Miami will be hard to beat because of the play of Carson Beck and their physical defense, according to Nick Saban during an appearance on the Pat McAfee show on Friday. Saban specifically mentioned that Miami played more physical than Notre Dame, who he stated is a pretty physical team.
Miami ran 38 times for 119 yards and a touchdown and only allowed two tackles for loss and one sack against Notre Dame. The Miami defense held Notre Dame to 93 yards rushing on 28 carries and had five TFLs and three sacks in key stats that are often utilized to measure physicality.
Miami committed six penalties for 53 yards and Notre Dame had five for 30. Becoming bigger and more physical on the line of scrimmage has been a point of emphasis for Mario Cristobal since being hired as head coach in 2021.
Beck has completed 77.8 percent of his passes for 472 yards, four touchdowns, is only one of 49 quarterbacks nationally who have qualified to not throw an interception and has a 175.64 passer rating. Beck was 20-31 for 205 yards two TDs and no interceptions in the 27-24 Miami win over Notre Dame.
"Carson Beck is a really good Quarterback and he has played exceptionally well..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 12, 2025
This Miami team is physical and they're gonna be hard to beat" ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/FGKosPi9Bn
"I think one of the reasons for that, they're much better on defense. Carson Beck is a really good quarterback and he's played exceptionally well so far this year, but they are physical, man. They played more physical than Notre Dame, which is typically a pretty physical team. So the combination of those two things and the improvement on defense, I think, is going to make this a hard team to beat. "Nick Saban on the Pat McAfee Show
Beck and Miami face a South Florida defense that is 100th nationally, allowing 239.0 passing yards per game. South Florida is 47th, with opponents averaging 5.9 yards per attempt. Miami should have a huge advantage on both lines of scrimmage versus South Florida.
The Miami offensive line outweighs the South Florida defensive line by 56.5 pounds. Saban mentioned to McAfee there is a reason that lightweights do not fight heavyweights in boxing and it has nothing to do with skill. Miami will have a huge advantage in weight and skill against South Florida on Saturday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.