Game Details
- Matchup: NC State at 15 Miami Hurricanes
- Date: Saturday, 11/15/2025
- Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Hard Rock Stadium
- TV: ESPN
Recent History
- Last matchup: November 4th, 2023 – NC State 20, Miami 6
- All-time series record: Miami 11 wins, NC State 6 wins, 1 tie
- Last 5 meetings: Miami is 4-1
Miami Hurricanes Outlook
The Miami Hurricanes come into this contest 7-2 and are still fighting for their playoff chances this season. They can’t afford to lose another game, as they don’t control their destiny to the ACC title
game and will most likely have to earn an at-large bid to make the College Football Playoffs.
The offense is led by Carson Beck, who had a better game last week against Syracuse. It was another slow start for the offense to begin the game, but they picked it up in the middle of the game. Beck has 2,194 passing yards with 15 touchdown passes to go against his nine interceptions. He’ll be without his leading rusher as Mark Fletcher Jr. is expected to miss Saturday’s game due to injury. The Hurricanes will rely on a trio of running backs, including CharMar Brown, Jordan Lyle, and Girard Pringle Jr. Shannon Dawson has been criticized for his use of the rushing attack, but many fans are excited to see more of Pringle, who led the team last week in yards. The freshman is a speed back and can provide more explosive plays on the ground, which this offense lacks.
It looks like Miami will get back WR CJ Daniels against the Wolfpack as he’s been managing his injury and trying to get back on the field. The passing attack has been missing his presence over the last couple of games, and now that he’s returning, the air raid may look a bit smoother. Malachi Toney will still be the top target for Beck as he continues his stellar freshman season. NC State has a great run defense, but they can allow big plays through the air, and Miami needs to capitalize.
On the defensive side, Corey Hetherman’s unit will be out some key defenders. CB OJ Frederique Jr. and CB Keionte Scott will be out against the Wolfpack. Frederique is arguably Miami’s best cover corner, and Scott has been tremendous at nickel for Hetherman and this defense, as he’s second on the team in tackles. They will be missed on Saturday, but it’s the next man up for the Canes.
The wounded secondary will face an NC State offense that can put up points when it’s rolling. QB CJ Bailey lit up Georgia Tech last week and secured the upset. The South Florida kid will look to do the same to the Canes on Saturday, and it’s up to the pass rush to make him uncomfortable.
It’ll be a big day for Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. Most of the attention will be on them, and Bain will get most of the attention. He’ll get chipped and doubled nonstop, which should free up Mesidor, who leads the team in sacks with five. Armondo Blount and Marquise Lightfoot are two other players I look forward to see play as they have the potential to cause serious problems to this Wolfpack offensive line.
The player to watch in the secondary is Jakobe Thomas. He’s been everywhere on defense and has been an absolute stud for Hetherman on this defense. Look for him to make several big plays in a must-win game for Miami.
NC State Outlook
The Wolfpack are coming off a bye week after they had their biggest win of the season the previous week against Georgia Tech. They defeated the Yellow Jackets, 48-36. Bailey has thrown for 2,411 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions and has been the only consistent factor for the Wolfpack. RB Hollywood Smothers leads the Wolfpack on the ground with 825 yards and six touchdowns. He averages nearly seven yards per carry and his total yards and average per game are best in the ACC. He is one of the best backs not in just the conference, but in the country. Smothers is listed as questionable, but rumors have it that he will be playing against Miami. If not, NC State has another running back named Jayden Scott, who just rushed for nearly 200 yards against Georgia Tech. No matter what, the Canes have to be prepared for the rushing attack.
The passing attack is led by two pass catchers. WR Terrell Anderson and TE Justin Joly. Anderson leads the wide receivers with 523 yards and four touchdowns. Joly (questionable to play but rumored to make his return on Saturday) leads the team in touchdowns with five while having 365 receiving yards. These are the two to focus on in the passing game and Miami will have their hands full.
The defense is anchored by their run defense and LB Sabastian Harsh, who leads the team in pressures as well. Cian Slone is another talented player on this defense who loves to pressure the quarterback alongside Harsh. Caden Fordham is arguably their best run defender and Miami will have to key in on him to have success on the ground.
Good thing for the Canes is that the Wolfpack give up the most passing yards per game in the country. They are 136th in the NCAA, allowing 313 passing yards per game. Miami will have no excuse to not air it out and have a great game through the air. If Dawson and this offense continue to struggle and start the game slow against this pass defense, it may be time to press the panic button (seriously this time) on this unit and what the future holds for the offensive coordinator. There should be no excuses for this one as they can’t make their biggest weakness a strength on Satuday.
What’s at Stake
- Keeping the dream alive: Miami has no margin for error no more as they can’t afford to lose another game this season if they want a realistic shot to make the CFP
- Quieting the noise: If you lose this game at home, the conversations that will be going on will be very uncomfortable, no matter how ridiculous it is. Just win.
- CFP dreams: With the committee rankings the Canes 15, the dream is still alive. There is a whole other conversation to be had on whether they should be ranked higher with how their resume matches up with the other teams. Again, just win.
Prediction
I am not going to lie, this game is a bit worriesome for my liking.
This offense has given me nothing to be confident about as the inconsistencies continue to scare me as the season goes on. With NC State having the ability to put up points, I don’t know if Miami can keep up if it becomes a shootout.
The good thing is that the Wolfpack’s pass defense is awful and the Canes can take advantage of it.
I still believe that this defense will perform at a high level and give the Miami offense multiple opportunities to blow this game open.
Final Score Prediction: Miami 27, NC State 17
