Canes Wallop Wolfpack

FOOTBALL —
Miami (8-2, 4-2 ACC) is on the outside looking in at a chance for a spot in either the ACC Championship Game or the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Now ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll and with their destiny no longer in their control, all the Canes can do is win — and win impressively — while hoping for losses by other teams competing for playoff and conference championship spots.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack (5-5, 2-4) were the visitors at Hard Rock Stadium last Saturday afternoon. Miami took care of business with a dominating 41-7 win. The Hurricanes were missing key starters on both sides of the ball.

Head Coach Mario Cristobal had this to say in his postgame opening statement: “… certainly a big boost for our guys, and I am really proud of our team being down a significant amount of starters, coming out and maybe playing the most complete team football game of the year. Very much a game where it was complementary, both sides, showing up where they needed to.”

Miami opened the scoring with a field goal on its first possession. A 60-yard interception touchdown return by safety Jakobe Thomas put Miami up 10-0 after the first quarter. A one-yard touchdown run by Marty Brown and a Carson Beck-to-Malachi Toney 14-yard TD pass made it 24-0 at halftime.

A Beck-to-Elija Lofton 29-yard TD pass, a field goal, and another Beck-to-Toney TD connection put Miami up 41-0. NC State scored a TD against Miami’s backups late.

Beck was 21-for-27 with three TDs. Ten Canes had receptions in the contest. Keelan Marion led the receivers with seven for 96 yards. Toney had five for 54 and two touchdowns. True freshman Girard Pringle led the rushers with 116 yards on 17 carries.

The Canes head to Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Saturday, 11/22, to take on rival Virginia Tech (Noon, ESPN).

MEN’S BASKETBALL —
The Canes (3-1) played defending national champion Florida in Jacksonville on Sunday, 11/16. Miami has no returning players on its 13-man roster. The squad is in a learning and growing process.

Taking on Florida was their first test against a top-tier opponent and the Canes fell 82-68. Canes Corner grades Miami’s performance against UF as C+.

Miami’s defense was mostly solid as they held Florida to 45.8% shooting and 31.0% from deep. The Canes won the turnover battle, forcing 14 from the Gators while committing 10.

Miami had a very poor shooting night, going 33.8% from the floor and 27.8% from beyond the arc, and missed 12 foul shots. Malik Reneau had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

The Canes host Delaware State on Sunday, 11/23, at 1 p.m. before heading to Orlando for an ESPN Thanksgiving Tournament.

Miami will play Baylor on Thanksgiving Day (5 p.m., ESPN), and either Dayton or Georgetown on Friday, 11/28 (TBA, ESPN/2/U). Miami will play five more games before the 18-game ACC conference slate opens at home against Pitt on 12/30 at 7 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL —
The Lady Canes (3-0) handed the Florida Atlantic Owls (2-1) their first loss of the season with an outstanding performance at the Watsco Center on Thursday, 11/13. Miami never trailed and led by as many as 34 in the 79-47 win. All 13 Canes played and contributed.

Amarachi Kimpson led the scoring with 14, Shay Kyle added 13, and Gal Ravi had 12. Jessica Peterson finished with nine points and nine boards without a turnover.

Competition heats up when the Canes go on the road to play Davidson (4-1) and Iowa (4-0) in Orlando on 11/20 and 11/22. From Orlando, Miami travels to George Town, Grand Cayman, to play George Washington (1-3) and Oklahoma State (5-0) on Nov. 28 and 29.

These games will provide needed challenges before they return home for the SEC Challenge against Kentucky on 12/3 and the conference opener against NC State on 12/7.

VOLLEYBALL —
Miami Volleyball (22-5, 12-4) continues to amaze. They are led by Outside Hitter Flormarie Heredia Colon and Setter Ariana Rodriguez, who both compete on the Dominican Republic Olympic team. Head Coach Jose “Keno” Gandara has done a remarkable job blending transfers and freshmen into the lineups.

The team has only five returnees this year, and one, starter Ava Carney, has been out six weeks with an injury. Miami’s major goal this season is to be in the NCAA Volleyball Selection Committee’s top 16 when tournament seedings are announced on Sunday, 11/30, at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Miami has four matches left and will likely need to win all of them to earn the right to host the opening rounds.

On Friday, 11/21, Duke visits at 7 p.m. On Sunday, 11/23, at 1 p.m., North Carolina will be in Coral Gables. NC State visits on Wednesday, 11/26, at 2 p.m. Miami’s final regular-season game will be at North Carolina on Saturday, 11/29, at 1 p.m.

The North Carolina match on Sunday will be a special and emotional contest. UM Football Hall of Fame member Sean Taylor’s daughter, Jackie Taylor, is a star on the Tar Heels team.

Sean Taylor was murdered in a home invasion robbery on 11/27/2007 as he, his wife Jackie, and their daughter Jackie — then 1 year and 6 months old — were sleeping.

Sean Taylor grew up in Florida City and Homestead. He led Gulliver Prep to a Florida State Championship in 2000 and was a safety on Miami’s 2001 National Championship team.

He was the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL Draft by Washington and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2007.

Jackie led Gulliver Prep to its first-ever Florida State Volleyball Championship and was the Miami Herald’s 2024 Miami-Dade Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year.

On Friday, 11/14, the Canes played at Notre Dame and won in four sets. Miami took the first two sets by identical 25-14 scores with an incredible 82% side-out advantage (52%+ is good; 58–65% very good; 66–72% elite; 82% unheard of).

Miami lost the third set 24-26 but rebounded with a 25-18 fourth set to close the match. Ariana Rodriguez recorded her 2,000th career assist.

On Sunday, 11/16, Miami dropped a heartbreaker at No. 7 Louisville. The Hurricanes notched season-highs in kills (76), digs (57), and blocks (11), but it wasn’t enough. Even Heredia Colon’s school-record 43 kills and Rodriguez’s career-high 63 assists couldn’t secure the win.

UM took the first two sets (25-22, 29-27). Louisville edged Miami 25-23 in the third, won the fourth 25-19, and sealed the match 15-12 in the fifth.

Volleyball games are played at the Knight Sports Complex on San Amaro Drive with free admission.
For Friday’s 7 p.m. match against Duke, arrive by 5:45 p.m.
For Sunday’s 1 p.m. North Carolina match, arrive by 11 a.m.
If you can’t get in, matches are shown on a giant screen at nearby Cobb Field.

That’s it for now. Be well all and Go Canes!