The Hurricanes Wild Ride
The Miami Hurricanes Roar Out Onto The Field In The College Football Championship
By Luke Chaney And Kylie Wang
It was a story simply too good to be true. After decades of a sputtering football program at the University of Miami (UM), the Hurricanes finally made an improbable playoff run, reaching the college football championship for the first time since 2002. Even better, they were able to play in their home stadium, and under Head Coach Mario Cristobal, who won two rings with the ‘Canes back in 1989 and ’92. But it just wasn’t meant to be.
“This Is Why You Play The Game Of Football. This Is Why You Come To The University Of Miami … For Moments Like This …
Quarterback Carson Beck, Above, At The Championship Game
Gableites may feel the university’s defeat softened by another improbable storyline: the rise of Coral Gables native and Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who led his team to victory, 27 to 21, against his hometown Hurricanes. For Mendoza, a Christopher Columbus High School graduate, this could be a revenge story – UM never made him an offer, despite his dreams of playing there – but the perpetually smiling Heisman winner kept his comments professional in his post-game interview. “I was a two-star recruit coming out of high school,” Mendoza told ESPN. “I got declined to walk-on at the University of Miami. [It’s a] full-circle moment playing here in Miami in front of friends and family.”
“We Want To Make Sure The Program Here Is Always A Program You Can Be Proud Of…”
’Canes Head Coach Mario Cristobal, Above, At The Playoff’s First Round Game Against Texas A&M.
The road back to prominence for UM has been long, windy, and occasionally tumultuous. From 2004 to 2021, the Hurricanes only won 10 or more games in a season one time. During that span, the ‘Canes failed under the leadership of five different head coaches and squandered countless talented players. The once-admired football program that helped put Coral Gables’ proud university on the map seemed hopeless – a far cry from the iconic teams of the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s, when the ’Canes were five-time champs.
Left with yet another head coaching vacancy and in desperate need of a turnaround, Miami signed former Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal in December 2021 to a 10-year, $80 million contract. A second- generation Cuban American, Cristobal grew up playing football in South Florida. He, too, attended Christopher Columbus High School (alongside Mendoza’s father) and then UM, where he was a four-year offensive tackle on a two-time championship football team.
Cristobal also came with an impressive resume. At Oregon, he was in charge of a nationally relevant program that won two conference titles in 2019 and 2020, positioning the Ducks as one of college football’s premier teams. But the Miami native always dreamed of leading his hometown team back to the top.
Above: Star Player Malachi Toney, Wide Receiver
“We want to make sure the program here is always a program you can be proud of for all the right reasons; a program of relentless competitors,” Cristobal told an audience of reporters, donors, and past and current players at his introductory press conference. “Always, always a team that nobody wants to play. We need to get together with these coaches and young men and… we need to speak that into existence. We’ve got to work that into reality.”
Cleaning up the stains left by previous regimes over the last 17 years was not easy. It required a full rebuild, and plenty of time. The Hurricanes won a measly five games in Cristobal’s first season, which included a 14-point loss to massive underdog Middle Tennessee, as well as a 42-point drubbing at the hands of in-state rival Florida State. But the struggles of his first season didn’t shake Cristobal, who moved into Coral Gables immediately after taking the job. With the acquisition of top talent, supported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s new NIL (name, image, and likeness) policy, the Hurricanes improved year after year. They won seven regular season games in 2023, 10 in 2024, and 10 again in 2025, granting the team a berth in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. (The revamped playoff structure debuted in 2014 with four teams, increasing to 12 as of this year.) Like most recent seasons, 2025-26 started strong, with a series of five victories that elevated the team to a No. 2 ranking. And like most recent seasons, it fell apart midway, with two losses to inferior teams that dropped the team to No. 18.
Fighting back with four strong wins, the ‘Canes were the tenth seed going into the 2025-26 playoffs, an unlikely championship winner and the lowest ever seed to make the final. Wins over Texas A&M (10-3) and Ohio State (24-14) advanced the Hurricanes to the semifinal Fiesta Bowl, where they trailed Ole Miss 27-24 late in the fourth quarter. With the team’s championship game hopes on the line, quarterback Carson Beck relayed a message to his team that echoed Cristobal’s vision for the program.
“[I] looked at the guys on the sideline and said, ‘Man, this is what we worked for. This is what we live for. This is why you play the game of football. This is why you come to the University of Miami – for moments like this, to play in these big games, to have these big moments. Are we going to respond or are we not? What are we going to do?’” Beck said.
Beck and the Hurricanes then drove down the length of the field, exorcising 17 years’ worth of demons with every first down and willing the team to yet another improbable victory at 31-27. Miami was back in the national championship and under college football’s spotlight once again.
But, two weeks later, in the final moments of the college football championship, the story came to a heartbreaking conclusion. With the season on the line, Beck led the team downfield with mere seconds left on the clock in what looked like a reprise of the previous win. The offense needed only a single touchdown to secure victory. Within range of that goal, Beck threw a deep ball to receiver Keelan Marion, right to the endzone. But Marion wasn’t looking. The ball ended in the hands of Indiana defensive back Jamari Sharpe’s instead, an interception that sealed the Hoosier’s victory, 27-21.
“I do see pain in moments like this, and we should, if we’re a competitor that’s worth anything,” said Cristobal after the loss. “You feel it and you use it and you give those feelings a direction. I know the guys coming back will, and I know that the guys moving on will also use that as fuel.”
“I Do See Pain In Moments Like This, And We Should, If We’re A Competitor That’s Worth Anything … You Feel It And You Use It …”
Canes Head Coach Mario Cristobal, On Losing The Championship To Indiana Hoosiers, Shown Above
Beck, who is in his sixth and final year of college football eligibility, left the field in tears. “For it to end like that is hard,” he said in his postgame press conference. “It’s really tough, especially to battle the way that we did in the second half. To have a chance to win at the end, it says a lot about us. But to lose it – it really hurts.” In his final college game, Beck threw for 232 yards and a touchdown. He will now look to the NFL Draft, where he is a projected mid-round pick. “I’m just so grateful to have had the opportunity to play quarterback at this university,” he added in his final moments as the University of Miami’s quarterback. “It was a hell of a season.”
“I Got Declined To Walk-On At The University Of Miami. [It’s A] Full-Circle Moment Playing Here In Miami In Front Of Friends And Family…“
I Got Declined To Walk-On At The University Of Miami. [It’s A] Full-Circle Moment Playing Here In Miami In Front Of Friends And Family…
Mendoza, meanwhile, is largely expected to go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, who had team ownership in attendance for the final game at Hard Rock Stadium.
While the Hurricanes lost on Jan. 19, there’s no doubt that “The U” will be back in championship-style for its one hundredth season come August. Though now short a quarterback, there are plenty of options in the woodwork (and the transfer portal), especially those vying for a chance to join a championship caliber team. With Cristobal at the helm, the Hurricanes are expected to be just that.