Written by Casz Clayton
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — In front of 66,573 at Hard Rock Stadium, the Hurricanes dropped their first game of the season Friday night, falling 24–21 to Louisville in a matchup that felt like Miami gave it away more than the Cardinals took it.
Quarterback Carson Beck finished 15 of 21 for 202 yards, spreading the ball around with precision early but struggling to find consistency when it mattered most. Miami moved the ball well through the air. Malachi Toney once again proved electric, leading all receivers with six catches for 112 yards, including a 61-yard highlight grab that had the stadium rocking. CN Daniels added 74 yards on 7 receptions, showing chemistry with Beck in key moments.
On the ground, the Hurricanes never found rhythm, totaling just 63 rushing yards. Mark Fletcher Jr. provided the lone rushing touchdown, while penalties and stalled drives erased several scoring chances.
Defensively, Zechariah Poyser, Mohamed Toure, and Wesley Bissainthe each recorded six tackles, Keionte Scott recorded high 9 tackles, keeping Miami in striking distance throughout. The defense forced four turnovers, but the offense failed to fully capitalize, settling for short gains and missed opportunities that left points on the board.
After the game, head coach Mario Cristobal didn’t sugarcoat the result.
“Obviously disappointing evening and outcome,” Cristobal said. “At the end of the day credit to them, they played a good game, but we didn’t coach well enough, we didn’t execute well enough, and we certainly came up short — just not good enough.”
Even with under a minute to go, Miami had life. Down three with timeouts in hand, Cristobal stuck with his process:
“With over 30 seconds left and a couple timeouts, we’re still at 48 yards for the field goal. We were trying to move it closer and win the game,” he explained.
But in the end, self-inflicted wounds told the story. Nine penalties for 68 yards, red-zone inefficiency, and a lack of finishing power turned a winnable game into a frustrating loss… the kind that feels earned for all the wrong reasons.
Miami (5–1) will look to regroup next week as they aim to clean up the details that turned a promising night into a lesson in execution.
The canes take on Stanford at Hard Rock Stadium at 7pm
