 heading into halftime.
Beck’s 33-yard pass to Alex Bauman took the Hurricanes into Pitt territory to begin the second half, but Pitt earned a stop on third down, bringing up fourth down. However, after the play, Pitt’s Shadarian Harrison taunted a Miami receiver, leading to a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The Hurricanes capitalized on Pitt’s lack of discipline as Mark Fletcher Jr. punched in a four-yard run to go up 24-7.
Beck tallied one more touchdown pass, finding C.J. Daniels from 33 yards out.
Heintschel completed 22 of 32 passes for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked four times.
Pitt standout Desmond Reid, who has been injured most of the season, did not get a single carry as he sat out virtually the entire game. Ja’Kyrian Turner, who mustered 201 rushing yards last week against Georgia Tech, was limited to 37 yards on 10 carries against Miami.
Narduzzi’s goal was to stay ahead of the sticks, but Miami was too much as they dominated time of possession.
“The first two series, and I think the third series, we looked pretty good moving down the field, but we didn’t make enough plays,” Narduzzi said. “We didn’t do a good enough job getting them open or blocking them up front and getting first downs period. We lost the time of possession by over 10 minutes.”
Still, Narduzzi said he’s proud of his senior class. A bowl-eligible Panthers team will have its bowl game opponent announced next weekend.
“Our seniors are great,” Narduzzi said. “I wish the field was clear at the end, but our seniors are great. I love those guys and appreciate everything they’ve done for this football team. We get one more opportunity to go as a football team.”
Photos by Mike Longo Jr.
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