The No. 1 University of Miami football team defeated Pittsburgh 52-23 on Oct. 24, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. The win moved the Miami Hurricanes to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the ACC, while Pittsburgh fell to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in conference play. Malachi Toney led Miami with a record-setting receiving performance.
Toney caught 16 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns. The sophomore wide receiver surpassed 2,000 receiving yards for his Miami career and set the University of Miami record for catches in a single game. Toney broke his own mark of 13 catches, which he set against Pittsburgh the previous year.
Darian Mensah completed 31 of 37 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns. The quarterback connected with Toney and Javian Mallory as Miami built an early advantage. Mallory scored on a 19-yard reception and a 16-yard touchdown run.
Miami builds an early lead
Jake Weinberg made a 40-yard field goal for Miami’s first points after the Hurricanes forced a quick three-and-out on Pittsburgh’s opening possession. Mensah then found Mallory for a 19-yard touchdown, and Mallory’s 16-yard rushing score pushed Miami’s lead to 17-0. Pittsburgh scored later, but the Hurricanes continued to control the game.
Toney added a 53-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Gavin Mueller then scored the first touchdown of his Miami career before halftime, giving the Hurricanes a 31-7 advantage. Miami finished with a 52-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Mark Fletcher Jr. added another milestone with a 2-yard touchdown run. He finished with 41 rushing yards and moved into second place on Miami’s all-time rushing list with his 33rd Hurricanes career rushing touchdown. Fletcher needs three more touchdowns to pass Stephen McGuire for Miami’s all-time rushing touchdowns record.
Toney credited his connection with Mensah for helping produce the performance. “We push one another extremely to our max, past the max to be honest,” Toney said. “I just love that guy. Week in, week out, we just keep getting better, keep learning the little fundamentals and stuff like that. After practice, [we] catch. Anything we missed in practice, we fix it after practice. So, that’s how our connection is becoming what it is.”
Mensah said Toney’s preparation has continued to show on game day. “It’s not surprising. The dude works his butt off day in and day out. So come Saturday, he’s always prepared. We had a great third down plan this week and I think we did a good job of executing,” Mensah said of Toney.
Miami defense forces a key turnover
Miami’s defense held Pittsburgh to 69 rushing yards and forced a fumble that led to Mueller’s touchdown. Freshman JJ Dunnigan forced the turnover, and defensive lineman Justin Scott recovered it for the Hurricanes. Dunnigan finished with five tackles, a sack and the forced fumble.
Mohamed Toure recorded five tackles for Miami, while Bryce Fitzgerald added four tackles and a sack. Scott said the turnover reflected the Hurricanes’ effort to pursue the football. “That all goes back to swarming to the ball. I wouldn’t be able to recover that fumble if I’m not swarming to the ball,” Scott said.
Scott also praised Dunnigan’s contribution. “So, just always running to the ball, no matter the outcome of the play because any moment, you know, the ball could pop out. And JJ Dunnigan, him filling in big shoes, him coming in as a freshman, showing he’s ready to play and just playing any position, doing whatever he needs to to get on that field and just help us win.” Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi summed up the result simply: “They made a lot more plays than we did out there today.”
Throwback uniforms honor Miami’s 2001 champions
Miami wore throwback uniforms matching those worn by the 2001 national championship team. Members of that team attended the game, including Ed Reed, Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Andre Johnson, Brett Romberg and Joaquin Gonzalez. The occasion gave the current Hurricanes an opportunity to honor the program’s past during a conference victory.
Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal said the former champions remain an important connection for the current program. “They inspired so many future Hurricanes that ended up coming here to the University of Miami,” Cristobal said. “Glad to be able to honor them as well, with a victory. They mean a lot to our guys. I think the best thing that’s been happening with our program is within our community and the University of Miami alum community, is that we’ve built some really strong equity, so now those guys are becoming our best advocates, which in turn helps the entire organization become more galvanized.”
Miami completed a two-game homestand at Hard Rock Stadium with the victory. Cristobal said the Hurricanes still have areas to improve while continuing to use competition to determine playing time. “There’s a lot of pluses and then there’s some minuses in there we’ve got to clean up, like a lot of other positions,” Cristobal said.
He added, “We are playing the best players right now. We’re always creating competition to play whoever plays the best.” Miami will travel to face North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Halloween after opening the season 7-0. The trip will be the Hurricanes’ next game following the two-game homestand.
FSB Take
Miami’s 52-23 win over Pittsburgh combined record-setting production from Toney with an efficient performance from Mensah. Toney’s 16 catches established a University of Miami single-game record, while Mensah threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns. The Hurricanes also limited Pittsburgh to 69 rushing yards and created a turnover that became a scoring opportunity.
The result kept Miami unbeaten at 7-0 and perfect at 5-0 in ACC play. Fletcher’s rushing-touchdown milestone and Mueller’s first Miami touchdown added to a game that featured contributions from multiple parts of the roster. Miami’s next assignment is a road game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Halloween.
Cristobal’s comments point to a program focused on continued improvement despite the strong start. The Hurricanes honored the 2001 national championship team, defeated Pittsburgh by 29 points and preserved their perfect record in the process. The North Carolina matchup will provide Miami with its next opportunity to build on that start.
Source: Original report