The Miami Hurricanes picked up one of their biggest victories in the Mario Cristobal era this past Sunday when they topped last year’s national runner-up Notre Dame in a battle of top 10 teams.
As such, the Hurricanes (1-0) are now a top five team in the latest AP Top 25 poll released Tuesday.
Miami is ranked No. 5 as it prepares for its next contest against an FCS squad in Bethune-Cookman (0-1) on Saturday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The Wildcats are coming off a lopsided 42-9 loss to another Miami-area team, FIU, and are 0-7 lifetime against the Hurricanes. Miami has won all seven meetings at home by an average margin of 41.9 points. The Hurricanes won the most recent matchup, 48-7, in 2023.
The matchup with Bethune-Cookman presumably gives Miami the opportunity to continue to evaluate its roster and perhaps rest starters early should it build a large enough cushion early. The game marks the second of four consecutive home games for the Hurricanes to open the season.
The Hurricanes cracked the top five for the second consecutive season after squeaking past the Fighting Irish 27-24 this past Sunday in a game in which they let a 14-point second-half lead slip away before prevailing on a 47-yard field goal by Carter Davis with 1:04 remaining in the fourth.
There were encouraging signs for a Miami squad with several new faces in key places including its defense, which held Notre Dame to only seven points through the first three quarters and totaled three sacks. The Hurricanes also won the turnover battle, forcing two and not committing any themselves.
Multiple new starters made immediate impacts including true-freshman receiver Malachi Toney, who caught Miami’s opening score in the game on a 28-yard touchdown pass from new starting quarterback Carson Beck.
“It showed the world what we’ve been seeing every week, every day in practice,” Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “He’s been the same guy every day. He’s steady, makes plays every day. He doesn’t get too up or too down. Very consistent personality, high effort.”
The lopsided result was disappointing for the Wildcats, whose coach Raymond Woodie Jr. spoke in the preseason about finishing games better. Last season, Bethune-Cookman lost five games by five points or fewer.
The Wildcats have won only five games combined over the prior two seasons.
FIU never gave the Wildcats a chance to keep the game close as Bethune-Cookman found itself down 28-6 by halftime.
“We have to finish in everything we do,” Woodie Jr. said heading into the season. “At the end of the day, the key is to win more games than last year.”
Bethune-Cookman quarterbacks Cam’Ron Ransom and Timmy McClain each saw action against FIU, but McClain saw the bulk of the work, finishing 18-of-28 passes for 164 yards while Ransom went 5 of 10 for 77 yards.
