''We Just Had to Put It All Together''

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – It was a game that had a little bit of everything.

Explosive plays. Forced turnovers, including a pick-6. Young players stepping up in the wake of injuries to several veteran starters. A quarterback’s personal milestone. Trick plays.

But ultimately, for the Hurricanes, Saturday’s matchup against Syracuse was proof of how effective they can be when they play clean, complementary football.

After a being held scoreless for most of the first two quarters, Miami scored on four straight possessions, excepting the final one of the first half, when the Hurricanes took a knee just before heading into the locker room.

That stretch set the tone in Miami’s much-needed 38-10 win over conference foe Syracuse.

And, head coach Mario Cristobal said, it showed how resilient his team could be after not only last week’s disappointing game at SMU, but the slow start Saturday.

“That’s a resilient bunch that knows and recognizes what we are. We’re a really, really good football team that has shot itself in the foot a couple of times,” Cristobal said. “But we’ve all seen enough games this year to know that when Miami’s on, Miami really distinguishes itself as one of the better teams. So, we’ve got to do it on a more consistent basis. We just need to keep our eyes looking forward, our mouths shut, go to work and just go get better.”

Before that first touchdown – a trick play that had receiver Malachi Toney tossing a 14-yard scoring pass to quarterback Carson Beck – Miami’s defense found ways to make sure the Orange didn’t get on the board, either.

Syracuse (3-7, 1-6 ACC) punted four times in the first half and turned the ball over twice – once with Keionte Scott picking off quarterback Rickie Collins and returning it 38 yards for a touchdown and once with Akheem Mesidor forcing a fumble and Jakobe Thomas recovering it when the Orange managed to get inside the Miami 10-yard line.

On its opening drive of the second half, Syracuse did manage some points – but it settled for a 38-yard-field goal that wouldn’t be nearly enough once the Hurricanes (7-2, 3-2) found their offensive stride in the second half.

“I think the guys, top to bottom, every guy – even guys that weren’t playing, walk-ons, – showed up to meetings this week. We had a lot of player-led meetings this week where we talked about communication and how we need to approach everything now,” said Thomas, who finished with five tackles, a sack, the fumble recovery and an interception. “I think you guys know what we have a very exciting defense to watch. We just had to put it all together. … We know what it takes and we had fun tonight. I think that’s the biggest thing.”

After that Syracuse field goal, and with Miami holding a 14-3 lead, the Hurricanes got one of their biggest plays of the season – a 61-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Keelan Marion.

The entire drive lasted all of three plays, went 78 yards and took 1:09 off the clock.

Miami’s next possession was a bit more methodical but still resulted in points.

This time, the Hurricanes put together a 9-play, 83-yard drive that ended when freshman Girard Pringle, Jr. scored on a 19-yard touchdown run that pushed Miami’s lead to 28-3 after Carter Davis’ extra point.

Davis would convert on a 36-yard field goal on Miami’s next drive – which came after a Thomas interception – and the Hurricanes capped their scoring in the fourth when offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa rumbled into the end zone on a 3-yard run that he said the Hurricanes had been practicing not for day, weeks or months, but years.

Needless to say, it was a play that generated plenty of excitement and lots of celebrating on the Miami sideline.

“We got down to the, what was it, 4-yard line probably and [Anez Cooper] started yelling at the sidelines that we needed to run the play, the touchdown with Sisi [Mauigoa] and shoot, we went back out there, we called it and everybody’s like, ‘Sisi’s about to score.’ I look and they’re in perfect coverage, perfect defense for us to actually let it hit,” said Beck, who during Saturday’s win surpassed the 10,000-yard mark for his career. “And I’m at the line, I’m just like, ‘Give him a catchable football, just give him a catchable ball. Make sure he catches it.’ So, I probably lofted it a little bit too much, but man, I’m so happy for him. I made sure I ran and grabbed the ball so that no one else took it, so that he could get it on the sideline. I ended up giving it to him on the sideline.”

Joked Mauigoa, “It was a good touchdown, but I was a little mad about it because I wanted to run over somebody.”

There was, ultimately, a lot of good for Miami in Saturday’s win.

But there will be no time to dwell on all that went right.

Instead, the Hurricanes know they have to keep working and keep winning to have any realistic chance of reaching their goal of playing for a championship.

But none of them took what happened against Syracuse for granted.

They just know they need to have more moments and games like those over the course of the next three weeks.

“I think we showed, in spurts, what a really good football team we are,” Cristobal said. “I think we also showed what you see in college football, that games at some points in time, during the course of all four quarters, there’s some back and forth with some stagnant moments and that’s why you keep playing. That’s why the game is four quarters.”

Added Beck, “Just win every day. Honestly, at this point, just keep it simplistic, be efficient and be consistent. I think those are the three words that this team lives by and stands by. And if we can win Monday, then we move on to Tuesday. Win Tuesday, and I think everything will handle itself from there if we continue to do that.”