The Miami Hurricanes bounced back from their disappointing loss to SMU with a four-touchdown win over a struggling Syracuse team, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Miami needed the win and ultimately delivered the victory. Here are five things we learned from Saturday evening’s game:
**1. The Offense Started Poorly**
Hurricanes fans were growing restless in the first half, as Miami’s first four drives ended in punts. UM did not get on the board through the first 27 minutes against a defense that has been one of the worst in the Power 4 conferences. Several factors tripped the Hurricanes up, including a potential big play that was batted down at the line and mistakes like dropped passes that stalled drives.
As halftime neared, Miami’s offense was clearly struggling — a bad look for a unit ranked just above 50th nationally. Looking ahead, the Hurricanes will need to put pressure on teams early. Miami coach Mario Cristobal said, “I thought the players attacked the opportunities with a lot of energy and I think after some moments of struggling, we finally just cut it loose. I think it’s that simple. We called it more freely, played more freely, and stopped worrying about the outcome, focusing more on the process.”
**2. The Offense Ultimately Showed Up**
After a slow first half, UM began putting points on the board. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson pulled new plays from his bag of tricks, including running wide receiver Malachi Toney as a Wildcat quarterback. Toney threw a touchdown pass to quarterback Carson Beck, who in turn tossed a backward pass to offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa for a touchdown.
The Hurricanes finished the game with 385 total yards, slightly below their season average, scoring 31 points and putting the game out of reach by the start of the fourth quarter. Freshman running back Girard Pringle Jr. provided a spark on offense, averaging 7.9 yards per carry and scoring his fourth touchdown of the season. Cristobal praised him, saying, “Great eyes. He sees it really well. Very explosive. You saw that he has a different gear as well.”
**3. Defense Wins Games**
While Miami’s offense struggled early, the defense dominated. Syracuse’s offense was not the toughest test, but the Hurricanes passed with flying colors. Miami held Syracuse scoreless until the third quarter and consistently caused havoc.
UM recorded a season-high three sacks and 11 tackles for loss. They also forced three takeaways: two interceptions, including a pick-six by Keionte Scott, and a fumble recovery. Defensive end Akheem Mesidor emphasized the defensive mindset: “At the end of the day, if the opponent doesn’t score, they don’t win.”
The one blemish on the defense’s record was run defense. Syracuse rushed for 161 yards, or 214 yards when adjusted for sack yardage, marking UM’s worst performance against the run this season.
**4. Penalties Cleaned Up**
The Hurricanes have struggled with penalties all season, but fouls were not a major issue this week. Miami finished with five penalties for 54 yards — not ideal, but better than the eight penalties for over 60 yards they had averaged entering the game.
Beck commented, “When all three facets of the game — special teams, defense, offense — are all working hand in hand, it creates those types of clean games. You eliminate penalties, you eliminate turnovers, and usually, you have efficient plays that move you in a positive direction, which ultimately leads to wins.”
Importantly, the offensive line cleaned up its act, not having a single penalty called against it after committing five pre-snap penalties in the loss to SMU.
**5. Akheem Mesidor Dominates**
Defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. has received much attention for his excellent season, and rightly so. But Bain’s counterpart on the opposite end of the defensive line, Akheem Mesidor, deserves just as much recognition. Mesidor has been outstanding this season and had one of his best games as a Hurricane on Saturday.
He finished with five tackles, a team-leading 3.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus gave Mesidor a team-best 87 defensive grade. He holds a 90.3 defensive grade for the season, ranking 19th nationally among defensive players with 200 or more snaps.
“As a defensive lineman, the best thing for me is getting sacks,” Mesidor said. “So to be able to do that and then have defensive line coach Jason Taylor come out and celebrate with me is amazing.”
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With this win, the Miami Hurricanes have kept their playoff hopes alive, showing resilience and growth on both sides of the ball. The team will look to build on these positives as the season progresses.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/11/09/five-things-we-learned-in-miami-hurricanes-needed-win-over-syracuse/
