Canes, Bulls Set to Meet in Top 25 Matchup

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Earlier this year as he was recovering from the elbow injury that ended his season last December, Miami quarterback Carson Beck found himself back in his hometown of Jacksonville.

There, while going through his rehabilitation process and getting back into throwing, Beck connected with another quarterback who was also training in Jacksonville and would be leading a Florida team in 2025: USF’s Byrum Brown.

“Very talented guy, very athletic, does a really good job with the deep ball and he’s had two really good games to start the season,” Beck said of Brown. “He’s had a successful career there at USF.”

On Saturday, the two quarterbacks – and the undefeated teams they lead – will meet at Hard Rock Stadium for an in-state showdown that now features not one, but two, ranked teams.

The fifth-ranked Hurricanes (2-0) opened the season with a hard-fought win over then sixth-ranked Notre Dame, which played for the national title last season. Miami followed that up with an efficient and dominant 42-point win over Bethune-Cookman.

USF, meanwhile, knocked off two ranked opponents to open the year – then-No. 25 Boise State and then-No. 13 Florida. Those wins vaulted the Bulls (2-0) into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2018 and helped set up a game that now has storylines aplenty, among them the fact the two teams both call the Sunshine State home and share plenty of connections.

“They’re as meaningful as you can imagine, right? Anytime you play in-state [opponents], those things, they’re rivalry games, naturally, and they last for an entire year, right? So, fan bases, alumni, they’re all juiced up,” Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal said. “The energy brought to the stadium is awesome. The intensity on the field is felt. … And rivalry games, you know how those go. You’re never all the way in it, never all the way out of it, right? You’ve got to play all the way, four quarters, 60 minutes until that clock says zero, and overtime if necessary. So, certainly, a lot of energy behind our program, momentum behind it. We’re looking forward to a great opportunity on Saturday.”

For No. 18 USF, the opportunity at hand is historic. No team has opened its season with wins over three ranked opponents since the Hurricanes did it in 1987. Miami went on to win the national title that year.

And for Miami, Saturday’s game is another opportunity to continue moving the program forward and another opportunity to get better.

“We’ve had the same mentality since January, right? Get in here and work hard. It’s all about work and that’s all that really matters at the end of the day, preparing, getting ready obviously for our – like I keep saying, 12 guaranteed games, now we have 10 more at this point,” Beck said. “Got done with the first two weeks in which I feel like we prepared really well, executed really well and that’s going to be the game plan going into this week as well, just prepare, prepare, prepare and when it’s our opportunity to go out there on [Saturday], go execute and take care of business.”

Through two games, Beck and Brown, his USF counterpart, have been effective leaders for their respective teams.

Beck has completed 42 of 54 passes and thrown for 472 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Brown, meanwhile, has completed 39 of 60 pass attempts for 473 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Additionally, he has rushed for another 109 yards and two touchdowns.

The two teams’ defenses have played well, too, with Miami holding both of its opponents to a combined 27 points, while forcing four turnovers. USF enters Saturday’s game having allowed just 23 points in its first two games, with their opponents turning the ball over four times, too.

And for Miami’s coaches and players, every expectation is that Saturday will be a challenge – even if the Hurricanes have had the upper hand in their series with the Bulls.

The two programs have met six times, with Miami winning five of those meetings, including last year’s matchup.

Last September, the Hurricanes traveled to face the Bulls at Raymond James Stadium. There, the Bulls took a 15-14 lead late into the second quarter before Miami scored 36 unanswered points on its way to a commanding 50-15 win.

Still, despite the success Miami has had against USF, the Hurricanes say none of that matters now. Both teams have changed drastically since their last meeting, and both have championship aspirations.

“They were very different last year when they played against us. They’re very multiple on defense,” Cristobal said. “We saw a lot of man coverage that game and we were okay running the football, not great until the end. But we hit them on some pass plays. They [were] really good with coverage the rest of the season and to start this season, defensively, they’re top two, top five of just about every category relative to the important parts of the game. So, we can expect to see some residue, but [USF defensive coordinator] Todd Orlando, who I had a chance to work with before, is an excellent football coach. Big menu, so you have to prepare for a lot.”

Added Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, “I thought when we came out [last year], they were more aggressive than I thought they would be on defense, as far as coverage. They came out and got in our face, played man, which – before that – they had played a little bit looser. Their effort was really high. They had an edge to them, and we obviously played at their place, so they had a good environment for that game. That had it built up. For the first half of that game, I mean, it was extremely competitive and that’s what I anticipate this game to be. I think their energy’s going to be high. They’re coming off two really quality victories and they should be feeling good about themselves. They’re playing at a high level.”

And for the Hurricanes to remain unbeaten and extend their five-game win streak against opponents from across the state, they know they, too, will have to play at a high level.

“Just watching the two games that they’ve played this year so far against Boise State and Florida, I mean, they look like one of the better defenses in the country from what I’ve been able to see,” Beck said. “They have a lot of athletes. They’re going to challenge you with various pressures, man looks, zone looks. I think their defensive coordinator does a really good job just mixing things up and trying to challenge the quarterback with different looks. So, I’m really excited for the challenge at hand. I do think they’re one of the better defenses in the country and they’ve shown that the first two games. I’m sure they’ll be ready to come in and play, but we’re excited for the challenge.”