Canes Storm Past NC State on Senior Day
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — As the weeks add up on the college football calendar, the stakes get higher and Saturday the Miami Hurricanes delivered a performance to match.
The Canes rode a punishing defense and a ruthlessly efficient offense to a 41-7 statement win over the NC State Wolfpack before a crowd of 59,157 on Senior Day at Hard Rock Stadium.
No. 16 Miami improved to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in ACC play. The Wolfpack fell to 5-5 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
The Canes dominated the scoresheet on all fronts, outgaining State 581-149 in total yards, limiting the Wolfpack to 29 rushing yards, averaging 8.3 yards per play, owning a 13:26 margin in time of possession and converting all five red zone trips.
Quarterback Carson Beck completed 21 of 27 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Girard Pringle posted his first career 100-yard rushing effort, gaining 116 yards on 17 carries. Wide receiver Malachi Toney caught five passes for 54 yards and two scores and completed a 44-yard pass. Fellow wideout Keelan Marion paced Miami with seven receptions for 96 yards. In all, 10 Canes caught a pass.
Defensive end Akheem Mesidor racked up five stops, one sack and two tackles for loss. Linebacker Raul Aguirre also posted five tackles. Safety Jakobe Thomas returned an interception for a score, giving the Canes pick sixes in consecutive games for the first time in eight years.
Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey completed 17 of 30 passes for 120 yards and two picks. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 17 yards. Linebacker Caden Fordham paced State with 11 tackles. State had averaged 32.4 points through its first nine games.
“I want to start by thanking the crowd, they showed up strong, showed up with a lot of energy,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Certainly a big boost for our guys and I am really proud of our team being down a significant amount of starters, coming out and maybe playing the most complete team football game of the year. Very much a game where it was complementary, both sides showing up where they needed to.”
Miami’s defense forced a punt on the Wolfpack’s opening possession, and Beck hit Pringle on a 19-yard pass to get the offense going. Six plays later Beck lofted a gorgeous ball down the left sideline to Marion for a 34-yard gain to the State 18. But a sack pushed the Canes behind the sticks and Miami settled for a 31- yard field goal by Carter Davis and a 3-0 lead.
On the Canes’ next possession, cornerback Devon Marshall jarred the ball loose from running back Marty Brown and Fordham recovered at the State 49. It was Miami’s first lost fumble of the season. But two plays later Thomas stepped in front of a Bailey pass and raced down the left sideline for a 60-yard pick six. The Canes had a double-digit lead.
Thomas struck again on the ensuing drive. State drove to midfield, but Bailey threw across the middle and was intercepted by Thomas at the Miami 37. The Wolfpack defense held and State got the ball back at its 10-yard line, but the Canes forced another three-and-out.
On the next snap. Toney threw deep to wide receiver JoJo Trader for a 44-yard reception down to the Wolfpack four-yard line. Brown punched it in from a yard out two plays later and Miami led 17-0.
Near the end of the half, Beck led another long march, hitting Marion for catches of 18 and 11 yards to get the Canes inside the red zone. Beck then lofted a pinpoint pass to Toney in the right corner of the end zone to increase Miami’s lead to 24-0 at halftime.
If the Wolfpack had any hopes of a comeback they were extinguished on the opening possession of the second half. Beck engineered an eight-play, 85-yard drive, capping it with a 29-yard scoring strike to tight end Elija Lofton. The play was reviewed but upheld and Miami’s lead was 31 points.
State again couldn’t move the chains, and the Canes marched right back down the field, appearing to score on a pass from Beck to Toney. But an illegal shift penalty nullified the play, and Miami tacked on a 38-yard field goal by Davis to push the lead to 34.
The Canes weren’t done as Beck found wide receiver Joshua Moore deep for 32 yards before connecting again with Toney, who glided into the end zone for his second score of the evening – a 15-yard reception that made it 41-0 three minutes into the fourth quarter.
Emory Williams took over at quarterback on Miami’s next drive, which ended with a missed 42-yard field goal by Davis. The Wolfpack finally got on the scoreboard when Bailey scrambled for a 10-yard touchdown with 2:18 remaining.
The Canes hit the road for the final two regular season games, starting with next Saturday’s visit to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech. Kickoff time is TBD.
