Miami Survives Chapel Hill, Ohio State Falls at USC: Every Top 25 Result
The nation's No. 1 team wobbled, but it did not fall. On Saturday night in Chapel Hill, Miami beat North Carolina 38-35 in a game in which Bill Belichick's Tar Heels traded blow for blow until the final seconds. The Hurricanes stay unbeaten (8-0) heading into their trip to Notre Dame. On the same night, No. 2 Ohio State fell at USC and Boise State nearly let one slip at home. Here is a look back at a wild Halloween Saturday in the college football Top 25.
Miami had to earn this one
On paper, the gap looked wide. Miami arrived in North Carolina with an offense that had topped 40 points in every game but one, according to CBS Sports, against a 4-3 Tar Heels team coming off an overtime loss to Syracuse. On the field, it was a different story: Miami led for most of the night without ever pulling away, and North Carolina finished with 407 yards, barely behind the Hurricanes' 416.
Quarterback Darian Mensah turned in a clean performance: 22 of 29 for 274 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His favorite target, Malachi Toney, caught 7 passes for 75 yards and scored twice, accounting for Miami's first and last touchdowns. But the decisive figure was running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who scored three touchdowns, including the one that put Miami ahead for good: a 2-yard run on fourth down with 7:49 remaining.
The strip sack that swung the game
On the other side, Billy Edwards Jr. played one of his best games of the season: 28 of 34 for 341 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to tight end Jelani Thurman. The game's only turnover still proved costly. In the fourth quarter, Marquise Lightfoot hit him from behind as he loaded up to throw; Justin Scott recovered, and three plays later Mensah found Toney from 9 yards out to make it 38-28 with 2:33 left.
North Carolina cut the margin to three and then recovered two straight onside kicks in the final two minutes. Both were wiped out by penalties, and Miami was able to kneel it out after securing one last short kick. "Disappointing to come up short two weeks in a row," Belichick said, as quoted by Tar Heel Times.
What it means for Miami and the College Football Playoff
With the win, Miami moves to 8-0 (6-0 ACC) and remains one of three unbeaten FBS teams, along with Utah and UCLA. The Hurricanes also ended a five-game losing streak against North Carolina, as noted by NCAA.com. Next up is a different level of test: a trip to No. 5 Notre Dame that will carry real weight in the College Football Playoff race.
For North Carolina (4-4, 2-3 ACC), the offensive showing is encouraging, but the record does not change: according to CBS Miami, the Tar Heels have still never beaten a No. 1-ranked team (0-12). On Saturday, though, they proved they could stand toe to toe with the country's top program for sixty minutes.
Around the Top 25
USC 30, Ohio State 18 — The nation's No. 2 team went down at a rain-soaked Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Without the injured Julian Sayin, Ohio State started true freshman Luke Fahey (21 of 38, 260 yards) in his first career start, while USC struck on its second snap with a 69-yard screen pass from Jayden Maiava to freshman Trent Mosley (5 catches, 101 yards). The lone consolation for the Buckeyes (6-2): Jeremiah Smith's late touchdown, the 40th of his career, a new Big Ten record that moves him past Braylon Edwards.
Georgia 27, Florida 8 — In the rivalry's first edition in Atlanta, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the No. 3 Bulldogs led No. 17 Florida 24-0 at halftime. The Gators turned it over four times, including a fumble Chris Cole returned 66 yards for a touchdown.
Indiana 23, Minnesota 16 (OT) — No. 4 Indiana was pushed to the limit. After Luke Drzewiecki's 60-yard field goal put Minnesota ahead with 19 seconds left, Paddy McAteer answered with a 60-yarder of his own at the buzzer. In overtime, Grant Wilson, who had replaced Josh Hoover, found Charlie Becker for a 25-yard score on the first play.
Notre Dame 35, Navy 13 — In Foxborough, the No. 5 Irish led by just a point at halftime before scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half behind quarterback CJ Carr. Notre Dame hosts Miami next Saturday.
Utah 49, Cincinnati 25 — No. 6 Utah settled it before the break with 42 first-half points, including a 51-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Rabbit Evans. The Utes remain unbeaten.
UCLA 27, Nevada 0 — The No. 7 Bruins' defense held Nevada to 176 yards. UCLA stays unbeaten (8-0) and alone atop the Big Ten (5-0).
BYU 27, Arizona State 20 — A week after its double-overtime loss at UCF, No. 8 BYU had to work until the end against the Sun Devils. Bear Bachmeier threw a touchdown pass to Kyler Kasper.
Texas 31, Mississippi State 3 — No. 11 Texas allowed only a field goal to the Bulldogs in Austin.
Ole Miss 45, Auburn 15 — Beaten at Texas the previous week, No. 12 Ole Miss bounced back with a comfortable win in Oxford.
Texas Tech 34, Arizona 26 — In a ranked Big 12 matchup, No. 13 Texas Tech erased a 10-point deficit against No. 22 Arizona. Thomas Castellanos threw for 144 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 117 yards, and J'Koby Williams added 175 rushing yards, offsetting Noah Fifita's 417 passing yards for Arizona.
Wake Forest 51, Virginia 7 — No. 14 Wake Forest scored on its first nine possessions, according to Bleacher Report.
Syracuse 30, SMU 27 — No. 19 SMU cracked in the final seconds as Steve Angeli completed 7 of 8 passes on a 68-yard game-winning drive. The Mustangs' ground game managed just 70 yards.
Oregon 34, Northwestern 26 — Down 14, Oregon rallied past No. 20 Northwestern behind backup quarterback Dylan Raiola (336 yards, three touchdowns), including a 75-yard strike to Dakorien Moore.
Boise State 46, Texas State 45 — No. 20 Boise State squandered a 25-point halftime lead and gave up 36 straight points before Max Cutforth, who replaced Maddux Madsen after a hit near his left knee, threw three touchdown passes in the final seven minutes. Boise State (7-1) remains the favorite for the Group of Six spot in the CFP, but Madsen's status is uncertain.
Missouri 34, Arkansas 10 — In Fayetteville, No. 23 Missouri forced four turnovers, and Jamal Roberts ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Iowa State 51, Oklahoma State 49 — The highest-scoring game of the day came down to Kyle Konrardy's 34-yard field goal on the final play. Aiden Flora rushed for 227 yards against No. 24 Oklahoma State.
Iowa 30, Wisconsin 0 — Ranked for the first time since 2023, No. 25 Wisconsin failed to score a single point in Iowa City.
Kentucky (No. 9), Alabama (No. 10), LSU (No. 15), Tennessee (No. 16) and Houston (No. 18) did not play Saturday. The new AP poll, due out today, should reflect Ohio State's fall and USC's return.
