After the Hurricanes fell to the Mustangs, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal found one of the more niche arguments to pass off blame: SMU somehow mimicking the Canes' snap counts.
He also argued that a blown whistle should have led to a roughing penalty on Miami defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot to never getting called.
While Cristobal's arguments were a little out of pocket, and most Hurricane fans were still blaming their head coach or their quarterback, Carson Beck, for the loss, the accusations caught the attention of SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee, who responded with a hot take of his own.
"No snap counts were mimicked (confirmed by the obvious zero flags called for it) - however - that Ford Stadium crowd was rocking all day!!! Drawing multiple False starts and delay of games and timeouts! Thank you, Mustang Family!! You were the difference yesterday! Our players fed off you!! Let’s continue to make Ford Stadium a hard place to play!!!" Lashlee wrote on X.
Rhett Lashlee credits SMU's small crowd for game-winning difference
Now, keep in mind that the Mustangs' home field at Gerald J. Ford Stadium only has room for about 32,000 fans, which was undoubtedly at capacity as the then-No. 10 Hurricanes came to town.
That capacity is a far cry from Miami's home at Hard Rock Stadium, which the Canes share with the Miami Dolphins and can hold well over 65,000 people at a time.
Sure, maybe the Mustangs didn't actually mimic the Hurricanes' snap counts, but crediting the crowd noise is a stretch. However, if what Lashlee is saying is correct, it may be an even more troubling sign for the Canes, who still have to visit raucous crowds like Virginia Tech and Pitt this year.
Cristobal said SMU mimicked Miami snap counts; Lashlee denies that here. Mario also said because whistle was blown for timeout, someone (infer he meant referee) should have stopped Lightfoot from committing killer 4th down roughing penalty before he did. https://t.co/osUYZM4ioh
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) November 2, 2025
The truth of the matter is, offensive mistakes and some sluggishness on defense are what led to Miami's loss against SMU (alongside a few questionable calls by the officials) as Beck's two interceptions stalled a Hurricane offense that was otherwise firing on all cylinders.
Miami has an undeniable chance to bounce back over the next four games, but if more sloppiness like last weekend rears its head, the Canes can undoubtedly kiss their Playoff hopes goodbye.