MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami quarterback Carson Beck leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing accuracy. And Louisville leads the ACC in completion percentage defense.
Seems like a classic something’s-got-to-give game awaits Friday night.
No. 2 Miami (5-0, 1-0) plays host to Louisville (4-1, 1-1) in a matchup of two teams that have proven they can score but have relied on their defenses for much of the first half of the year. Louisville comes into the game ranked No. 1 in the ACC in total defense, allowing 262 yards per game, a smidge ahead of Miami (276.4) on that list.
“We’ll definitely have to play very well in order to win, but that’s why you practice all week and get ready to face a great opponent,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. “Great opportunity to play an outstanding football team that’s playing as good as anyone in the country right now. We’re going to have to play really well in order to win.”
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The game should have an outstanding quarterback matchup. Beck is completing 73.4% of his passes so far this year — on pace to shatter the Miami single-season record set by No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Cam Ward last season — and Louisville’s Miller Moss is seeking what would be his fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal — whose team has already beaten Notre Dame, South Florida, Florida and Florida State this season, four teams that either are or have been in the AP Top 25 at some point in 2025 — had extremely high praise for Louisville.
“It’s as complete of a team that we have faced, or will face, all year long, both in their play style and their talent levels,” Cristobal said. “They have done just an excellent job forcing negative plays, disrupting the schedule of the offense. They just play really hard, really fast. … They get to the ball with bad intentions. They force a lot of turnovers. Just a really impressive football team.”
Louisville quarterback Miller Moss (7) looks to pass before being tackled by Pittsburgh defensive lineman Jimmy Scott (44) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
Miami at home
The Hurricanes have won 10 straight at home, officially their longest winning streak at Hard Rock Stadium since moving into that facility in 2008.
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It is Miami’s longest home winning streak since winning 26 straight at the now-demolished Orange Bowl from 1999 through 2003. (The Hurricanes did have a 13-game run of regular season home wins from 2016 through 2018, though that run also had a loss to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock to close the 2017 season.)
The last team to beat Miami at home? That would be Louisville, 38-31 winners in 2023.
Louisville vs. Ranked
The Cardinals have beaten at least one AP-ranked opponent in each of the last three seasons. That ties the longest such streak in school history; it also happened from 2000 through 2002, then again from 2006 through 2008.
Louisville Cardinals head coach Jeff Brohm, right, speaks with referee Justin Elliot during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Pittsburgh. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
Louisville is 1-8 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the AP poll. The win was 63-20 over Florida State in 2016.
Only 5 so far
Miami and Louisville are two of the four remaining FBS teams yet to play their sixth game this season. The Hurricanes and Cardinals have each played five, as has North Carolina (which plays at California on Friday night) and Kentucky (which plays host to Texas on Saturday night).
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Most teams — 111 — have already played six games this season, and another 21 have already played seven regular-season contests.
Miami and North Carolina enter Friday as the only teams who have played just one conference game to this point, excluding Notre Dame and UConn, which are both independents.
Friday Night Lights
Cristobal isn’t a huge fan of Friday night games, just because he’d rather see the spotlight on high school games.
This is Miami’s only Friday game of the season. The Hurricanes had a Sunday game to open the year against Notre Dame, and everything else on the regular season slate is a Saturday matchup.
“Big picture-wise, you always would love for Thursdays and Fridays to be high school. It belongs to them,” Cristobal said. “And then Saturdays for college and then Sundays for the NFL. … There’s enough to go around and I’m all about it. Play football every day, as long as humanly possible, and the world will be a better place.”
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The series
Miami is 12-4-1 all-time against Louisville. And if recent matchups are any indicator, expect a ton of points Friday.
The scores of the last four Hurricanes-Cardinals games: Miami won 52-27 in 2019, Miami won 47-34 in 2020, Louisville won 38-31 in 2023, and Miami won 52-45 last year.
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida), WFAN 101.9 FM/660 AM (Brooklyn)
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VITALS: The Miami Heat (32-29) and Brooklyn Nets (15-45) meet for the second of three regular season matchups. Earlier this season, Miami recorded a, 106-95, win in Brooklyn on December 18 and has now won four of the last five overall against the Nets.
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It also marks the first of consecutive games against Brooklyn with the teams facing each other again on Thursday. The Heat are 83-61 all-time versus the Nets during the regular season, including 44-26 in home games and 39-35 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
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G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
C Bam Adebayo
F Pelle Larsson
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F Andrew Wiggins
NETS
G Nolan Traore
G Terance Mann
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C Nic Claxton
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F Michael Porter Jr.
F Noah Clowney
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INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Davion Mitchell: Questionable – Shoulder
Norman Powell: Out – Groin
Nikola Jovic: Out – Back
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Trevor Keels: Available – G League
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Jahmir Young: Available – G League
Vlad Goldin: Available – G League
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
NETS
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Nic Claxton: Probable – Thumb
Egor Demin: Out – Foot
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QUOTABLE
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra: “Regardless of the scheme is, I always go back to that, it’s just about committing to doing hard things. We were really moving in the zone, taking away airspace and scrambling to challenge shots at the rim. In a lot of these losses in the last month we’ve just been giving up shots at the rim and threes.”
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For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
ORLANDO, Fla. — Lionel Messi scored twice in a four-goal second half, defender Telasco Segovia added a goal and two assists and defending champion Inter Miami CF rallied to beat Orlando City SC 4-2 on Sunday night, winning for the first time at Inter&Co Stadium.
Messi took a pass from Segovia and scored in the 57th minute to tie it 2-2, and Segovia scored unassisted in the 85th for the lead. Messi put the finishing touch on the victory when he scored off a free kick in the 90th.
“The victory belongs exclusively to the players,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game. “In the second half, they were a championship team. There were no tactics, nothing like that. There was heart, courage, possession, resilience, commitment. I think the team came out because they were champions last year.
“In the end, the players showed it. This victory is theirs.”
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Messi’s first two goals of the season give him 52 in his first 55 regular-season MLS matches — 51 of them in his past 49 appearances. It also brought the reigning MLS MVP to 898 career goals scored, including 672 for Barcelona and 115 for Argentina.
“He’s the best player to ever play this sport. He’s a leader, and as a leader, he inspires others, but he also often needs to be inspired himself,” Mascherano said of Messi. “When he was driving forward, he had more attacking options, and with so many opportunities, he clearly has the ability to create chances like no one else, and that’s what allowed us to turn the game around.”
Marco Pašalić took a pass from Iván Angulo and scored in the 18th minute to give Orlando City a 1-0 lead. Pašalić has scored in four straight matches against Inter Miami.
Inter Miami players celebrate after scoring a goal against Orlando City in MLS.
Defender Griffin Dorsey set up Martín Ojeda for a goal six minutes later for a 2-0 advantage that stood through halftime.
Inter Miami cut it to 2-1 four minutes into the second half on Mateo Silvetti’s first career goal. Defenders Segovia and Facundo Mura had assists as the 20-year-old forward found the net in his fifth career appearance.
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Segovia had eight goals and six assists as a rookie last season, while Mura collected his first assist in his first season.
Dayne St. Clair, the reigning goalkeeper of the year, turned away three shots — all in the second half of his second start with Inter Miami, but let in a soft goal for Orlando’s first.
Maxime Crépeau had four saves in his second start for Orlando City.
Teenager Colin Guske, 19, will miss Orlando City’s next match after the rookie picked up two yellow cards in his first start — the second one led to his exit in the 88th minute.
Inter Miami, which had never won in its previous nine trips to Orlando, was coming off a 3-0 road loss to LAFC.
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Orlando City swept Inter Miami during the regular season last year and leads the all-time series 8-7-4.
Inter Miami plays D.C. United on Saturday at Audi Field. Orlando City is also on the road with a match against New York City FC.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this recap.
Rain floods Miami Beach streets, cut short Miami Heat Family Festival
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Much-needed rain fell across South Florida on Sunday, but the downpour quickly led to flooding and traffic headaches.
“The drainage systems aren’t the best but in ten minutes it will be gone,” one person said.
The rain lasted longer than 10 minutes, flooding several spots along Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.
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In one neighborhood, at least a foot of water blocked the entrance. Drivers who attempted to pass through sent waves crashing onto nearby sidewalks.
The heavy rain also snarled traffic on parts of Interstate 95 and on the bridges to and from Miami Beach, slowing drivers trying to get around the area.
“It’s Miami for you. What do they call it, a sun shower?” one driver said.
The weather disrupted Sunday plans for many. The 26th annual Miami Heat Family Festival was cut short after strong winds swept through Dan Paul Plaza, knocking over several tents.
There is no word yet on how or when the Miami Heat plan to make up the family festival.
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Brett Knese
Brett Knese joined the Local 10 News team as a general assignment reporter in March 2025.
