Offense Puts on a Show in Win over Wolfpack

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – There have been more than a few big performances this season.

Miami opened the year with a thriller over Notre Dame. Ranked wins over USF and Florida State followed. In between there were victories over two more in-state foes: Florida and Bethune-Cookman.  And there have been crucial conference wins, too.

In none of those wins, though, did the Hurricanes’ offense shine the way it did in Miami’s regular-season finale, a 41-7 win over NC State on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.

Miami totaled a season-high 581 yards of offense.  Ten different Hurricanes caught at least one pass, with three – Keelan Marion, Malachi Toney, and Joshua Moore – each totaling at least 55 receiving yards.

Quarterback Carson Beck completed 78 percent of his passes and threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns before turning the reins over to reserve quarterback Emory Williams early in the fourth quarter.

The Hurricanes dominated in every offensive statistical category despite being without leading rusher Mark Fletcher Jr. and veteran receiver CJ Daniels, both of whom are recovering from injuries.

That, head coach Mario Cristobal said, is a testament to his team’s strength and resilience.

“They just are a very determined group,” Cristobal said. “To put together, last week and this week, to put together their best week of preparation and then bring it to life on Saturday, I think it speaks volumes of them as human beings, as competitors, as teammates with a real high care-factor to go out there and produce and play the best we can.”

With Fletcher sidelined, the Hurricanes entrusted Girard Pringle Jr. with the starting role and the freshman delivered in his first start.

Pringle rushed for a game-high and career-high 116 yards on 17 carries. He added 32 receiving yards and finished the day with 148 all-purpose yards.

His performance came after a 55-yard effort last week against Syracuse – and after Pringle ran drills with both the scout team and the second offense to prepare for Saturday’s game.

“With what he did last week, it wouldn’t be professional not to give him an opportunity to go out there and see what he could do, and he did not disappoint,” Cristobal said. “He did a great job, and Marty [Brown] did a great job as well. We blocked well. We opened up some lanes and the other ones, he made happen on his own. … He earned it. It certainly wasn’t just handed over, but it’s like anything else … that guy last week was splitting reps, running down to the scout team and then running over and getting reps with the twos. Another example of if you work your tail off, and you perform when your number is called, you’ll be rewarded with reps.”

Meanwhile, a freshman who has been in the starting lineup for a bit, continues making an impact for the Miami offense, too.

Toney has been a reliable pass-catcher all season, but in recent weeks has shown his ability to do more than catch the ball.

He’s proven he can throw it, too.

In last week’s game against Syracuse, Toney completed a touchdown pass to Beck. Against NC State on Saturday, he heaved a 44-yard pass downfield that helped set up a touchdown and pushed his quarterback rating to 461.2.

It dropped sharply after his second pass of the day wasn’t caught, but Toney’s talent, combined with his willingness to do whatever his coaches ask of him, has made him a quick fan favorite in South Florida and a leading contributor for the Miami offense.

“His QBR’s going to go down because he missed that pass for a touchdown,” Cristobal quipped after the win. “I know I’ve said it before, it sounds like a broken record, but the best part about that guy is his approach. It’s a relentless, manic OCD … with an unbelievable attitude, with unbelievable energy and just his approach to the game. Everything he wants to do is get better and help his teammates win. Watch him when his teammates are scoring and having success. You’ll see more energy than when he scores himself. It’s really awesome to see.”

Added Toney, “I just enjoy being out there with my brothers and being able to execute any play that’s given to us, no matter what the defense is. So, that’s what I find fun, that we can impose our will on the team, the opposing team, no matter what play is called.”

The rest of Miami’s receivers corps were efficient and effective, too.

With Daniels out, Marion stepped up, catching seven passes for 96 yards. Toney had five catches for 54 yards, and freshman Joshua Moore stepped up, making two catches for 56 yards.

In all, the Hurricanes totaled 367 yards in the passing game and that – along with everything else the offense did Saturday – is something the Hurricanes can be proud of and build on as they now prepare to close out the regular season with back-to-back road games against ACC opponents Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.

“We’ve been really good. We’ve been really good and we’ve really kind of found our rhythm again in the pass game, the run game and just playing complementary football on offense, which is so, so important,” Beck said. “And then also just being able to find explosive plays. There’s so many talented playmakers all over the field, from the wide receivers and running backs, tight ends. … There’s so many playmakers you don’t know who’s going to pop off and have a night. So, again, just continue to roll and continue to get better and work. Don’t get complacent and be happy with a really good game. Let’s go try to have a better one next week.”