Miami started the season in fine fashion, beating then No. 6 Notre Dame in a close encounter 27-24 at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. Fans and analysts were especially impressed by the performance of their new quarterback, Carson Beck, who threw for 205 yards, with two key touchdown passes and a good 64.5% completion percentage.
While everything is going incredibly well for the Hurricanes right now, coach Mario Cristobal doesn’t want his team to lose focus. Speaking this week on the Pat McAfee Show, this was Cristobal’s message for his players:
“We had to be all over their butts about look ‘When everybody tries to kiss the crack of your butt on your way to class, and telling you how great you’re… You gotta stay clear of that and get you over here so we can be all over your butts and push you and grind you so you can focus on what gave us this opportunity.”
Miami HC Mario Cristobal wants his team to stay locked in with everyone “kissing the crack of [their] butt.” 😭 (🎥 @PatMcAfeeShow)
“We got a lot of work to do, but we’re doing it and we’re making a ton of progress.” pic.twitter.com/BMyHiLGclN
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 3, 2025
Miami is certainly in a position that it hasn’t been in a long time. The ‘Canes haven’t been serious national title contenders since 2003.
Also read: Colin Cowherd Raises Eyebrow at Notre Dame’s Offensive Choices After Loss to Mario Cristobal’s Miami
Carson Beck’s reaction to beating Notre Dame in Week 1 of college football
Carson Beck was key to Miami’s victory on the weekend against the Fighting Irish. This season, if it continues like it started, could be a redemption for the signal-caller, who initially declared for the NFL Draft in 2025 but decided to return for a final year of college football when he realized that his stock had been dropping with NFL teams.
With Georgia having moved on to Gunner Stockton, the then-injured quarterback got a second chance in the form of a transfer to Miami. Speaking after the victory against Notre Dame, Beck said this of his path during the offseason:
“Oh man, s–t. The past eight months have been so hard, and I’m just so blessed to be out here. To play again,” Beck said in his postgame interview with ESPN’s Molly McGrath. “Man, I love these guys. We played so hard. In the face of adversity, we got it done when we needed to. So thankful.”
“Ah, man, shit. I mean. The past 8 months have been so hard. Oooh. Sorry. And I’m just so blessed to be out here to have the opportunity to play again.”
Miami QB Carson Beck after the Hurricanes opened the season with a 27-24 win over No. 6 Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/071nlOh8A6
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 1, 2025
With Sunday’s victory, Notre Dame went from No. 6 to No. 9 in the AP Poll. Miami jumped five spots from No. 10 to No. 5 in the nation. Next week, the Hurricanes play Bethune-Cookman at home.
Read more:
Top 7 Notre Dame Jokes As Carson Beck-led Miami Stuns Marcus Freeman, CJ Carr
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