The Louisville Cardinals collected four interceptions off Miami quarterback Carson Beck to end the second-ranked Hurricanes’ 10-game home winning streak and leave Miami Gardens, Fla., with a 24-21 victory on Friday night.
The last team to defeat Miami at home? Louisville, in 2023.
Chris Bell caught nine passes for 136 yards and two scores for the Cardinals (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who earned their second win ever over a top-two team in the Associated Press rankings. Running back Isaac Brown, who had battled injuries for the past month, ran 15 times for 113 yards.
Beck, who entered Friday as one of the leading Heisman Trophy candidates, finished 25 for 35 for 271 yards, but his four picks were one more than he had in his first five games for the Hurricanes (5-1, 1-1).
The Cardinals led 14-0 less than 10 minutes into the game as Louisville coach Jeff Brohm threw the kitchen sink at the Hurricanes.
Three quarterbacks played during the first drive, which also included holder David Chapeau running on a fake field goal at fourth and 2 at the Hurricanes’ 4. Starting quarterback Miller Moss scored on the next play to complete an 11-play, 75-yard drive with 8:55 left.
Moss found Bell for a 35-yard scoring play on the next possession to finish off a four-play, 46-yard drive.
Despite Beck throwing two picks in the first half, the Hurricanes would cut the deficit to 14-10 by halftime. Mark Fletcher Jr., who was held to 18 yards on eight carries, scored on a 2-yard run before Carter Davis added a 27-yard field goal.
However, after the teams traded field goals in the third, Moss’ second scoring pass to Bell, a 36-yarder, made it 24-13 with 13:27 left in the game.
Moss was 23 for 37 for 248 yards and the two scores. After throwing pick-sixes in each of his last two games, Moss played turnover-free on Friday.
Louisville’s Jo Jo Evans got the Cardinals’ third interception off Beck with 7:50 remaining. However, on the ensuing play, Keionte Scott forced Isaac Brown to fumble the ball at the Cardinals’ 25. Zechariah Poyser recovered it and returned it to the Louisville 12.
Malachi Toney scored a touchdown on the ground on the next play and added a two-point pass to CJ Daniels on the conversion to make it 24-21.
Toney, a freshman receiver, caught nine passes for 135 yards and ran twice for 14 yards.
After forcing a punt, the Hurricanes got the ball with 4:05 left at their own 15. Beck drove them 54 yards before T.J. Capers dove to make a game-winning pick at the Louisville 30 with :32 remaining.
–Field Level Media
