If you were at Acrisure Stadium this past November, you felt the air go out of the place pretty early. Pitt football vs Miami used to be the kind of game that felt like a toss-up, or at least a gritty Big East throwback where anything could happen. But after the Hurricanes walked into Pittsburgh and handed the Panthers a 38-7 reality check on November 29, 2025, it's hard to ignore the gap.
Miami didn't just win. They dominated. Carson Beck, the Georgia transfer who’s been surgical all year, threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns. He looked like he was playing a different sport than the Pitt defense. Honestly, watching Malachi Toney—a freshman, no less—catch 13 passes for 126 yards felt like watching a highlight reel in real-time. Pitt (8-4) had plenty to play for, including a shot at the ACC title game, but they just couldn't match the pure athleticism Miami brought to the field.
The Numbers Don't Lie: Pitt football vs Miami History
The all-time record is becoming a bit of an eyesore for the folks in Oakland. After the 2025 blowout, Miami now leads the series 31-12-1. Think about that. Pitt has only won 12 times in 75 years of playing these guys.
It wasn't always this lopsided. Back in the day, specifically the mid-70s, Pitt was the bully. In 1976, Tony Dorsett was busy winning a Heisman and a national championship, and they rolled Miami 36-19. That’s still Pitt’s biggest win in the series. But once the 80s hit and "The U" became a global brand, the script flipped hard. From 1984 to 1996, Miami won eight straight. They were winning by scores like 45-0 and 37-10. It was brutal.
There are flashes of hope, though. You can't talk about Pitt football vs Miami without mentioning the 2017 upset. Miami was ranked No. 2 in the country, undefeated, and dreaming of a playoff spot. Then a freshman named Kenny Pickett happened. Pitt won 24-14, ruining Miami's season in one of the biggest "Pitt-style" upsets in school history. It’s that kind of unpredictability that keeps the rivalry alive, even when the talent gap feels like a canyon.
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What Happened in 2025?
Let's look at the most recent clash. Pitt entered the game ranked No. 24, while Miami was No. 13 and hunting for a College Football Playoff berth. The game was basically over by halftime.
- Miami’s offensive line was a wall. Beck had all day to survey the field.
- Pitt’s rushing attack was nonexistent. They finished with a pathetic 30 yards on the ground.
- Mason Heintschel, Pitt's quarterback, was sacked four times and hurried constantly.
Heintschel tried to keep things moving—he finished 22-of-32 for 199 yards—but he was under fire from the first snap. Miami’s defense, led by guys like Akeheem Mesidor, just moved too fast. When your average rush is 1.4 yards, you aren't winning many football games.
The Recruiting Gap and NIL Reality
Why is this happening? If you ask Pat Narduzzi, he'll tell you it’s about execution. But if you look at the rosters, it’s about "Jimmies and Joes."
Miami is currently a monster in the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) space. They can go out and get a veteran like Carson Beck or pull in five-star freshmen like Malachi Toney. Pitt has its own NIL collective, but it’s not playing in the same tax bracket as the boosters in Coral Gables. It shows. Miami’s defensive line had players that outweighed Pitt’s offensive line across the board.
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In the 2025 game, the size difference was jarring. Miami’s interior line kept the pocket so clean you could’ve held a picnic in there. Meanwhile, Pitt’s undersized defensive line—not a single starter over 300 pounds—was getting moved five yards off the ball on every run play. Girard Pringle Jr. and Mark Fletcher Jr. just hammered the ball down Pitt's throat for a combined 100+ yards.
Memorable Moments That Define the Rivalry
Even with the lopsided record, this series has some "all-timer" games.
- 1967: The Blowout. Miami beat Pitt 58-0. It remains the largest margin of victory in series history.
- 2002: The Big East Clash. No. 1 Miami barely escaped No. 17 Pitt with a 28-21 win. That Pitt team was loaded with Larry Fitzgerald and Rod Rutherford.
- 2021: The Shootout. A prime Kenny Pickett outdueled Tyler Van Dyke for most of the night, but Miami’s late surge gave them a 38-34 win.
- 2022: The Revenge. Pitt went down to Miami and put up 42 points. It was their largest margin of victory over the Canes in Florida.
Why Pitt Fans Should Still Care
It’s easy to get cynical when your team gets beaten by 31 points at home. But Pitt football vs Miami remains a "litmus test" game for the Panthers. If you want to know if Pitt is actually a contender in the ACC, look at how they play the Hurricanes.
When Pitt is good, they compete with Miami. When they’re mediocre, they get embarrassed. The 2025 season showed that while Pitt is a top-25 caliber team, they aren't ready for the elite tier yet. They finished 8-4, a respectable season by most standards, but the Miami loss was a reminder that the ceiling in the ACC is still painted orange and green.
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Narduzzi’s system relies on "stunting" and "moving" the defensive line to make up for a lack of size. It works against Georgia Tech. It works against Syracuse. It doesn't work against a Miami line that can just lean on you for four quarters.
The Path Forward for the Panthers
Fixing the trend requires more than just better play-calling. Pitt needs to get bigger in the trenches. The 2025 stats showed that Miami had 28 first downs compared to Pitt's 11. That is a total failure of the offensive and defensive lines.
If you're a fan looking for a silver lining, Mason Heintschel showed flashes of being "the guy." He’s tough, and he took some hits that would’ve ended most seasons. If the coaching staff can find him some help on the edges and a running back that can gain more than a yard at a time, the 2026 rematch might be closer.
The rivalry isn't going anywhere. Both teams are locked into the ACC's long-term schedule, meaning this late-November tradition will continue. Whether it's at Acrisure or Hard Rock Stadium, expect the same intensity—and hopefully, for Pitt fans, a lot more points.
To get the most out of following this series, keep an eye on the transfer portal this spring. Pitt needs to land at least two massive interior defensive linemen to stop the bleeding against power-run teams like Miami. You should also watch the freshman development of Mason Heintschel; if he gets a true WR1 to pair with Raphael Williams Jr., this offense can actually keep pace with the high-flyers in the conference. Finally, check the 2026 ACC schedule release in February to see if the Panthers get a break with a home-field advantage again.