Miami’s Upshaw made ‘special things happen’ in win vs. FSU. Can he build on it?

University of Miami admin October 21, 2026 0 Comments

Miami’s Upshaw made ‘special things happen’ in win vs. FSU. Can he build on it?

Daylyn Upshaw came into his sophomore season with the Miami Hurricanes on a mission. The wide receiver wanted to show that he could be relied upon in big situations, that he could step up in a crowded position group and make his presence known.

He did just that Saturday.

While his performance was overshadowed by another stellar outing from star receiver Malachi Toney and the overall rush of a thrilling 43-35 double-overtime win against in-state rival Florida State, Upshaw quietly had the best game of his young career against the Seminoles.

He caught four passes for a career-high 91 yards, and three of those four receptions came in crucial moments that eventually set up Miami touchdowns.

Upshaw looks to build on that success when the No. 1 Hurricanes (6-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) host the Pittsburgh Panthers (5-2, 2-2 ACC) on Saturday (noon, ESPN).

“He embodied one of the things that [offensive coordinator Shannon] Dawson always preaches to our guy,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said. “Take routine plays and execute them at a high level with max effort and ball security, and special things happen.”

Perhaps the most notable of Upshaw’s plays was his first, mostly because of what led up to the catch. With the score tied early in the second quarter, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah got flushed from the pocket. He evaded a pair of would-be sacks from FSU defensive linemen Daniel Lyons and Deante McCray before firing a pass downfield to a wide-open Upshaw for a 44-yard gain. The Hurricanes scored three plays later to go up 14-7.

“I was kind of in panic mode right there,” said Mensah, who noted that an offensive lineman tripped early in the play that allowed for FSU to have a clear lane to him. “But luckily [Upshaw] was wide open, so I just tried to get him the ball right there. Huge play.”

Upshaw’s other shining moments came late.

Midway through the fourth quarter, with Miami and FSU again tied, Upshaw caught a 15-yard pass with a pair of FSU defenders draped over him in coverage and Mensah on the run to convert a pivotal third-and-10. It helped pave the way for a 10-play, 61-yard drive capped by Mensah throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Elija Lofton to briefly put Miami up 28-21 before FSU scored on its next possession to force overtime.

“That third-down catch over there on the scramble, that was big time,” Dawson said. “We needed that at that point in the game.”

And then Upshaw opened double overtime by catching a tunnel screen and following his blockers for a 20-yard gain to set Miami up at the FSU 5-yard line. Miami capped that possession with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Mensah to Toney. Toney then threw a two-point conversion attempt to Cooper Barkate, and the defense sealed the game with Bryce Fitzgerald’s interception.

“The dude made huge plays, even though they kind of got overshadowed by scores,” Mensah said, “but he made clutch plays down the stretch, and that’s a huge thing for me, knowing that I can rely on him.”

Added Cristobal: “Daylyn is a guy that, since the day he’s gotten here, he’s just put his head down and worked really hard, and he’s starting to see so many positive results. He’s a guy that we all trust, and is on his way to being a great player. So really, really proud of him, and looking forward to him just getting more and more involved in the offense.”

The Hurricanes want as many players involved in the passing game as possible. Toney is the obvious star, but their ability to strain a defense comes from having multiple weapons for that defense to defend on any given play.

And right now, Miami looks as if it has a core of four players leading the charge.

Toney is at the forefront with his 50 catches, 758 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns.

But Barkate, Upshaw and Lofton are making their presence known as well. The trio has a combined 53 catches for 649 yards and eight touchdowns.

“There are people that have stepped up in crucial times that were desperately needed,” Dawson said. “But that’s that’s your job. That’s everybody’s job.”