Miami committed 12 penalties for 96 yards to four for 40 against SMU last weekend in a 26-20 overtime loss. Penalties have frequently been an issue for Miami under Mario Cristobal, with their opponents having a low number of flags against them.
Miami is 129th nationally during the 2025 season, committing 8.0 penalties per game and 106th with 63.4 penalty yards per game. Miami opponents have been called for 3.4 penalties for 28.6 YPG, which are both 134th nationally.
Before the game even starts, Miami opponents are being spotted nearly 35 yards per game in field position through penalties. In all four seasons under Cristobal, Miami has been called for more penalties per game and yards than its opponents.
In losses to Louisville and SMU in 2025, Miami has been called for an average of 10.5 penalties for 81.5 yards. Louisville and SMU averaged a total of five penalties for 52 yards against Miami. Giving up 81.5 in a game to your opponent significantly increases the chance of losing.
Year | Miami Penalties and YPG | Opponent Penalty and YPG |
|---|---|---|
2022 | 8.0-63.4 | 3.4-28.6 |
2023 | 6.6-67.5 | 5.1-39.5 |
2024 | 6.1-57.8 | 5.9-49.9 |
2025 | 7.0-59.2 | 6.0 54.4 |
Some of the penalties on Miami have been questionable. The most notable of the questionable penalties on Miami was an unnecessary roughness call on defensive end Marquise Lightfoot against SMU.
With SMU facing fourth and nine at its own 48-yard line, Miami called timeout after seeing how the Mustangs were set up offensively. Lightfoot bumped into SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings and was called for unnecessary roughness to give the Mustangs an automatic first down.
ESPN analyst Greg McElroy disagreed with the unnecessary roughness call on Lightfoot on his Always College Football podcast earlier this week. It seems that the badboy reputation of Miami is continuing to haunt the Hurricanes about 35 years later.
Great research by @Cafecito_n_Cane
— Greentree All-American (@NordyCane2) November 3, 2025
Since 2014 Miami has ranked statistically near the bottom for penalties per game:
2014 -112th
2015 - 128th
2016 - 108th
2017 - 34th
2018 - 65th
2019 - 113th
2020 - 111th
2021 - 114th
2022 - 108th
2023 - 80th
2024 - 98th
2025 - 134th
Miami did not receive an answer after querying the ACC for multiple calls against SMU that included the one on Lightfoot. Cristobal has called the repeated penalties a problem and said that Miami needs to play "smart situational football."
Pre-snap penalties and personal fouls have been the biggest issue for Miami. The penalties too often hinder or lead to ending Miami's drives of extending possessions of opponents. Miami has two losses by a total of nine points, one of which occurred in overtime.
Cristobal has often stated how conference games frequently are decided by one possession. Miami is too often its own worst enemy. If Miami had significantly decreased penalties against Louisville and SMU and eliminated or at least minimised turnovers, the Hurricanes might be 8-0 heading into the final third of the regular season.