Game Day Notes: Miami Hurricanes vs. Stanford ... how to watch, start time, game notes & more

9/#9 Miami (5-1, 1-1 ACC) VS. Stanford (3-4, 2-2 ACC)

Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Miami Gardens, Fla.
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium (64,767)
Series History: N/A (first meeting)
Television: ESPN
Talent: Mark Jones (play by play), Roddy Jones (color),
Quint Kessenich (sideline)
Radio: 104.3 WQAM
Talent: Joe Zagacki, Don Bailey, Jr., Josh Darrow
Spanish Radio: Radio Libre 790 AM
Talent: Alfredo Alvarez, Joe Martinez

MIAMI GAME NOTES

QUICK HITS

• The Miami Hurricanes continue their fourth season under the direction of head coach Mario Cristobal on Sat., Oct 25 at Hard Rock Stadium against Stanford. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.

• Miami posted its first 10-win season since 2017 and only its second 10-win season in the last 20 years in 2024. The Hurricanes also finished the season undefeated at home for the first time since 2002 (6-0).

• The Hurricanes are looking to rebound from their first loss of the season, falling to Louisville, 24-21, last time out on Friday, Oct. 17 at Hard Rock Stadium.

• The Hurricanes opened 2025 with a thrilling 27-24 win over #6/#6 Notre Dame in their season opener on Aug. 31. Miami has three ranked wins so far this season in games vs. Notre Dame, USF and FSU.

• The meeting between the Hurricanes and the Cardinal is the first in program history.

STORYLINES

• #9/#9 Miami continues its fourth season under head coach Mario Cristobal with a matchup against Stanford at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN, 104.3 WQAM, Radio Libre 790 AM and WVUM 90.5 FM.

• The Hurricanes entered the season ranked in the top 10 of both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls, checking in at No. 10 in both rankings, and rose to as high as No. 2 in both polls entering Week 8. Following its loss to Louisville, the Hurricanes dropped to No. 9/9 – Miami has been in the top 10 for the entirety of the season.

• Among UM’s top newcomers is QB Carson Beck, who arrived from Georgia via transfer portal. Beck, who missed spring practices while recovering from UCL surgery, has a 29-4 (.878) record as a starting FBS quarterback, the best of any active player (minimum five games).

THE MATCHUP

• #9/#9 Miami continues the 2025 football season with Stanford at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Ocy. 25. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN, with radio broadcasts set for 104.3 WQAM, Radio Libre and WVUM 90.5 FM.

• Saturday’s meeting between the two teams is the first in program history; Stanford joined the ACC prior to 2024.

• Head coach Mario Cristobal faced Stanford four times during his time as head coach at Oregon and finished with a 2-2 record against the Cardinal. Frank Reich is in his first year at the helm of Stanford.

A LOOK BACK: MIAMI FALLS FOR FIRST TIME, 24-21

• Miami fell for the first time in 2025 last time out, dropping its ACC home opener against Louisville, 24-21. The Hurricanes were driving with under a minute left before an interception thwarted the comeback effort.

• WR Malachi Toney had his second straight 100-yard effort in the defeat. He had a career-high nine catches for a career-high 135 yards, and added a 12-yard rushing touchdown. He is the top-producing freshman WR in FBS.

• In addition to Toney, WR CJ Daniels hauled in seven catches for 74 yards, while WR Keelan Marion added five catches for 33 yards. QB Carson Beck threw four interceptions, and UofL’s defense held Miami to 63 rush yards.

• Louisville was paced by WR Chris Bell, who had nine catches for 136 yards with two touchdowns, and RB Isaac Brown, who rushed for 113 yards and averaged 7.5 yards on his 15 carries. He had a long run of 28 yards.

MIAMI RANKED 9TH, HAVE THREE AP T-25 WINS

• Following their 5-0 start to the season, the Hurricanes were ranked as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press top 25 released on Oct. 5. Now ranked No. 9 in both polls, UM has been in the top 10 of both polls for all of 2025.

• Miami’s No. 2 ranking the Associated Press top 25 released on Oct. 12 was tied for the highest of any Mario Cristobal-coached team in his career (earlier this year, UM also ranked No. 2); Cristobal’s previous high was No. 3 at Oregon, obtained during Week 4 of the 2021 season (#3/#3).

• With a No. 5 ranking in the Associated Press poll attained on Sept. 2, the Hurricanes made it back-to-back years to crack the top five of the AP for the first time since a six-season run from 2000-05. Miami was ranked No. 10 in both preseason polls.

• Miami’s resume as as impressive as any team’s in the country through the first seven weeks of the season. The Hurricanes have three AP ranked wins this year, having topped Notre Dame, USF and Florida State through their first three games, all of whom were ranked in the AP poll released on Oct. 5. Prior to 2025, Miami hadn’t had three wins over AP ranked teams in the same season since 2009.

• The Hurricanes opened the 2024 season at No. 19 in the poll and found their name in every top 25 ranking of the season. The Hurricanes reached as high as No. 4 (after improving to 9-0 to start the year) and ended No. 18 in the final poll, its highest final ranking since being ranked No. 13 to end 2017.

• Cristobal’s highest-ranked finish as a head coach came in the final 2019 polls, when Oregon was No. 5/5.

RING OF HONOR CLASS TO BE HONORED OCT. 25

• Miami’s 2025 Ring of Honor class – comprised of QB Ken Dorsey, WR Andre Johnson, OL Bryant McKinnie and LB Dan Morgan – will be recognized at halftime of Saturday’s game against Stanford at Hard Rock Stadium.

• The Ring of Honor was established in 1997 and serves as the highest honor for a Miami football player or coach.

• Dorsey lined up under center for three seasons from 2000-02 and posted a remarkable 38-2 record as a starter. He is UM’s career passing touchdowns leader with 86 and ranks second in career passing yards with 9,565 yards.

• Johnson played three seasons (2000-02) for the Canes and caught 92 career passes for 1,831 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was the Co-MVP of the Rose Bowl after hauling in seven passes for 199 yards and two scores.

• McKinnie didn’t allow a sack at left tackle during his two seasons (2000-01) at Miami, helping the Canes win 23 of 24 games over that stretch, including the 2001 national title. He was twice named a first-team All-American and won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top lineman in 2001.

• Morgan was a four-year starter at linebacker from 1997-2000. He is Miami’s career tackles leader with 532 and the only player in Miami history to post 100-plus tackles in each of his four seasons. In 2000, Morgan became the first player in college football history to sweep the Bednarik, Butkus and Lombardi Awards.

CARSON BECK ARRIVES IN CORAL GABLES AS QB 1

• For the second straight year, the Miami Hurricanes added one of the top quarterbacks in the country in the January transfer window, signing QB Carson Beck after an eye-popping career at Georgia, where he finished 24-3 as a starting quarterback with the Bulldogs. He threw for 7,912 yards, 58 touchdowns and 20 interceptions at UGA.

• In a win over No. 18/23 USF on Sept. 13, Beck threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns. The performance marked Beck’s 10th career 300-yard passing game – he is one of just four P-4 quarterbacks with 10-or-more 300- yard games, joining Josh Hoover of TCU (14), Tyler Van Dyke of SMU (11) and Chandler Morris of Virginia (10).

• Beck currently ranks second among FBS players in career passing yards (9,396), second in career passing efficiency (156.61) and seventh in career total offense (9,667). He is considered a Heisman Trophy candidate.

• He was named to the Davey O’Brien “Great 8” after a four-touchdown win in UM’s road opener at Florida State. In Miami’s win vs. the Seminoles, Beck had his 15th career game with multiple passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. That is the second most among active FBS players behind Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia (19).

• Beck went 22-for-24 (91.7) against Bethune-Cookman, marking the highest completion rate by any Miami signal caller (min. 20 attempts) over the last 30 seasons.

• He now owns a 29-4 record as a starting quarterback at the FBS level (.878), the best of any active player.

• Beck, who assumed starting responsibilities at Georgia in 2023 as a fourth-year redshirt sophomore, led the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record and a win in the 2023 Capital One Orange Bowl, finishing just shy of a College Football Playoff berth in the four-team field. He was a member of back-to-back national championship teams as a backup.

• In his second year as the team’s starting quarterback in 2024, Beck led Georgia to the College Football Playoff with an 11-2 record. Beck was hurt in the 2024 SEC Championship Game against Texas, which Georgia won, 22- 19. He finished 2024 with 3,485 yards, a 64.7% completion percentage, 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

• Beck underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow after the SEC Championship Game. Though he did not throw during all of spring practice at Miami after enrolling in January while completing

HETHERMAN’S “E.S.V” DEFENSE WREAKING HAVOC

• Mario Cristobal announced the hiring of Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman to the same post in January 2025. Hetherman arrived in Coral Gables after a dominant lone season at Minnesota.

• Hetherman has made a flawless transition through the Hurricanes’ strong start. UM ranks No. 15 in total defense, allowing just 291.5 yards per game so far against an impressive first-half schedule of opponents. Hetherman’s signature acronym, “E.S.V.” – has been on display. The acronym stands for Excitement, Swarm, Violence.

• Miami has allowed 32 “big plays” this season (13 runs of 12-or-more yards, 19 passes of 15-or-more), good for the 10th-best “big play” defensive percentage in all of FBS (8.42%). Miami’s “big play” pass percentage of 9.79% is third-best in FBS. UM is one of 18 teams entering Week 9 to allow fewer than 20 plays of 20-or-more yards (18).

• In a measurement of “defensive mayhem” – which charts the percentage of plays where a defense forces the opposition into either a sack, tackle for loss, interception or a fumble that is recovered by the defense – the Hurricanes rank No. 33 in FBS, posting a percentage of 12.11%. UM’s 1.3 points-per-drive average is No. 17 in FBS.

BAIN, MESIDOR COULD BE FBS’ TOP EDGE TANDEM

• Miami’s defensive end tandem of Rueben Bain, Jr., and Akheem Mesidor have been the top defensive end tandem in the country through the first eight weeks of the college football season by most metrics.

• Among 250 defensive ends across Power-4, Bain is the No. 1 overall edge player by Pro Football Focus (94.6), while Mesidor ranks 15th (88.3).

• In PFF’s “run defense” grades, Bain is third (90.9) while Mesidor is 13th (84.6). Bain is fourth by PFF in “pass rush” (92.4) while Mesidor is 27th (86.9). Bain is tied for 10th in pressures (31) while Mesidor is tied for 24th (25).

MIAMI’S IMPRESSIVE HOME STREAK ENDS VS. UofL

• The Hurricanes had won 10 straight home games dating back to Sept. 7, 2024 – a stretch that encapsulated the entirety of 2024 and included Miami’s 5-0 start to 2025 – before falling, 24-21, last time out to Louisville on Oct. 17.

• Miami’s 10-game home winning streak was tied for the fourth-longest active streak among FBS programs and was one of only six double-digit home winning streaks across the entirety of FBS entering Week 8.

• In the modern era of Miami Hurricanes Footbal (since 1979), Miami’s 10-game home winning streak was the third-longest, trailing only two streaks: a 58-game stretch at the Orange Bowl that began on Oct. 12, 1985 and ended on Sept. 24, 1994 – the longest home winning streak in college football history – as well as a stretch of 26 straight games at “The OB” from Oct. 30, 1999 – Oct. 18, 2003.

• With a win on Sept. 6, UM started the season 2-0 at home for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons (since 2012). The Hurricanes have not lost a home opener since 2006, when they fell to Florida State 13-10 at the Orange Bowl on Sept. 4, 2006. Miami has won 19 straight home openers since – each one since 2007.

• In the modern era of Miami Hurricanes football (since 1979), UM has opened the season at home 20 times and is now 18-2 in those games. The Hurricanes are 35-12 in regular season openers dating to 1979.

TONEY PRODUCING AS NATION’S TOP FRESHMAN

• WR Malachi Toney has been among Miami’s top playmakers in his true freshman season, emerging as a go-to target in the Hurricanes offense for QB Carson Beck and OC Shannon Dawson.

• Since at least 2008, no freshman (redshirt or otherwise) in all of FBS had ever led his team in the first two games of the season in both catches and yards until Toney did so for Miami against both Notre Dame (6 catches, 82 yards) and Bethune-Cookman (6 catches, 80 yards) in 2025. He leads Miami with 29 catches for 375 yards.

• Toney leads all true freshmen in catches (38) and yards (510), despite playing in only six games compared to the remainder of his peers in the top five, who have each played in seven games. He is one of only three freshmen in the country to lead his team in catches and yards (Florida’s Vernell Brown III, Oregon’s Dakorien Moore).

• Toney became the only Hurricane in the last 30 seasons to have at least six catches, 80 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in his college debut. He was named 247Sports National True Freshman of the Week.

• Toney, who turned 18 years old on September 17th (9/17/2007), reclassified from the Class of 2026 to the Class of 2025 at American Heritage. He helped lead the Patriots to a 12-2 record and a Class 4A state title, finishing as the leading receiver with 1,018 yards and 12 touchdowns. He played quarterback the final three games of the season in place of the injured starter, completing 36-of-45 passes for 510 yards and seven touchdowns.

FLETCHER SECOND IN TDs AT HARD ROCK WITH 13

• RB Mark Fletcher, Jr. has been a key member of UM’s offensive attack through its impressive start to the year. Fletcher posted back-to-back games of 100-yards-or more with at least one touchdown vs. USF and Florida. The last UM RB to have back-to-back such games vs. FBS foes was Cam’Ron Harris from September 10-19, 2020.

• Fletcher scored the 13th rushing touchdown of his career at Hard Rock Stadium vs. Louisville last time out, moving him into a tie for second place with Mark Walton for second-most touchdowns at the facility. He trails only Duke Johnson, who had 17 career TDs at Hard Rock Stadium, where Miami moved prior to the 2008 season.

• He delivered a dominant outing for the Hurricanes in their 49-12 win over No. 18/23 USF on Sept. 13, posting 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. It was Fletcher’s second 100-yard, multi-touchdown game of his career against an AP ranked team – he also did it vs. Louisville in 2023. Since 2000, there have been only eight such performances by the Hurricanes – two from Fletcher, two from Tyrone Moss, two from Willis McGahee and one each from Clinton Portis and Frank Gore.

• Fletcher now has four career 100-yard games – his 100-yarder vs. USF was his first since 11/18/23 vs. Louisville.

DANIELS, TONEY MAKE A DYNAMIC MIAMI DUO

• WR CJ Daniels and WR Malachi Toney comprise one of only two duos in the country with at least four catches in six games this season; Florida Atlantic’s Easton Messer and Asaad Waseem have also managed the feat.

BECK TOPS 9,000-YARD MARK WITH ACCURACY

• QB Carson Beck surpassed 9,000 career passing yards in UM’s win at Florida State. Of the 114 quarterbacks to reach that mark this century for power conference teams, Beck’s completion percentage is among the best.

• Beck’s 68.7 completion percentage on the journey to 9,000 trails only four players from power conferences: Colt McCoy (70.3%), Graham Harrell (69.8%), Will Rogers (69.5%) and Brandon Weeden (69.5%) to place him fifth.

MIAMI NOW HAS THREE RANKED WINS THIS YEAR

• The Hurricanes recorded a third ranked win when they topped #18/#19 Florida State on October 4; the last time Miami featured three ranked wins came in 2009 against No. 18 FSU, No. 14 Georgia Tech and No. 8 Oklahoma

• Prior to this year, where Miami has knocked off #6/6 Notre Dame and #18/#23 USF in addition to FSU, the last time Miami started a year with a 3-0 mark with at least two ranked wins in those first three games was the 1993 season. UM opened the year with wins over then-No. 20 Boston College, Virginia Tech and then-No. 13 Colorado.

FOLLOW THE BLUEPRINT

• Miami reached a number of notable milestones in 2024, its third season under Mario Cristobal. The Hurricanes managed only the second 10-win season in the last 20 years at Miami (2017), finished undefeated at home for the first time since 2002 and ended the season inside the Associated Press Top 20 at No. 18 – only its second finish that high since 2005. UM went from five wins (2022, 5-7) to seven (2023, 7-6) to 10 (2024, 10-3) under Cristobal.

• The Hurricanes had 10 NFL Combine invites and its seven NFL Draft picks ranked sixth-most nationally. The Hurricanes had just one NFL Draft pick in the draft prior to Cristobal taking the helm, in 2022 – and it came in the seventh round (Jon Ford, Green Bay Packers).

• QB Cam Ward, the winner of the Davey O’Brien Award and Manning Award as the nation’s top quarterback, was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans – it was the third No. 1 overall pick in program history.

BALLHAWK FITZGERALD LEADS FRESHMEN IN INTs

• DB Bryce Fitzgerald recorded an interception for the second straight game against USF on Sept.13, picking off Byrum Brown to end what was the nation’s longest passing streak without an interception (252 straight attempts).

• Fitzgerald is one of two true freshman in the country with three interceptions; he had his third pick at FSU

• Fitzgerald, one of Miami’s top performers as a true freshman, had the first interception of his career against Bethune- Cookman on Sept. 6. All three interceptions showcased his elite instincts, which have been praised by staff & teammates. A four-star safety out of Christopher Columbus High School, Fitzgerald debuted vs. Notre Dame.

CANES LEAD THE NATION IN FG PCT. SINCE 2020

• The Hurricanes have been the most accurate field-goal kicking team in the country over the last six seasons. Miami has made 87.9 percent of its field goal attempts since 2020 (102/116), including a 7-for-7 start to 2025.

MESIDOR 2ND IN CAREER SACKS IN ALL OF FBS

• A key member of Miami’s defensive line who has been stellar through the first half of the season, veteran edge rusher Akheem Mesidor is second in all of FBS with 26.5 sacks over the course of his career. Mesidor, who grew up in Ottawa, Canada, spent much of his high school career traveling to the U.S. for recruiting camps and clinics.

• Now in his sixth year, Mesidor spent the first two seasons of his career (2020-21) at West Virginia before transferring to Miami. He is one of just three players with more than 25-or-more career sacks at the FBS level, joining Trey Moore of Texas (29.5) and David Bailey of Texas Tech (25.0).

DANIELS HEADLINES NEW-LOOK WIDEOUT CORPS

• The Hurricanes lost their top-six pass-catchers by receptions from a season ago, when the Hurricanes had the No. 1 offense in the country. Miami’s three starting wide receivers were all making their debuts on Aug. 31 vs. Notre Dame: transfers CJ Daniels (LSU) and Keelan Marion (BYU) as well as true freshman Malachi Toney.

• The trio combined for 14 catches totaling 157 yards and two touchdowns in Miami’s 27-24 win. Toney was targeted 10 times – more than any other player – while both he and Daniels had touchdown catches.

• Daniels is one of only two active FBS players with 2,500 receiving yards (2,777) and 20 touchdowns (26) over their careers at the FBS level. The other is Arkansas State’s Corey Rucker (3,481, 25). Daniels’ eye-popping onehanded score vs. ND was named the Crunch Time Play of the Week by the Football Writers Association (FWAA).

• Daniels ranks third among all FBS players with 2,782 career receiving yards, trailing Rucker and Caullin Lacy of Louisville (3,039). Including Daniels, there are only five players in FBS who have 2,500-or-more receiving yards.

“HURRICANE BAIN” IS POWER 4’S TOP-GRADED DL

• One of the top performers in the nation in his first two years at Miami was DL Rueben Bain, Jr., who enjoyed a dominant rookie campaign that resulted in ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2023. That year, the 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive lineman tallied 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks over 13 games, earning Freshman All-American honors. He was also selected to the All-ACC Third Team.

• The standout junior has twice been named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week this year; Bain, mentioned by many analysts as a Heisman Trophy candidate, was recognized following standout performances against both Notre Dame (Aug. 31) and Florida (Sept. 20).

• Through seven weeks, Bain is graded as the No. 1 defensive edge by Pro Football Focus at the Power-4 level. He has a 94.6 defensive grade overall and 90.9 run defense grade – third in all of FBS.

• Bain, who has 21.5 career TFLs, ranks No. 22 nationally among active players in TFL per game (0.77). He has been projected as a top-10 overall pick by multiple prognosticators in advance of the 2026 NFL Draft.