No. 1 Miami Continues to Show Championship-Level Instincts By Winning in Opportunistic Ways
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Only three teams remain undefeated. Only one sits as the No. 1 team in the country.
The Miami Hurricanes (8-0, 6-0 ACC) find ways to win, highlighting what the program, players, and coaches learned during its College Football Playoff run. Sometimes it only takes one play, and in the Halloween thriller against North Carolina, it was one play that changed everything.
Defensive end Marquise Lightfoot came barging in with the strip-sack that saved the Canes' undefeated season, while also picking up his seven sacks of the year. It gave the offense the chance to go up 10, the exact total they needed to hold off the rabid Tar Heels.
MARQUISE LIGHTFOOT ON THE STRIP SACK!!!
— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) November 1, 2026
CANES RECOVER!!! pic.twitter.com/739wvY1AZT
"Just playing ball, you know, that's why I try to do every play every time they pass the ball," Lightfoot said after the game. "So, you know, [Billy Edwards Jr.] decided to, you know, make a second and take a second decision and, you know, bat the ball, hold the ball a little longer. So, I was able to get that."
UM's defense is opportunistic, highlighting the championship qualities a program needs to reach the next step. Miami couldn't stop a cold, but when they needed to, they made a play.
Moreover, games like this are why head coach Mario Cristobal is so adamant about being 1-0, and it is brainwashing everyone on the roster, friends and family around them, and even fans as well.
However, after the bye week, the Hurricanes have taken a defensive dip after starting the season as one of the top five units. Week after week, Miami's linebackers continue to get attacked, and the secondary is targeted while they are one of the worst tackling teams in the country.
These are not the championship habits the Hurricanes want. Even with more sacks at this point in the season than last year, something still seems off.
Miami's offense is there and continues to play at a historic rate, even if the ball is touched only once in the third quarter. More teams will play similarly to the Tar Heels, especially if Miami reaches the College Football Playoff again. The defense will have to remain opportunistic.
"But I'll say it again because you guys see it, you guys covered around the country and you see the amount of top-five and top-25 teams going on the road or even at home and getting beat in conference play because conference football is different," head coach Cristobal said after the UNC Victory. "Conference football around the country is playoff football and so find a way to get one and0 but find a way to get better. Certain aspects we did others we got to get better at."
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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