A 5pm UK kick off, 52 points on the board and Malachi Toney breaking another Miami record. After the drama of Florida State last weekend, that was a much more enjoyable way to spend a Saturday evening.
My own viewing was absolute carnage, though: a Chinese takeaway, a car journey, Miami radio and phone updates at a 40th birthday party. I’ll explain the lot in today’s full match report.
Miami returned to Hard Rock Stadium as the nation’s No. 1 team and comfortably defeated Pittsburgh 52-23, moving to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the ACC.
The Hurricanes led 31-7 at half time, and while there were still a few things to tidy up, this was the controlled performance many of us wanted to see after that exhausting double overtime rivalry game.
And right at the centre of it was a player who just keeps getting better.
Sixteen catches. One new Miami record.
I’m running out of things to say about Malachi Toney.
Every time you think you’ve seen his best performance, he produces something else.
Against Pittsburgh, Toney finished with 16 receptions, 194 yards and three touchdowns, setting a new Miami record for catches in a single game.
He had already reached 159 receiving yards by half time, matching Pittsburgh’s entire offensive yardage through the opening two quarters.
Think about that for a moment.
Darian Mensah was outstanding too, completing 31 of his 37 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns. The understanding between the pair is becoming one of Miami’s biggest strengths.
And it wasn’t just the passing game delivering milestones.
Mark Fletcher Jr. scored his 33rd career rushing touchdown, moving into second place on Miami’s all-time list, while Javian Mallory added two more scores. Freshman Gavin Mueller also caught his first touchdown for the Hurricanes.
There was plenty to enjoy across the offence.
A fitting celebration of the 2001 legends
What made Saturday particularly special was the occasion surrounding the game.
Miami honoured the 2001 national championship team, with former Hurricanes including Ed Reed, Clinton Portis and Andre Johnson returning to Hard Rock Stadium.
The current team even wore throwback uniforms inspired by that famous era.
Twenty five years later, Miami were celebrating one of the greatest teams in college football history while watching another unbeaten Hurricanes side take the field ranked No. 1.
You couldn’t have planned the timing much better.
There were still imperfections. Miami committed ten penalties, and Mario Cristobal made it clear afterwards that the team have areas to improve, particularly with their execution and depth.
Defensively, though, holding Pittsburgh to 69 rushing yards was an encouraging response after the Florida State game.
One concern to take into next week is Xavier Lucas, who left the contest injured. Cristobal suggested the injury might not be serious, but further assessment is needed.
The Last Word from Across the Pond
What impressed me most wasn’t simply the score. It was how Miami responded to last weekend’s chaos.
Pittsburgh came into the game with one of the toughest defensive records in the country, yet the Hurricanes found their rhythm, built a commanding lead and gave their legendary former players plenty to celebrate.
Toney deserves the headlines, and rightly so, but this felt like another demonstration of the quality throughout Miami’s offence.
Now comes a different challenge. The Hurricanes travel to North Carolina on Halloween, a place that hasn’t been particularly kind to them in recent years.
At 7-0, the aim is simple: keep winning, keep improving and make sure the story of this season has plenty more chapters to come.
I’ll be back later today with my full match report, taking a closer look at Miami’s performance, the standout players and what this victory tells us about the Hurricanes heading into the next stretch of the season.
And after enjoying a Miami game at a sensible hour, it’s back to an 11:30pm UK kick off next Saturday.
It was nice while it lasted.
