Through the Smoke: A Miami Hurricanes football podcast · 247Sports, Miami, Miami Hurricanes, Miami football, Miami athletics, College Football

Reviewing the Notre Dame win and discussing Bethune-Cookman

September 4, 2025·1 hr 8 min·5 clips

Ruben Bain and Akeem Mesidor bullied Notre Dame's touted tackles, revealing Miami's unexpected defensive superiority.

Miami beat Notre Dame, 27-24. The episode starts there and mostly stays with the rewatch, as David Lake and Gabby Urrutia sort through what Miami looked like once they had more to work with. This is not much of a preview show. Bethune-Cookman comes up late, but the real work is judging the Hurricanes after a serious opponent-quality test. The receiver room takes over the conversation. Miami lost its top six receiving options, so the obvious question is whether that finally shows up as a real problem. The hosts mostly come away saying no, or at least not yet. CJ Daniels sounds dependable, more like a veteran answer than a patch. They talk about him as someone who needed a fresh start after LSU did not go the way he expected. Malachi Toney gets more than polite optimism. The Restrepo-to-Toney handoff is treated as workable because the hosts see actual star traits, not just a younger player filling snaps. Keelan Marion changes the mood too. His near-touchdown becomes the example for what Miami wanted from him: vertical separation, burst, and value beyond the short game. The Notre Dame secondary matters in all of this. The praise has more weight because the hosts keep coming back to the opponent. Miami's receivers were not just running loose against a weak group. That is the pattern of this stretch: name the worry, run it through the film, then decide if the concern still holds. The answer is cautious, but it is clearly more positive than the offseason doubt. Bethune-Cookman is handled quickly. The hosts describe an older team that wants to spread the field, use three- and four-wide looks, and move the ball around. Johnny Harris is the player named. The closing note is practical: get a look at the young Miami players who should see the field at Hard Rock Stadium.

As heard by us

Miami's Notre Dame win gets a rewatch-led check on the receivers, with only a brief Bethune-Cookman mention.

Through the Smoke stays with Miami's 27-24 win over Notre Dame and uses the rewatch to sort out what held up and what still needs more context.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want Miami's 27-24 Notre Dame win broken down after a rewatch, without the usual postgame noise.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Through the Smoke: A Miami Hurricanes football podcast