Miami football dipped into its bag of tricks and pulled out a lineman touchdown, and it was glorious. Quarterback Carson Beck sold the throwback perfectly and flipped it to right tackle Francis Mauigoa, who rumbled in for a three-yard score late against the Syracuse Orange, the exact kind of big-man magic the ACC Network lives for. Officially, it goes down as a rushing TD because the pass was backward. Style points still count. 

That wasn’t the only sleight of hand. Earlier, Beck lined up as a decoy, slipped out, and hauled in a 14-yard touchdown from receiver Malachi Toney, opening the floodgates in a game Miami controlled 38–10. The milestone moment was Beck crossing 10,000 career passing yards, then immediately uncorking a 61-yard strike to Keelan Marion to put the night on ice. 

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The box score backs up the show. Beck went 18-of-24 for 247 yards with a touchdown and no picks, plus the TD catch, restarting the Heisman Trophy talks. Marion finished with three grabs for 116 yards and that long score, while Girard Pringle Jr. paced the ground game with 55 yards and a touchdown. Miami’s defense made life miserable for Syracuse with six sacks and a pick-six, smothering any comeback noise. Francis Mauigoa added the headline-grabber with his big-man score. 

Syracuse’s late cosmetic touchdown didn’t change the night as Miami emptied the bench after landing haymakers in the second and third quarters. The Hurricanes punted on their first four drives, then scored on four straight possessions to slam the door. For a team eyeing margin and momentum in November, this was exactly the response it needed.