Carson Beck and the Miami Hurricanes bounced back after their first loss of the 2025 NCAA season. With a dominant showing against the Stanford Cardinal, the Canes showed the rest of the league the ‘U is back’, despite a misstep in the ACC schedule last week.
It wasn’t always pretty, but Miami got the job done over Stanford. Beck and the offense had a very quiet first half, but they hit their stride during the second half, and that was enough to blow Stanford out of the water.
Boasting a 6-1 record in the 2025 college football campaign, the Hurricanes have reason to believe they can give any program a run for their money. After the win at Hard Rock Stadium, true freshman sensation Malachi Toney made that clear with a bold statement.
“That right there was the standard. University of Miami football,” Malachi Toney stated after the win, via ESPN. “We had to bounce back from last week. Coming into the game we knew we had to come in and punch first, and not get punched in the mouth. That’s what Coach [Mario] Cristobal has been stressing all week: play the standard of football, get back on our grind, that’s what we came out and did.”
Confidence
Only a 17-year-old, Toney is already establishing himself as one of the most electric wideouts in college football. The true freshman out of Fort Lauderdale opted to stay home in South Florida and it’s paid off early in his career.
In addition to the speed and elusiveness he brings to the table for Beck’s passing game in Miami, the first-year wide receiver plays with the confidence of an experienced player in the NCAA. Toney made that clear with a bold remark on his punt returns, which shifted momentum onto Miami’s side, setting the Canes up in Stanford’s field.
“All I’ve been telling the guys is give me a hold up in the gunners, and I’ll do the rest. And they did that,” Toney boldly commented during his postgame interview after the 42-7 win.
Next up
While it was a big outing to regain confidence, Beck, Toney, and Miami know that beating Stanford at home isn’t a reason to celebrate too much. The real work begins now, as the Hurricanes hit the road for a trip to Dallas. On November 1, Miami will go up against the SMU Mustangs (5–3, 3–1 in league play) in what’s set to be a crucial ACC showdown.
Moreover, it will truly test Beck and the Hurricanes, as the program in Coral Gables will play its first game outside the state of Florida in the 2025 NCAA season. Whether Beck and Miami can thrive beyond the Sunshine State will soon be put to the test.