No. 4 Miami fends off late Florida rally in 26-7 win

The Miami Hurricanes (4-0) held off a late push from the Florida Gators to secure a 26-7 victory. A decisive fourth-quarter drive drained more than seven minutes off the clock and ended with a touchdown at the 4:08 mark to seal the game.

Miami dominated the first half, holding Florida to just 32 total yards on the way to a 13-0 halftime lead. Still, six procedural penalties slowed the offense and kept the margin closer than it could have been.

Florida responded after the break with an 80-yard touchdown drive but failed on a fourth down deep in Miami territory, losing its chance to take the lead. From there, the Gators’ offense couldn’t finish drives.

Running backs Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown powered the Hurricanes with a combined 190 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Brown also added 53 receiving yards. Florida finished with only 139 total yards, as QB DJ Lagway averaged just 2.8 yards per pass attempt. The Gators went 0-for-13 on third down.

The loss dropped Florida to 1-3, its worst start since 1986, and further turned up the heat on head coach Billy Napier. Miami, meanwhile, extended its home winning streak to 11 games—the longest since 2018—and improved to 78-3 at home as an AP Top 5 team.

Quarterback Carson Beck moved to 3-0 in his career against Florida, including two wins while at Georgia.

Defensive spotlight: Defensive lineman Rueben Bain proved nearly unstoppable, constantly disrupting Florida’s offense. Officially, he logged one tackle for loss, 0.5 sacks, and a quarterback hurry, but his impact went far beyond the stat sheet—helping set up several teammates’ sacks. Miami’s defense struggled last year without him, but his presence this season has already transformed the unit.