It’s clear that the Miami Hurricanes are one of the best teams in the country, but they consistently get in their own way.
With two losses this season, both have come within 10 points. Against Louisville, Carson Beck had his worst game of his college career, throwing four interceptions.
Against SMU, the Hurricanes struggled with penalties, dealing with bad referee calls, and beating themselves by giving gifts to their opponents. Each game the Hurricanes have lost has been because they beat themselves, and ESPN College Football analyst Greg EcElroy knows it.
“Miami, they are their own worst enemy,” EcElroy said. “You look at the penalties, you look at the penalty yards. Twelve penalties, 96 yards, and directly, just gift-wrapped the game to SMU on the game-tying drive. And, all the statistical advantages that Miami could have had, completely negated because of penalties and undisciplined play.”
He dove deep into the game against SMU and why it was such a huge issue for the team.
“If you look at this game, this was a hard one to sum up for Miami,” McElroy said. “To have 400-plus yards of offense and just 20 points—huge issue. To have such a massive advantage in time of possession—huge issue. SMU, prior to overtime, had negative rushing yards, yet still won the game, even though they were completely one-dimensional offensively.”
The Hurricanes have a chance to get out of their own way and have a chance of sneaking into the College Football Playoff. It starts against Syracuse.
Nov 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Anez Cooper (73) looks on from the tunnel as the SMU Mustangs celebrate the victory over the Hurricanes during the overtime period at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
How to Watch: Syracuse Orange at No. 18 Miami
Who: Miami Hurricanes and the Syracuse Orange
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
TV: ESPN
Radio: FM 104.3 WQAM
Last Outing, Syracuse Orange: The Orange are coming off a bye week after dropping its sixth game of the season against Duke 38-3
Last Outing, Miami Hurricanes: The Hurricanes beat themselves once again in an overtime loss. 26-20 against SMU in a terribly coached and executed game.
Last Meeting: The Hurricanes epically blew a 21-point lead against the Orange as they looked to get revenge against the Farn Brown lead team.
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
Follow all social media platforms to stay up to date with everything Miami Hurricanes-related: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and BlueSky.Read More Miami Hurricanes News: