The Miami Hurricanes' losing skid to the North Carolina Tar Heels is over. For the first time since 2019, the Hurricanes took down the Tar Heels, ending a five-game slump. North Carolina was up for the challenge, as expected, and the 38-35 win was as close as the score made it look.
However, 1-0 for the week and 8-0 for the season should be enough to keep the Hurricanes at No. 1 in the AP Poll. The CFP Rankings are a different story, and we'll deal with that on Tuesday. There's also that game with Notre Dame coming up, and we can finally talk about it.
For now, it's winners and losers time from Miami's 38-35 win over North Carolina:
Winner: The offense was a model of efficiency
Miami had seven full possessions on offense Saturday and scored on six of them (five touchdowns and a field goal). North Carolina did a great job at controlling the clock, shortening the game, but the Hurricanes answered on offense each time, and it was the big guns finding the end zone with Mark Fletcher scoring three times and Malachi Toney catching two touchdowns, including the game winner. This is why they gave the big NIL deal to Darian Mensah (274 yards passing, 36 yards rushing, 3 TDs) because he showed the composure needed in those moments when things got tight.
Winner: Malachi Toney hits the 1,000 yard mark
Toney is going to be an All-American and could very well win the Heisman Trophy. It took the Miami native just eight games to reach the 1,000-yard milestone after pulling in seven catches for 75 yards. Toney has 73 catches for 1,027 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, on pace to shatter all the records he set as a freshman.
Winner: Marquise Lightfoot came up big when it was needed most
The Hurricanes' defense was not good at all (more on that later), but Lightfoot fought through the adversity and kept coming. His strip sack of Billy Edwards in the fourth quarter led to the only turnover of the game, and a few plays later, Toney's touchdown sealed the deal. Lightfoot had seven tackles, two sacks, and the forced fumble to carry the water for the struggling Miami defense.
Loser: The rest of the defense had a night to forget
If Edwards' name is called on the first two days of the 2027 NFL Draft, we can point to this game as the springboard that got him there. Edwards looked like a superstar against the porous Hurricanes secondary, carving them up for 341 yards and four touchdowns. Guys were open everywhere, especially tight end Jelani Thurman (five catches, 70 yards, two touchdowns). The injuries in the Miami secondary have been numerous, and that showed on Saturday night.
Loser: The defense has to start getting teams off the field
North Carolina was 8-of-11 on third downs, meaning that the Hurricanes had many opportunities to stop the bleeding and failed to do so. In the first half, it was Edwards catching the secondary in soft coverage on third-and-long situations,, but later in the game, the Tar Heels were winning on first down and put themselves in short-yardage situations that Miami couldn't stuff. This kind of stuff can't continue for the Miami defense.
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