As fans looked to blame Miami quarterback Carson Beck, the officiating, or head coach Mario Cristobal for the embarrassing loss to the SMU Mustangs, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson was just simply pissed off.
His frustration was more than just palpable during the loss; it was audible and visual as well, as Dawson yelled at players on the sidelines and even at Cristobal himself.
Beck was back to his interception-heavy style of play, throwing two picks and just two touchdowns throughout the game. While he completed over 68 percent of his passes, those two interceptions were game-altering and were a big reason SMU pulled off the overtime win.
The running back room even had a decent performance with 159 rushing yards by the Canes, but Dawson's frustrations truly boiled over when RB CharMar Brown failed to find the gap.
Shannon Dawson isnt happy.
— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) November 1, 2025
I think he's saying Brown has to hit the hole. pic.twitter.com/afOEfMYp0P
By the time this loss was official, fans were starting to realize that this season might not be any different than the many, many disappointing seasons before it, even though it had looked so promising at times.
Now, the Hurricanes would undeniably drop out of the top 10 and would likely see themselves without a berth into the College Football Playoffs. With a 6-2 overall record but a 2-2 record against ACC opponents, the future just wasn't quite as bright as it used to be.
Also read: Mario Cristobal doesn’t hide his frustration after infuriating Miami loss to SMU
Luckily for Miami, the remainder of the season isn't all that intimidating. The Canes will host the Syracuse Orange and NC State Wolfpack before visiting Virginia Tech Hokies and Pitt Panthers to close out the year.
The last four opponents were all unranked, and Pitt was the only one with a winning record (4-1) against conference opponents.
While this year isn't what fans had hoped for, the Hurricanes can lean on the fact that since taking over the program in 2022, Cristobal has led the team to a better record every year, and if Miami wins out, the same could be true for this season (depending on a win in the postseason).
Miami and Syracuse were scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 8, and the game would be available on ESPN (likely not available for YouTube TV subscribers still).