No. 2 Miami Stunned by Louisville, ACC Title Race Blown Wide Open

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL — The College Football Playoff picture was violently redrawn Friday night as the No. 2 Miami Hurricanes (5-1, 1-1 ACC) suffered a shocking 24-21 home defeat to the Louisville Cardinals (5-1, 2-1 ACC). The loss, sealed by a late interception, ends Miami’s perfect start and snaps its 10-game home winning streak, marking the highest-ranked road victory in Louisville program history.

The Cardinals, under the guidance of head coach Jeff Brohm, delivered a strategic masterpiece that exposed every lingering flaw in the Hurricanes’ armor. The Cardinals played with fire, attempting trick plays—including a fake field goal for a first down on their opening drive—and rotating quarterbacks to confuse the Miami defense from the opening whistle.

The Four Interception Nightmare

The story of the night was the meltdown of Miami quarterback Carson Beck. Coming into the game, Beck was viewed as a Heisman contender, leading a seemingly unstoppable offense. He finished Friday night with four interceptions—the most he has ever thrown in a single college game.

Defensive Pressure: The Cardinals’ defense, which entered the game ranked No. 1 in the ACC, rattled Beck early and often, forcing two interceptions in the first half alone.
A Costly Final Mistake: With Miami driving in the final minute, down by three and nearing field goal range to force overtime, Beck’s final pass was picked off by linebacker TJ Capers near the 30-yard line, sealing the victory for Louisville with 32 seconds left.

The Cardinals’ Historic Victory

Louisville jumped out to a surprising 14-0 lead and never trailed, proving that Coach Brohm knows how to pull off the improbable. This marks Brohm’s fourth win against a Top-5 ranked opponent while coaching an unranked squad.

Starring Role: Louisville quarterback Miller Moss—the transfer from USC—delivered a composed performance, throwing two touchdown passes to senior wideout Chris Bell. Bell was spectacular, tallying nine catches for 136 yards and two scores, making big catches on critical third-down plays.
The Ground Game: Louisville ran effectively all night, led by Isaac Brown’s 113 yards on 15 carries, neutralizing the ferocity of Miami’s defensive front and controlling the clock.

The ACC Race Explodes

While Miami showed resilience, scoring two late touchdowns in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 24-21—including a score by freshman Malachi Toney—the damage was done. The Hurricanes’ loss means the path to the ACC Championship Game is now a wide-open scramble.

With undefeated Georgia Tech and Duke set to play each other this Saturday, the ACC now has a beautiful, chaotic mess on its hands. Miami is still a factor with its high-profile win over Notre Dame, but its path to the College Football Playoff is now fraught with pressure. For the Hurricanes, the motto now shifts from “Is ‘The U’ back?” to: Survive and advance.