MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami played its final home game of the season on Saturday. That is, unless the College Football Playoff committee says otherwise.
Carson Beck passed for 291 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Malachi Toney, and No. 16 Miami — looking to climb in the CFP rankings — rolled past N.C. State 41-7 on Saturday.
Beck completed his final 13 throws to cap off a 21-for-27 day for the Hurricanes (8-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Miami now has five wins by at least 25 points this season, the most in a single year by the Hurricanes since the 2002 team had six such victories.
“Turn on the tape,” defensive lineman Ahkeem Mesidor said. “Look at us when we play.”
There will be at least two CFP playoff games on Miami’s home field this season; one is the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, and the other is the CFP title game on Jan. 19. And the Hurricanes hope a win like Saturday’s is enough to keep giving them a chance of getting into that 12-team tournament.
Jakobe Thomas picked off two passes in the first quarter, running one of them back for a touchdown for Miami. And Girard Pringle Jr. more than doubled his season rushing total for the Hurricanes; he ran for 116 yards on Saturday, one more than he had in his first four games of the year.
Miami took a 41-0 lead before substituting liberally in the fourth quarter on Senior Day, the last regular-season home game for the Hurricanes. Miami outgained N.C. State 581-149; the Wolfpack had been No. 2 in total offense in ACC games entering Saturday, averaging 454 yards per game.
Taking away a one-play drive to end the first half, eight of N.C. State’s first 10 drives ended with either a punt or an interception.
“The highlight of our night was our punter, which is sad to say, but Caden Fordham did a tremendous job,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. “Otherwise, offense and defense weren’t good enough.”
CJ Bailey completed 17 of 30 passes for 120 yards for N.C. State (5-5, 2-4). The Wolfpack — with Miami playing reserves on defense at the time — got on the scoreboard on a rushing touchdown from Bailey with 2:18 left. That extended N.C. State’s streak of not getting shut out to 144 games; its last time being blanked was Oct. 4, 2014.
Miami was 15th in this week’s CFP ranking, the highest of any ACC team. The Hurricanes likely would expect to move up after Saturday.
“The way you play the game, it screams, right? Loudly,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.
The takeaway
N.C. State: The Wolfpack have now allowed 36 or more points in four consecutive games, the first time the program has done that since a four-game stretch late in the 2013 season against Duke, Boston College, East Carolina and Maryland.
Miami: The Hurricanes finished their eight-game home schedule with 510,673 tickets distributed, a Miami single-season record. The average of 63,834 per game is the second-most in program history; the Hurricanes averaged 69,539 in the 2002 season.
Up next
N.C. State: Hosts Florida State on Friday.
Miami: At Virginia Tech on Nov. 22.