Miami Hurricanes prove they are CFP worthy with dominant victory over Pitt

No. 12 Miami blasted No. 22 Pittsburgh 38-7 at Acrisure Stadium, a cold-weather, noon kick that doubled as both an ACC elimination game and another entry on the Hurricanes' College Football Playoff resume.

No. 12 Miami beats No. 22 Pittsburgh 38-7

Miami improved to 10-2 overall and 6-2 in ACC play, giving Mario Cristobal back-to-back 10-win seasons and keeping the Hurricanes alive in both the ACC race and the playoff conversation. Pittsburgh fell to 8-4 and 6-2 in the conference.

Freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney was the best player on the field and the clear difference in the game. Toney caught 13 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, added a 9-yard scoring pass on a trick play and chipped in as a runner and returner, again operating as Miami’s do-it-all weapon in offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson's scheme. Toney also broke the Miami freshman single season receiving yards record for a WR.

Carson Beck delivered the kind of calm, efficient performance Miami needed from its veteran quarterback. The Georgia transfer completed 23 of 29 passes for 267 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He spread the ball to seven different receivers, but kept leaning on Toney in the biggest moments.

Miami’s defense set the tone first. Ahmad Moten opened the afternoon with a sack of Pitt freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel, Zecheriah Poyser followed with a six-yard tackle for loss, and the Panthers went three-and-out on their opening series. After an early Miami drive stalled thanks to a 15-yard sack of Beck, the Hurricane front turned loose again, with Rueben Bain adding another sack to help set up the game’s first points.

Carter Davis knocked through a 29-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead, but Pitt briefly punched back. Heintschel hit Cataurus Hicks on a 41-yard shot, then found tight end Justin Holmes all alone for a short touchdown and a 7-3 Panthers lead early in the second quarter.

From there, it was all Miami. On the next series, Beck uncorked a throw that Toney plucked one-handed for a 19-yard gain. A few snaps later, the freshman took a reverse pass and lofted a 9-yard touchdown to tight end Elijah Lofton to push Miami back in front 10-7. After Trey Butkowski missed a 42-yard field goal on the ensuing Pitt drive, the Hurricanes made the miss hurt, with Beck hitting Toney on a wheel route for a 22-yard score and a 17-7 lead.

Bain and Moten combined on another sack to kill one Panthers drive, and safety Bryce Fitzgerald delivered a hit late in the half that left Heintschel limping and eventually exiting the game. Miami took that 10-point edge to the locker room with three sacks already on the stat sheet.

The third quarter is where Miami turned it into a rout. The Hurricanes opened the half with a 12-play march, helped by a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on Pitt defensive backs Tamon Lynum and Shadarian Harrison. Mark Fletcher Jr. finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run to make it 24-7.

Early in the fourth quarter, Miami’s defense delivered a defining stand, stuffing Pitt at the goal line and winning a review that upheld the turnover on downs. On the very next meaningful sequence, Girard Pringle Jr. ripped off a 38-yard run, and Beck capped the short field with a 9-yard touchdown to CharMar Brown.

Beck added the final exclamation point with a 36-yard strike to CJ Daniels down the sideline, giving Miami its 38-7 margin after Davis’ extra point. The touchdown was Beck's 25th of the season and the 27th receiving score of Daniels' career.

The Hurricanes now need help elsewhere in the ACC — including specific combinations of results involving SMU, Virginia, Duke, NC State and Syracuse — plus chaos in the national top 10 to stay in the thick of the playoff race.