Carson Beck’s ‘gritty’ win over Florida should move Miami up in Top 25
The breeze felt atop the projected Associated Press Top 25 poll this week was the Miami Hurricanes climbing higher after a 26-7 victory over Florida on Saturday night.
Ohio State and Penn State, the teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in last week’s poll, were idle and figure to hold their place.
But Miami should make the move ahead of LSU into the No. 3 spot by virtue of the transitive property.
The Hurricanes, previously No. 4, beat Florida more decisively — 26-7 in Miami Gardens — than LSU did last week in Baton Rouge (20-10).
Carson Beck, who entered the game No. 2 in the Heisman Trophy odds, did not dazzle in the rain, finishing 17-of-30 passing for 160 yards with an interception. But Beck understood the assignment against a Gators defense that had only allowed two offensive touchdowns in the first three games.
“That’s a great team win. Our defense played out of their minds, our O-line physically imposed their will on their defense,” Beck said, complimenting his Miami teammates. “Nothing will go your way every single night. We had a couple of mishaps.
“Sometimes, it’s going to be a gritty game; it’s raining, It’s wet, it’s a physical ballgame.”
To Beck’s point, the Hurricanes rushed for 189 yards and were 8-of-16 on third-down conversions with him making checks under center, while the Miami defense held Florida to 141 total yards. The Gators were 0-of-13 on third downs.
Beck experienced those same sort of games at Georgia, as well, amassing a 24-3 record as the Bulldogs starter before transferring to play at Miami.
Oklahoma’s 24-17 win over Auburn was just as physical as the game played in Miami, particularly for Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold.
The Sooners sacked their former quarterback 10 times, including one in the end zone for a safety on Auburn’s final possession, putting the final points on the scoreboard.
Arnold played his first two seasons at Oklahoma before transferring to play for the Tigers, leading the Sooners to acquire former Washington State quarterback John Mateer through the transfer portal.
The move has worked out well for Oklahoma, as Mateer entered the game as the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and did nothing to lose that stature in getting the win. Mateer was 24-of-36 passing for 271 yards and a touchdown along with 10 carries for 29 yards and a touchdown.
The Sooners’ win should allow previously No. 11 Oklahoma to move ahead of idle No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 9 Illinois — a 63-10 loser to No. 19 Indiana.
The Sooners might just move past Texas, too, as the Longhorns’ lopsided 55-0 win came against winless Conference USA member Sam Houston.
Ole Miss’ impressive 45-10 win over Tulane is enough to think the Rebels should move up from No. 13 ahead of idle No. 12 Iowa State.
Texas Tech will be another big riser in this week’s poll after its dominant 34-10 road win over No. 16 Utah. The Red Raiders, previously No. 17, are also a threat to move past the idle Cyclones and grab the No. 12 position.
Here’s how the Top 25 should look this week:
1. Ohio State (3-0)
Was idle
2. Penn State (3-0)
Was idle
3. Miami (4-0)
Defeated Florida, 26-7
4. LSU (4-0)
Defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 56-10
5. Georgia (3-0)
Was idle
6. Oregon (4-0)
Defeated Oregon State, 41-7
7. Florida State (3-0)
Defeated Kent State, 66-10
8. Oklahoma (4-0)
Defeated No. 22 Auburn, 24-17
9. Texas (3-1)
Defeated Sam Houston, 55-0
10. Texas A&M (3-0)
Was idle
11. Ole Miss (4-0)
Defeated Tulane, 45-10
12. Texas Tech (4-0)
Won at No. 16 Utah, 34-10
13. Iowa State (4-0)
Was idle
14. Alabama (2-1)
Was idle
15. Indiana (4-0)
Defeated No. 9 Illinois, 63-10
16. Tennessee (3-1)
Defeated UAB, 56-24
17. Georgia Tech (4-0)
Defeated Temple, 45-24
18. Vanderbilt (4-0)
Defeated Georgia State, 70-15
19. Michigan (3-1)
Won at Nebraska, 30-27
20. Missouri (4-0)
Defeated South Carolina, 29-20
21. Notre Dame (1-2)
Defeated Purdue, 56-30
22. USC (4-0)
Defeated Michigan State, 45-31
23. Auburn (3-1)
Lost at No. 11 Oklahoma 24-17
24. TCU (3-0)
Defeated SMU 35-24
25. Mississippi State (4-0)
Defeated Northern Illinois 38-10
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
