Canes Dominate Pitt 38-7 in Regular Season Finale
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — From start to finish this season the Miami Hurricanes have proven to be a team that’s built for speed, built for toughness, built for creativity, built for resiliency, built for all kinds of weather.
Built for a playoff.
All of those traits were on display Saturday off the frigid intersection of Pittsburgh’s three rivers as the No. 13 Canes dominated No. 24 Pitt 38-7 in the regular season finale for both teams. After trailing 7-3 early, Miami scored the game’s final 35 points.
The Canes improved to 10-2 overall and 6-2 in ACC play, posting their first back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins since 2002-03. The Panthers fell to 8-4 and 6-2 in conference play. The two spots in next Saturday’s ACC Championship Game in Charlotte are still up for grabs pending results from later today.
Wide receiver Malachi Toney continued his dazzling maiden campaign, hauling in 13 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown. He also threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end Elijah Lofton and rushed for 30 yards. Toney now holds the school’s single-season record for receiving yards by a freshman (970), breaking Ahmmon Richards’ nine-year mark.
Quarterback Carson Beck completed 23 of 29 passes for 267 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Running back Girard Pringle paced Miami with 10 carries for 82 yards and backfield mate Mark Fletcher rushed for 30 yards and one score. The Canes amassed 416 total yards and had a 29-11 edge in first downs.
Miami’s defense limited the Panthers to 229 total yards, including just 30 on the ground. Defensive end Rueben Bain racked up five tackles and 1.5 sacks, while defensive tackle Ahmad Moten also posted 1.5 sacks. Safety Zechariah Poyser had five tackles and one tackle for loss, while linebacker Wesley Bissainthe recorded six stops.
Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel completed 22 of 32 passes for 199 yards with one touchdown and one pick. Wide receiver Raphael Williams had five catches for 66 yards. Linebacker Kyle Louis paced Pitt with 12 tackles.
Both defenses got off to a good start as Moten sacked Heintschel on the first snap of the game for a 10-yard loss. The Panthers went three and out and the Canes took over at their 37 before defensive tackle Isaiah Neal sacked Beck for a 15-yard loss to force a punt. On the ensuing possession, Bain dropped Heintschel on third down and Miami got the ball back at its 36.
Beck connected with Toney three times for 27 yards and Pitt was hit with a 15-yard personal foul penalty, which moved the ball all the way to the Panthers 15. But Pitt’s defense forced a field goal attempt and Carter Davis booted a 29-yard field goal to give Miami a 3-0 lead.
Pitt went for it on 4th and 1 from its own 34 and running back Ja’Kyrian Turner picked up the Panthers’ initial first down. Four plays later Heintschel looked deep for wide receiver Cataurus Hicks, who cradled the ball for a 40-yard gain down to the Miami 11. Heintschel then connected with running back Juelz Goff, who took a screen pass and dove to the one-yard line. On 2nd and goal Heintschel found a wide-open Justin Holmes in the flat and the tight end gave the Panthers a 7-3 lead 40 seconds into the second quarter.
Wide receiver Keelan Marion returned the ensuing kickoff to the Canes 44. Beck connected with wide receiver JoJo Trader to move the chains, and then looked deep for Toney, who made a gorgeous, one-handed catch for 19 yards down to the Pitt 21. Three plays later, Toney took a shotgun snap and lofted a nine-yard scoring toss to Lofton. Miami regained the lead at 10-7.
Heintschel quickly completed a 37-yard pass to Williams to the Miami 37. But Bain and Moten combined to sack Pitt’s signal caller, forcing a 43-yard field goal attempt by Trey Butkowski. He pushed it right and the Canes took over on their 25.
Beck went back to work, converting a third down with a short pass to Toney before rolling out to find tight end Alex Bauman for a 23-yard gain. Two plays later, Beck connected with Toney down the left sideline for a 22-yard touchdown. Miami’s lead was double digits and stayed that way until the halftime whistle.
The Canes got the ball to open the second half and Beck found Bauman for another big gain, this one a 33-yarder down to the Pitt 28. Two unsportsmanlike conducts penalties – including one on a third down incompletion – gave Miami a first and goal at the eight-yard line. Three plays later Fletcher bulldozed his way into the end zone for a four-yard score and the Canes were up 24-7.
Miami’s defense forced a three-and-out and the Canes took over at their 41. Pringle scampered 38 yards down the left sideline before Toney took another direct snap and picked up 12 yards to set up first and goal at the four-yard line. Two plays later, Beck found running back Marty Brown for a nine-yard touchdown pass and the lead was 24 points.
Heintschel connected with wide receiver Censere Lee for a 31-yard gain to the Miami 40. Four plays later Pitt went for it on 4th and 3 but stopped Holmes short of the sticks and the Canes took over on downs. The Panthers forced a punt, but Dylan Joyce pinned Pitt back at its one-yard line. Miami eventually got the ball back and drove down to the Pitt 19 but Beck was picked off by safety Cruce Brookins.
The Canes forced the Panthers’ sixth punt of the game and Beck threw a 33-yard scoring strike to wide receiver CJ Daniels to cap a seven-play touchdown drive. Safety Bryce Fitzgerald intercepted Heintschel to put an exclamation point on Miami’s sixth win in its last seven trips to the Steel City.
