PITTSBURGH \u2014 By the time Miami defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald snagged an interception to cap the Hurricanes\u2019 fourth consecutive blowout victory, pretty much all of their fans who made the trip north had gathered in the first few rows behind the road team\u2019s bench.<\/p>\n
After quarterback Carson Beck took a knee out of victory formation, some Miami players celebrated with their bundled-up supporters, posing for selfies and tossing gear into the stands. Malachi Toney, Miami\u2019s fabulous freshman, took a jog down the railing, handing out high fives.<\/p>\n
No. 12 Miami pummeled No. 22 Pitt 38-7 on Saturday to close its regular season. The Hurricanes (10-2), though, did not clinch anything. Their victory assured them of nothing in the postseason.<\/p>\n
They were expected to spend the rest of Saturday watching scoreboards, hoping for some combination of results involving about a half-dozen teams that would allow them to keep chasing championships. Nothing broke the Canes\u2019 way.<\/p>\n
This much is clear, though. Regardless of whether Miami makes the College Football Playoff, the Hurricanes are a Playoff-worthy team. Not only are they good enough to be in the field, but they are good enough to beat just about anybody else that gets in their way.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe dominated from the beginning to the end, and it kind of fits what we\u2019ve been doing as a football program. We\u2019re playing our best and getting our healthiest towards the end of the year,\u201d coach Mario Cristobal said. \u201cPlaying our best football right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cristobal added a not-so-subtle reference to Miami\u2019s signature victory of the season, a 27-24 win against Notre Dame to open the season on Labor Day weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, not only do we pass the eye test, we pass the field test, right?\u201d Cristobal said. \u201cEspecially as it relates to playing this brand of football down the stretch and in head-to-head competition versus others that are being judged in the same little pool that we are as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Miami-Notre Dame debate has raged since the first selection committee rankings were released a few days after Halloween.<\/p>\n
The Irish (9-2) have not lost since dropping a 1-point decision against Texas A&M in Week 3. They finish their season Saturday night at Stanford. The Hurricanes hit a rough patch at the absolute worst time, losing to Louisville and SMU by a combined nine points leading into the committee\u2019s first rankings release. Miami came in at 18, with Notre Dame at No. 9.<\/p>\n
The Hurricanes have been playing catch-up ever since, the result on the field between the two teams not swaying the committee.<\/p>\n
They have slowly closed the gap on still-No. 9 Notre Dame, but whether they can get ahead of the Irish and into the Playoff without some help has looked less likely with every passing week. Results be damned.<\/p>\n
Since falling at SMU, Miami has outscored its opponents 151-41.<\/p>\n
Beck, the high-priced Georgia transfer, has led the finishing kick. Over his past four games, he has completed nearly 80 percent of his passes, with 11 touchdowns. His only interception came in the fourth quarter against Pitt, with the score 31-7. Toney was brilliant Saturday with 165 total yards, a touchdown catch and a TD pass, and Rueben Bain Jr. had 1.5 sacks for a defense that allowed just 229 yards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve shown that we can compete with anyone, and that we have a really, really talented team,\u201d Beck said. \u201cNot just a few talented players here and there, but a really talented team that is really efficient, that plays really, really well in all three phases.\u201d<\/p>\n
It starts up front. Miami\u2019s lines are loaded with future NFL Draft picks, from Bain and Justin Scott on defense to Francis Mauigoa on offense. Center James Brockermeyer started his college career at Alabama before making his way to Miami via TCU.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just as talented as any team I\u2019ve ever been on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
It might not matter, but Miami has been determined not to go quietly and make it as difficult as possible for the committee to keep it out of the Playoff.<\/p>\n
This post-Thanksgiving trip to Pitt seemed like the perfect trap. Winter temperatures greeted Miami, but with no wind or precipitation, the elements weren\u2019t really a problem. Beck warmed up with cutoff sleeves before the game, while the sun was still shining. They played under overcast skies, with temps in the mid-30s.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s too cold, Coach,\u201d Beck told Cristobal as the coach greeted his quarterback with a hug and smile outside the locker room after the game.<\/p>\n
There is some history of Miami\u2019s Playoff hopes dying here at the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers against a Panthers team with a freshman quarterback.<\/p>\n
Back in 2017, the Hurricanes were ranked No. 2, poised to go into the ACC title game with a chance to make the four-team CFP. That day, Kenny Pickett and the Panthers, who didn\u2019t even reach bowl eligibility that season, beat the undefeated Canes 24-14 to push Miami into a three-game losing streak to end the season.<\/p>\n
These Hurricanes are built more like the Big Ten and SEC teams the committee fawns over each year. Miami overwhelmed Pitt (8-4) and freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel much the same way Notre Dame did a few weeks back.<\/p>\n
The Irish jumped out to a 14-0 lead early and cruised to a 37-15 victory over the Panthers on Nov. 15. Miami was more methodical, but when the Hurricanes got it rolling, Pitt never really had a chance.<\/p>\n
Beck\u2019s 9-yard touchdown pass to CharMar Brown made it 31-7 with 3:09 left in the third. The sparse home crowd at Acrisure Stadium hung around just long enough for the fourth-quarter \u201cSweet Caroline\u201d singalong, but otherwise, the matter had been settled.<\/p>\n
However, if Pitt was going to keep calling timeouts on defense late in the game, Miami was happy to keep playing, too. With 41 seconds left, Beck found CJ Daniels for a 33-yard touchdown to punctuate the blowout. A Miami cheerleader sprinted behind the end zone with a huge flag featuring the famous U logo to celebrate.<\/p>\n
Daniels is one of those guys who has been battling injuries in the second half of the season. Without him \u2014 and with leading rusher Mark Fletcher in and out of the lineup, too \u2014 Toney has become the focal point of the offense. Including his two pass attempts, he had 20 touches on the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere might not be a better and more exciting player in the country right now than Malachi Toney,\u201d Cristobal said.<\/p>\n
After Pitt took a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter, Miami unleashed Toney. The receiver who came to The U with the nickname Baby Jesus made a sensational one-handed catch near the sideline for 19 yards. A few plays later, he flipped a 9-yard touchdown pass to Elija Lofton to put the Hurricanes up 10-7.<\/p>\n
We’re thankful trick plays exist. <\/p>\n
\ud83d\udcfa ABC x @CanesFootball<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/caTJkPQZ8a<\/a><\/p>\n