Miami’s championship hopes suffered a significant blow on Saturday as a series of critical, self-inflicted mistakes led to a 26-20 overtime loss against SMU in Dallas. For the second consecutive year, coach Mario Cristobal was left to address the costly errors that derailed his team in a November conference game.
The Hurricanes (6-2) were penalized 12 times for 96 yards, with none more damaging than an unsportsmanlike conduct foul on defensive end Marquise Lightfoot. The penalty, called after Lightfoot hit quarterback Kevin Jennings following a Miami timeout late in regulation, moved SMU into position for a game-tying 38-yard field goal that forced overtime.
In the extra period, Miami quarterback Carson Beck was intercepted at the goal line on the first possession. SMU capitalized on the turnover, with running back T.J. Harden scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run. The victory marked SMU’s first home win against an AP top-10 opponent since 1974, prompting fans to storm the field and tear down a goalpost.
The defeat, Miami’s second in its last three ACC contests, saw the team’s playoff chances plummet to just 9%, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor. The loss also continued a troubling trend for the program, dropping Cristobal’s record in games played in November or later to 4-11.
“We didn’t take care of business, and that’s completely on us,” Cristobal said. “When you make that many mistakes, it’s on everybody in the organization. You allow yourself to be put in a position where you can get beat, and that’s what happened today.”
Cristobal attributed the team’s multiple false starts to SMU’s defense mimicking Miami’s cadence, though he added, “That happens in football, so no excuses.” Regarding the critical penalty on Lightfoot, Cristobal explained that the defensive end, playing in a loud environment, did not hear the whistle for the timeout.
Despite being hampered by an ankle injury, SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for a career-high 365 yards and had two total touchdowns. The win was a major milestone for the Mustangs and coach Rhett Lashlee, who had signed a two-year contract extension earlier in the day.
Miami’s offense struggled with consistency throughout the game, failing to establish a vertical passing threat against a vulnerable SMU secondary. The Mustangs’ defense, which entered the game with 20 takeaways, sealed the victory with Ahmaad Moses’ second interception of the day, picking off Beck in the end zone during overtime.
“They had a good coverage on for our play,” Beck said. “They got us, and he made a great play on the ball, so props to him.”
Facing another season of missed opportunities, Cristobal vowed his team would respond. “You don’t sit around, throw your hands up and say I don’t know,” he said. “You just go to work. You’ve got to be a grown man and face it.”
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