Four Interceptions Propel Louisville Cardinals Past Miami Hurricanes 24-21/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Louisville shocked No. 2 Miami with a gutsy performance, intercepting four of Carson Beck’s passes to secure a 24-21 victory. The win ended the Hurricanes’ 10-game home streak and catapulted Louisville toward the Top 25. Quarterback Miller Moss led the way with two touchdown passes and a rushing score.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Louisville used creativity, grit, and defensive dominance to pull off one of the season’s biggest upsets on Friday night, taking down No. 2 Miami 24-21 and ending the Hurricanes’ 10-game home winning streak.
The Cardinals (5-1, 2-1 ACC) turned to a playbook full of surprises — fake field goals, misdirection plays, and even three different players taking snaps — to keep the Hurricanes off balance all night. The strategy paid off as quarterback Miller Moss threw for two touchdowns, ran for another, and led a poised, resilient Louisville team that refused to fold under pressure.
On their first two drives, the Cardinals stunned the home crowd by scoring back-to-back touchdowns, establishing a 14-0 lead and forcing Miami (5-1, 1-1) to play from behind. They never relinquished that advantage.
Louisville’s defense was the story of the game, intercepting Carson Beck four times — the most the Miami quarterback has ever thrown in his college career. The final pick came in the closing seconds, when TJ Capers intercepted Beck at the 30-yard line to seal the win.
Moss completed 23 of 37 passes for 248 yards, finding Chris Bell for touchdowns of 35 and 36 yards. Bell was electric, finishing with nine receptions and 136 yards. Running back Isaac Brown also played a crucial role, rushing 15 times for 113 yards, keeping Miami’s defense on the field and the clock moving.
For the Hurricanes, the loss was both a statistical and emotional blow. Not only did they fall from the unbeaten ranks, but they were held to just 63 yards rushing, a stark contrast to their normally explosive offense. Beck still managed 271 yards through the air, completing 25 of 35 passes, but the four turnovers crippled Miami’s chances.
The loss narrows the list of remaining unbeaten FBS teams to 10, including Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, BYU, Memphis, Navy, and UNLV — all sitting at 6-0.
Louisville’s fearless play-calling set the tone early. A fake field goal from the 22-yard line extended the opening drive and set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Moss. On their next possession, Moss connected with Bell for a deep strike, putting the Cardinals up 14-0 in the first quarter.
Miami clawed its way back into the game, trimming the lead to 17-13 heading into the fourth quarter. But Louisville’s offense responded with another Bell touchdown catch, pushing the lead to 24-13.
Though Beck threw another interception on the next drive, Miami recovered a fumble and quickly capitalized. Malachi Toney ran in a 12-yard touchdown and added a 2-point conversion pass to bring the score to 24-21. That would be as close as they’d get.
Louisville’s win is particularly historic. Coming into the night, the Cardinals were 0-18 in true road games against Top 10 opponents, losing by an average of over 26 points. Friday night broke that curse in dramatic fashion.
The Cardinals are now poised to break into the AP Top 25, while Miami will likely fall from its No. 2 spot. Both teams will return to action on Oct. 25, with Louisville hosting Boston College and Miami facing Stanford at home.
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