Canes Rewind: A Look Back at the Game Against Louisville

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Each week this season, we’ll take a look at the game that was for the Hurricanes.

Here are some key storylines, numbers of note, and quotes from Miami’s 24-21 loss to Louisville on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

After the win, Miami fell to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in ACC play. Louisville improved to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Cardinals also regained ownership of the Schnellenberger Trophy, a pair of bronzed boots worn by legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger, who coached at both schools.

The Recap

After a three-week stretch that included two off weeks and a road game at Florida State, the Hurricanes returned to Hard Rock Stadium for the first time Sept. 20 when Miami knocked off rival Florida.

Things went differently for the home team on Friday.

The Hurricanes quickly found themselves in a 14-0 deficit after some early trick plays from Louisville and while Miami rallied and had an opportunity to either tie the game or win it late, their mistakes proved too costly to overcome.

Quarterback Carson Beck, whose accuracy helped the Hurricanes open the season with five straight wins, threw four interceptions in the loss, including one on Miami’s final drive in the game’s waning seconds.

And Miami’s running game, which has been solid all season, struggled against a Louisville defense that held the Hurricanes to just 63 yards on the ground.

“We did not run the ball well. We need to do a better job at the line of scrimmage and get downhill, give our guys a chance to make plays and move the sticks,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “We also got ourselves off schedule several times in terms of pre-snap penalties … it changes your play calls. So, all in all, just flat out not good enough particularly. We’ve got to score more points.”

Still, despite the early deficit, the turnovers and the penalties, the Hurricanes had an opportunity late to potentially escape with a win, or force overtime.

With 7:50 left and the Hurricanes down 24-13, Miami’s Keionte Scott forced a Louisville fumble, which was recovered by Zechariah Poyser.

One play later, freshman sensation Malachi Toney – one of the bright spots in Friday’s loss – scored on a 12-yard run. The Hurricanes then used some trickery of their own on the 2-point conversion with Toney, a receiver, tossing the ball to fellow receiver CJ Daniels.

Just like that, the Hurricanes were down 24-21.

Miami’s defense then held Louisville on the Cardinals’ next possession, getting the ball back to Beck and the offense with 4:05 left.

But after the Hurricanes drove into Louisville territory and were on the Cardinals’ 31-yard line, Beck’s final pass of the night was intercepted by T.J. Capers, who snagged the ball just before it hit the ground with 32 seconds left in the game.

The Cardinals then knelt the ball twice, escaped with the win and ended the Hurricanes’ 10-game home win streak.

“Obviously, disappointing evening and outcome. At the end of the day, credit to them. Certainly, they played a good game, but we didn’t coach well enough. We didn’t execute well enough, and certainly, came up short – just not good enough. … We hurt ourselves with some penalties,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Our guys played with a great effort all the way to the end. We gave ourselves a chance to tie it [or] win the game but did not overcome all the issues that we caused ourselves, and again, really good play by the opponent as well.”

Numbers to Know

149 – All-purpose yards for freshman receiver Malachi Toney. Toney had a team-high nine catches for a team-high 135 yards. He also added 14 rushing yards. He had a touchdown run and also threw a pass on a successful 2-point conversion attempt.

5.7 – Average margin of victory for either team in the last three games Miami and Louisville have played. In 2023, the Cardinals edged the Hurricanes, 31-38. Last fall in Louisville, Miami escaped with a 52-45 victory. And on Friday, it was just three points that ultimately decided the game for the Cardinals.

67 – Total penalty yards for the Hurricanes in Friday’s loss. That came after Miami totaled 114 penalty yards in its win over Florida State.

Quotable

“They did a good job lining up to stop the run and playing zone behind it with eyes on the ball. They made some really good plays, and I was probably a little too aggressive at times. That’s on me. We have to protect the ball better. It’s unacceptable, but credit to them. They played hard. A lot of those mistakes didn’t have to happen, and there’s a lot we can fix, starting with me.”

– Quarterback Carson Beck, on the turnovers and Louisville’s defensive performance

“The game is never over until the clock hits zero. Coach Cristobal preaches we need to be a better fourth-quarter team, so that’s what we put indicators on in this game, to go out there and finish.”

– Wide receiver Malachi Toney, on Miami’s fourth-quarter effort to cut the Louisville lead

“Just because you’re upset about a performance, you better go out and do something about it. That’s got to be the complete commitment of everybody. There’s no BS-ing. There’s no excuse-making. There’s no time to sit around and do anything but get back to work and go get better. That’s what it takes. That’s what real men do and that’s what we have to do. That’s what we’re going to do.”

– Head coach Mario Cristobal, on how the Hurricanes have to respond after their first loss of the season

Up Next

Miami’s stretch of seven straight conference games continues next week when the Hurricanes host Stanford at Hard Rock Stadium on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.

The Cardinals are set to host Florida State in one of this week’s late-night games on the West Coast. Stanford is 2-4 entering that matchup, while Florida State is 3-3.