In a weakened Atlantic Coast Conference, Miami football entered Week 8 of the college football season not only looking like the team with the clearest-cut path to the conference championship game but also as the team to beat in the conference.
Those turned out to be further from the truth on Friday night, and one can thank Jeff Brohm and Louisville for that.
Thanks to a four-takeaway day from its defense, Louisville handed No. 2 Miami its first loss of the season 24-21 on Friday, Oct. 17 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
All four of the Cardinals‘ caused turnovers on defense came through the air, as they picked off Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck four times, including one late in the fourth quarter. On first-and-10 at the Louisville 31-yard line, Beck tried finding Elija Lofton on the right sideline but instead had his pass tipped and then intercepted by Cardinals’ linebacker T.J. Capers.
The loss for the Hurricanes is a bit of a deja vu moment for Mario Cristobal’s squad, as they sustained yet another unranked loss after a hot start to the season. Miami entered the day with a 10-game home winning streak, which was tied for the fourth-longest active streak among FBS programs.
A bright sight for Miami on the night was Malachi Toney. The true freshman wide receiver finished with nine catches for 135 yards on top of a 12-yard rushing touchdown and a successful 2-point conversion throw.
Given the up-and-down performance from the Hurricanes and the early sign of history repeating itself, college football social media didn’t hold back in their reactions to the loss. Here’s a snippet of those reactions:
Social media reacts to No. 2 Miami losing to Louisville
Here’s a look at social media after Miami’s loss to Louisville:
LOUISVILLE GETS THE CLUTCH INT TO HAND NO. 2 MIAMI ITS FIRST LOSS OF THE SEASON 😱 pic.twitter.com/8t2LQgpYeL
— ESPN (@espn) October 18, 2025
The ACC is deep 🤫
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) October 18, 2025
Louisville is a great football team.
The ACC is a deep conference.And if you didn’t know, now you do. pic.twitter.com/ulPfki5XPF
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) October 18, 2025
Not surprised 💪#GoCardspic.twitter.com/k6b5gX1pD0
— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) October 18, 2025
Louisville takes down No. 2 Miami. Sign of what’s to come this Saturday?
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 18, 2025
LOUISVILLE HANDS NO. 2 MIAMI THEIR FIRST LOSS OF THE SEASON! 😱 pic.twitter.com/lWv1OhwyV1
— ESPN BET (@ESPNBET) October 18, 2025
#Miami losing to Louisville at home should end their season. right then & there. Now, it’ll prob mean nothing & they’ll be just fine for the playoff anyway.
I know i’m in the minority but I’m still just not a fan of this new era of college football.
— Jason Hamby (@Jason_Hamby14) October 18, 2025
Two years in a row, Miami had a clear path to the College Football Playoff. Will they blow it again?
All three regular season losses the last two years have come as multi-score betting favorites. Canes were a 10.5-point favorite tonight vs. Louisville.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 18, 2025
A yearly tradition despite having one of the top NIL budgets in College Football. , “The U is NOT back!”
Miami has never won an ACC Football Championship. The Hurricanes joined the ACC in 2004.. #LOUVsMIA#NCAAFpic.twitter.com/8R7f7SUwUj
— Cʜᴜᴄᴋ ᴅᴏᴜɢʟᴀs ✪ (@ChuckDouglas_) October 18, 2025
Louisville-Miami is developing into an absolutely amazing rivalry on the football field.
Add the connections the two programs share in Howard Schnellenberger and their city-school as opposed to state program make-ups, it feels as appropriate as can be.
— Troy Turbeville (@VilleontheVille) October 18, 2025
DOWN GOES #2‼️
Louisville STUNS the Hurricanes in Miami 🤯 pic.twitter.com/70IOZrwcWL
— College Football Overtime (@CFB_Overtime) October 18, 2025
Jeff Brohm is the KING of Upsets in College Football 🐐
2025 – W @ #2 Miami (24-21)
2024 – W vs. #11 Clemson (33-21)
2023 – W vs. #10 Notre Dame (33-20)
2021 – W vs. #3 Michigan State (40-29)
2021 – W vs. #2 Iowa (24-7)
2018 – W vs. #2 Ohio State (49-20) pic.twitter.com/x9L83EdqXJ— College Football Report (@CFBRep) October 18, 2025
The UNRANKED Cardinals go into Coral Gables and pick up an amazing win vs Miami 😳 pic.twitter.com/HgWgKu17d3
— College Football Alerts (@CFBAlerts_) October 18, 2025
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami score vs Louisville: Social media reacts to Hurricanes’ loss
