By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
No. 10 Miami Hurricanes scored their first big win by beating No. 6 Notre Dame 27-24 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Carter Davis kicked the game-winning 47-yard field goal, giving the Hurricanes the lead. This is the Hurricanes’ first Top 10 win since 2017 against the Fighting Irish.
Carson Beck made an impressive debut for the Hurricanes. He didn’t make mistakes. He was aggressive. He was locked in. Beck finished the game, completing 20 of his 30 passes and throwing for 205 yards with two touchdowns.
“Our mindset was to go out there and score the ball.” Beck said after the game. “We got it done, and I’m just so excited and thankful for the opportunity.”Â
The Hurricanes’ offensive line did a great job protecting Beck, who was sacked just once. The sack came in the fourth quarter. Beck stayed in the pocket for too long, which resulted in his being sacked.
CJ Daniels was sensational. He had five receptions for 46 yards. Of course, we won’t forget the excellent one-handed catch for a 20-yard touchdown at the end of the second quarter to give the Hurricanes a 14-7 lead.Â
“I’ve been chasing CJ for two years,” coach Mario Cristobal said. “Every time he enters the portal, I miss him. We finally got him. What a play he made. Unbelievable. He’s an exceptional leader. He established a regime and culture.”Â
Wide receiver Malachi Toney caught six passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
The Hurricanes were more physical offensively and defensively than Notre Dame. Both teams are great. Notre Dame is also a physical team, but in this game, the Hurricanes were more tenacious.
Speaking of defense, Miami finally promised that they have a legit good defensive team. It’s the question everyone has been asking last year and even this off-season. The Hurricanes had an incredible offense last year, but their defense was lackluster. It’s only Week 1, but the Hurricanes’ defense made a statement against Notre Dame.
Notre Dame had two turnovers. Rueben Bain Jr caught a big interception in the fourth quarter.
However, the Hurricanes have to improve at holding on to the lead. They led by 10 in the fourth quarter, but Notre Dame slowly began to creep back into the game. The Hurricanes must clean it up for the next game.
The Hurricanes will take on Bethune-Cookman in Week 2 next Saturday.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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