Keionte Scott shares heartfelt message after Jakobe Thomas dominates NC State

Jakobe Thomas didn't just rise to the occasion on the field on Saturday. He put together one of his best performances while making the Miami defense look like one of the best in the country — and he did it with Keionte Scott cheering him on.

With Scott, a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist, sidelined by a serious right foot injury that is likely to keep him out for the rest of the season, Thomas delivered the game of his Miami career in a 41-7 demolition of NC State.

Watching from the sideline with his right foot in a boot, the senior nickelback jumped on X after Thomas' big game and wrote, "Me and twin go back to back."

The fifth-year senior safety jumped a route late in the first quarter, picked off Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey and raced 60 yards for a touchdown to put Miami up 10-0. Six snaps later, he did it again, undercutting another throw for his second interception of the day as the Hurricanes turned Senior Day into a blowout.

Thomas finished with two interceptions, three tackles and a pass breakup, and the advanced numbers were even louder. Pro Football Focus credited him with allowing just seven yards on four targets, a 0.0 passer rating against and a 96.2 coverage grade. He graded out as the highest-rated player in college football in Week 12 and earned Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week honors.

It was the second straight week Miami's defense changed a game with a pick-six. Scott had a 38-yard interception return for a score in the 38-10 win over Syracuse.

Scott has been one of the best players in the country this fall, a transfer from Auburn who arrived as part of Miami's portal overhaul and quickly became the top-graded cornerback in the nation by PFF while earning Thorpe semifinalist honors. He has been at the center of a defense that has jumped from liability to strength under first-year coordinator Corey Hetherman.

Thomas, meanwhile, took a longer road to the same spotlight. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Tullahoma, Tennessee, native played at Middle Tennessee State and Tennessee before transferring to Miami for his final season. He brought 100-plus career tackles and a ball-hawking reputation with him, but Saturday was his true breakout as a Hurricane. His two interceptions against NC State gave him four on the season, matching his career high from 2022 at Middle Tennessee and pushing him toward the top of the national leaderboard.

The win moved Miami to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the ACC, and very much alive in both the conference title and College Football Playoff conversations. To get where they want to go without their Thorpe candidate, they will need more games like this from Thomas and the rest of a defensive backfield that has gone from question mark to calling card in one season.