Tag: Hurricanes

Dec 28, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones running back Carson Hansen (26) scores a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the Pop Tarts bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

No. 18 Iowa State clips No. 13 Miami for first 11-win season

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Rocco Becht scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak on fourth down with 56 seconds left and No. 18 Iowa State edged No. 13 Miami 42-41 on Saturday in the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Orlando, Fla.

Becht also passed for 270 yards and three touchdowns as the Cyclones (11-3) overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to secure their first 11-win season in school history.

The Hurricanes (10-3), who lost for the third time in four games after starting the season with a 9-0 record, rushed for 308 yards – most in school history in a bowl game. However, they had virtually no passing attack in the second half with backup Emory Williams under center.

Heisman Trophy finalist Cam Ward threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns for Miami. The first TD was the 156th of his career, breaking the Division I (FBS and FCS) record he shared with Houston’s Case Keenum (2007-11) – before sitting out the second half of his last college game.

Williams, who was intercepted on the final play of the game, finished 5-for-14 passing for 26 yards. He was 3-for-8 for 20 yards when the Hurricanes got the ball back one final time at their own 20 with 47 seconds left.

Both offenses combined to deliver an electric first half that featured 59 points and 625 total yards.

After the Hurricanes fumbled the ball away on an errant snap on the game’s first play, the teams scored touchdowns on eight consecutive possessions, starting with Becht’s 9-yard throw to tight end Gabe Burkle on third-and-goal.

Damien Martinez raced 75 yards to the end zone on Miami’s second offensive play, and Carson Hansen answered with a 30-yard rushing touchdown. Ward knotted the score again with a 4-yard pass to Jacolby George.

Becht, a Tampa area native, and Jaylin Noel connected for a 49-yard completion to the 1 and Hansen charged in the next play for a 21-14 lead with 2:23 left in the first quarter.

The onslaught continued with three more touchdowns in the next eight minutes.

Ward threw a 40-yard score to Joshisa Trader, Hansen caught a 13-yard pass from Becht for his third touchdown, and Ward hit Elijah Arroyo for a 33-yard score. Andy Borregales kicked a 30-yard field goal with 16 seconds left in the half for a 31-28 Hurricanes lead.

Miami went up by 10 on Mark Fletcher Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown run with 8:09 left in the third quarter. Iowa State answered with Becht’s third TD pass, a 4-yarder to Noel, the ensuing drive.

Borregales knocked in a 21-yarder to put the Hurricanes up 41-35 with 9:40 remaining in the game.

–Field Level Media

Nov 30, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Miami Hurricanes linebacker Wesley Bissainthe (31) breaks up a pass intended for Syracuse Orange running back LeQuint Allen (1) during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

No. 6 Miami loses out on ACC title berth, falls at Syracuse

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Kyle McCord passed for 380 yards and three touchdowns as the host Syracuse Orange rallied to upset the sixth-ranked Miami Hurricanes 42-38 in an ACC game on Saturday.

Syracuse trailed 21-0 but took its first lead, 35-28, in the third quarter on a 56-yard fumble recovery by Devin Grant. The Orange never trailed again.

A win would’ve put Miami in the ACC title game next Saturday against SMU. Instead, Miami (10-2, 6-2) ended its regular season with two upset losses in its final three games.

Syracuse (9-3, 5-3) got two touchdown receptions from Jackson Meeks (seven catches, 110 yards). Teammate Trebor Pena caught six passes for 128 yards and one TD.

Cam Ward led Miami, passing for 349 yards and two TDs. He leads the nation with 36 TD passes, and he also went over 4,000 passing yards for the season.

McCord, who leads the nation in passing yards, also went over 4,000 yards for the season.

Hurricanes wide receiver Xavier Restrepo caught nine passes for 148 yards and one touchdown. He went over 1,000 receiving yards for the second straight season, but his fumble led to Grant’s TD.

After Miami’s 21-0 lead, Syracuse rallied to cut its deficit to 21-14 by halftime.

On those two Orange TDs, LeQuint Allen ran eight yards, and Meeks won a 9-yard jump-ball battle against cornerback Daryl Porter Jr., who ended up on the turf.

Syracuse took the second-half kickoff and scored in three plays. McCord hit Pena with a 50-yarder and then a 25-yard touchdown, tying the score, 21-21.

Miami responded with a 75-yard TD march, capped by Mark Fletcher Jr.’s 2-yard run.

Syracuse tied the score on another 9-yard TD pass to Meeks — this time on a slant — and the Orange were driving again when Miami’s Bobby Pruitt forced and recovered a fumble. Yasin Willis was the Syracuse running back who got stripped at the Miami 17.

But Restrepo fumbled, and Grant’s return changed momentum.

Miami tied the score on Damien Martinez’s 2-yard run with 13:02 left. That was set up by a 40-yard completion to Restrepo.

Syracuse went back on top, 42-35, on Allen’s 3-yard run with 9:16 left.

With less than four minutes remaining, Miami faced a fourth-and-goal at the 10. Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal — instead of going for the touchdown — opted for a field goal. Miami closed its deficit to 42-38 on Andres Borregales’ 27-yard field goal, but the Hurricanes never got the ball back.

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) throws a pass against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the third quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Quarterbacks in spotlight when No. 6 Miami visits Syracuse

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It didn’t take Syracuse first-year coach Fran Brown long to figure out the key matchup for Saturday afternoon’s Atlantic Coast Conference game visiting Miami.

“Syracuse has a really good quarterback,” Brown said of Kyle McCord, “and Miami has a really good quarterback (Cam Ward).”

With a win on Saturday, the No. 6 Hurricanes (10-1, 6-1 ACC) can clinch a berth in the league championship game against SMU.

Miami is a 10 1/2-point favorite for Saturday’s game.

Syracuse (8-3, 4-3) has reached eight wins for just the fourth time since 2002, going 8-5 in 2010 and 2012 and 10-3 in 2018. However, the Orange haven’t defeated a Top-10 team since knocking off Clemson in 2017.

Miami leads the nation in scoring (44.7), and the Hurricanes will count on perfect passing conditions in Syracuse’s dome.

That could be huge for Ward, who leads the nation with 34 touchdown passes, ranking second in passing yards (3,774) and fourth in passing efficiency.

Ward’s top target is wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, who needs just 21 yards to reach 1,000 for the second straight season.

Restrepo also ranks tied for seventh in the nation with 10 TD receptions.

Ward has some other top targets, including 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end Elijah Arroyo, who is a walking mismatch because of his size and speed. He leads Miami with 18.5 yards per reception.

Hurricanes wide receivers Isaiah Horton and Jacolby George have combined for 12 TD passes, and Sam Brown has added two more. Each of them has more than 500 receiving yards this season.

Miami’s running game features battering ram Damien Martinez (739 yards, 5.5 average, eight TDs); versatile Mark Fletcher Jr. (499 yards, 5.7 average, six TDs); and game-breaking freshman Jordan Lyle (361 yards, 8.6 average, four TDs).

Defensively, Miami’s big-play man is safety Mishael Powell, who ranks second in the ACC with five interceptions.

“He’s all about winning,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said of Powell. “He’s a smart, self-starting team player.”

On special teams, Miami kicker Andres Borregales ranks second in the ACC with 97 points. He is 52-for-52 on extra points and 15-for-16 on field goals.

Meanwhile, McCord ranks No. 1 in the nation in passing yards (3,946) and tied for seventh in TD passes (26). McCord, a transfer from Ohio State, has also set Syracuse’s single-season record for passing yards.

In last week’s 31-24 win over Connecticut, McCord passed for a career-high 470 yards. However, McCord is just 46th in the nation in passing efficiency, due in part to his high total of interceptions (12).

Syracuse also has three of the top six pass-catchers in the ACC in terms of yards: tight end Oronde Gadsden II (810) and wide receivers Jackson Meeks (801) and Trebor Pena (743).

Gadsden, who is from the greater Miami area, has had three straight 100-yard games. He is the son of former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Oronde Gadsden.

Syracuse’s run game is led by LeQuint Allen, who has rushed for 819 yards, a 4.3 average and 12 TDs.

The issue for Syracuse could be its defense, which ranks 13th in the ACC in points allowed (27.8).

Miami’s defense is fourth (22.3).

Even so, Syracuse coach Brown said he’s excited about this matchup.

“I heard Miami is going to come deep,” Brown said of Miami fans. “It’s going to be intense in the stands. It’s going to be intense on the field. I think this is a game everyone wants to see.”

–Field Level Media

Dec 16, 2020; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; A g general view of the Miami Hurricanes logo on the scorers table prior to the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Panthers at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Camdin Portis, son of Clinton, commits to Miami

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Four-star cornerback Camdin Portis, the son of former NFL star and Miami product Clinton Portis, will be following in his father’s footsteps, as the younger Portis committed to the Hurricanes on Sunday.

A member of the 2026 class, Camdin is considered a four-star player by 247sports and Rivals, and earning a four-star industry ranking from On3.

The 6-0, 165 pound defender hails from Myers Park High School in Charlotte, and received competing offers from Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee and Auburn.

Following his commitment, he told 247, “It’s not even a legacy thing. I feel like this system will fit me, and I fit their system.”

Clinton was a two-time Pro Bowler over a nine-year NFL career with the Denver Broncos and Washington. He sits at No. 33 on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 9,923 career rushing yards.

The elder Portis rushed for 2,523 yards over three seasons with the Hurricanes, winning a national title with Miami in 2001.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Samuel Brown (11) runs the ball against Louisville Cardinals defensive back Corey Thornton (14) during the first half at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

No. 6 Miami outlasts Louisville 52-45, improves to 7-0

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Cam Ward passed for 319 yards and four touchdowns as No. 6 Miami went on the road to Louisville 52-45 in an ACC game on Saturday afternoon.

Miami (7-0, 3-0) entered the game as the highest-scoring team in the nation at 47.7 points per game, and the Hurricanes continued to roll to their first 7-0 start since 2017.

Tyler Shough passed for 342 yards and four TDs for Louisville (4-3, 2-2), which also got a 100-yard kickoff return from Caullin Lacy.

The Cardinals never led after an early 7-3 advantage and trailed 10-7 after one quarter before falling behind 24-17 at halftime.

On a day of big plays, first-half highlights included a 55-yard field goal from Miami’s Andres Borregales, a 43-yard TD run by Louisville’s Isaac Brown and Ward’s 27-yard TD pass to Jacolby George.

Ward also tossed a 49-yard TD pass to Samuel Brown in the second quarter. On its next drive, Louisville cut its deficit to 17-14 when Shough flipped a 3-yard TD pass to tight end Mark Redman.

Miami also got a defensive TD in the second quarter on a fumble recovery in the end zone from linebacker Raul Aguirre Jr. to stretch its lead to 24-14. Rueben Bain Jr. and Simeon Barrow Jr. forced the fumble.

Miami took the second-half kickoff and mounted a 14-play drive that ended with Ward’s 9-yard TD pass to Xavier Restrepo for a 31-17 lead. Miami had four third-down conversions on the drive, including the TD.

Fifteen seconds later, Louisville cut its deficit to 31-24 on Lacy’s kickoff return while breaking three arm tackles.

After a fumble by Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr., Louisville tied the score 31-31 on Shough’s 21-yard TD pass to Ja’Corey Brooks with 6:59 remaining in the third quarter to give the Cardinals two touchdowns in 67 seconds.

Miami scored on a Ward’s 2-yard slant to Isaiah Horton late in the third quarter before Louisville tied the score 38-38 on Shough’s 4-yard TD pass to Duke Watson with 13:22 remaining

On its next drive, Miami went 80 yards in five plays and scored on Ajay Allen’s 2-yard run for a 45-38 lead with 11:17 remaining.

With 4:05 left, Miami stretched its lead to 52-38 on Damien Martinez’s 30-yard TD run. Louisville got the final score of the game with 54 seconds left as Brooks caught a 4-yard TD slant.

–Field Level Media

Sep 21, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Jacolby George (3) is tackled by South Florida Bulls cornerback Brent Austin (20) in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Cam Ward throws for 404 yards as No. 8 Miami rolls past South Florida

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Cam Ward passed for 404 yards and three touchdowns, leading the eighth-ranked Miami Hurricanes to a 50-15 win over the host South Florida Bulls on Saturday night in Tampa, Fla.

Miami (4-0) also got three short touchdown runs and a two-point-conversion reception from Damien Martinez.

Hurricanes wide receiver Isaiah Horton caught one TD pass. Miami also got a 91-yard touchdown run from freshman Jordan Lyle, who scored with 3:09 left in the game.

Ward, who many consider a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, completed 24 of 34 passes. He threw one interception, which was initially bobbled by Hurricanes wideout Jacolby George before being picked off.

Horton led Miami’s receivers with eight catches for 108 yards. Xavier Restrepo had six catches for 99 yards and one touchdown, and Samuel Brown had two grabs for 75 yards and one score.

USF (2-2) led twice in the first half before wearing down. Quarterback Byrum Brown completed 19 of 30 passes for 254 yards for the Bulls. He also caught a 12-yard TD pass. However, he limped off the field in the second half and didn’t return.

USF also got the first career field goals by freshman Nico Gramatica (58- and 51-yarders). He is the son of Martin Gramatica, who was a Pro Bowl kicker.

Miami took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards on seven plays. Martinez capped the drive with his 2 yard touchdown run. USF answered with Gramatica’s 58-yard field goal.

USF cornerback Brent Austin intercepted the deflected pass intended for George and that led to a short field. The Bulls converted with a trick play as receiver Sean Atkins tossed the 12-yard TD pass to Brown. The extra point was blocked, and USF led 9-7.

Miami closed the first-quarter scoring with Ward’s 6-yard TD pass on a slant pattern by Horton. That capped an eight-play, 90-yard drive and gave the Hurricanes a 14-9 lead.

USF took a 15-14 lead on an impressive, 19-play, 66-yard drive, which lasted 8:30, that led to John Cannon’s 45-yard field goal.

But Miami came back with a 76-yard TD pass to Brown, who outraced USF’s defenders down the left sideline. Ward flipped a two-point conversion pass to Martinez to take a 22-15 lead.

Miami dominated the third quarter with the period’s only points on a pair of Martinez TD runs, giving the Hurricanes a 36-15 lead.

The Hurricanes then poured it on in the fourth quarter with two more touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) passes the football against the Ball State Cardinals during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

No. 8 Miami, QB Cam Ward bring prolific offense against South Florida

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The eighth-ranked Miami Hurricanes have already scored 159 points – a program record for the first three games of a season.

Miami (3-0) will now travel to Tampa to challenge the host South Florida Bulls (2-1) on Saturday. Miami is a 16.5-point favorite.

After all, the Hurricanes are coming off a 62-0 win over Ball State. That marked Miami’s biggest shutout win ever over an FBS program. With the Ball State game essentially locked up, Miami quarterback Cam Ward was pulled three minutes into the third quarter. But even with such a short stint, Ward still passed for 346 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.

Ward, a transfer from Washington State who is completing 73 percent of his passes this season, is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, according to FanDuel. He has passed for 11 touchdowns, and he is averaging 345 passing yards per game. Even better, Ward has no fumbles and just one interception.

“He is laser-focused,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “He has the right mentality.”

Defensively, the Hurricanes are allowing just 8.7 points per game. Miami’s best defensive player has been defensive end Tyler Baron, who tops the team in tackles for loss (seven) and sacks (4 1/2).

On the other side, South Florida’s defense has impressed Cristobal.

“Their speed, their physicality, their intensity, their ability to tackle in space,” Cristobal said. “There’s a lot to (USF) that made them successful.”

Outside linebacker Mac Harris leads USF in total tackles (19) and stops for loss (3 1/2).

Offensively, the stars are quarterback Byrum Brown, running backs Nay’Quan Wright and Kelley Joiner Jr., and wide receivers Sean Atkins and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen.

Brown tops USF in passing yards (448) and rushing yards (254). He has two TD passes and two running TDs, as well as zero interceptions.

At running back, Wright – a Miami native – and Joiner are both sixth-year seniors.

Wright has rushed for 188 yards, a 5.7 average and two TDs. Joiner has rushed for 220 yards, a 7.3 average and four TDs.

Atkins, another sixth-year senior, arrived at USF as a walk-on in 2019. Yet he has played 50 games. Last year, he set USF season records for catches (92) and yards (1,054).

Yaseen, who arrived at USF this year as a Purdue transfer, has nine catches and a 13.0 average this season. He’s a fifth-year player.

In its season opener, USF beat heavy underdog Bethune-Cookman 48-3. USF then lost 42-16 at Alabama, although the Bulls trailed just 21-16 with less than six minutes left in that game.

Last Saturday, USF trailed 14-0 midway through the first quarter before rallying for a 49-24 win over Southern Mississippi.

In that game, Joiner had TD runs of 43 and 50 yards, and Wright scored on a 33-yarder.

Joiner and Wright both rushed for over 100 yards.

“I really don’t care about the stats,” said Joiner, who is 26 years old. “I really care about the win.”

This will be the first time Miami and USF have met since 2013, when the Hurricanes won 49-21 in Tampa.

USF coach Alex Golesh said Saturday’s game will be one of the biggest in the 28-season history of Bulls football, and he’s looking for a crowd in excess of 70,000.

“It’s going to a huge night in Tampa,” Golesh said. “We’ve got to get ourselves ready against a really good football team.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes tight end Riley Williams (88) runs with the football against Ball State Cardinals linebackers Keionte Newson (9) and Caden Johnson (6) during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Cam Ward (5 TDs), No. 10 Miami demolish Ball State 62-0

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Cam Ward passed for 346 yards and a career-high five touchdowns as the No. 10 Miami blasted Ball State 62-0 on Saturday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Lightning in the area on Saturday delayed the start of the game by 2 1/2 hours, but that didn’t stop Miami (3-0), which set a school record with 750 yards of total offense

.

Ward completed 19 of 28 passes and was not intercepted or sacked.

For the season, Ward has thrown for 1,035 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception, completing 73.0 percent.

Miami’s stars included Jacolby George (six catches 109 yards, one TD), Xavier Restrepo (three catches, 47 yards, two TDs) and Ajay Allen (104 rushing yards, one TD).

Defensively, Miami recorded nine tackles for loss, four sacks and an interception.

Ball State (1-1) was led by Kadin Semonza, who finished 16-of-26 passing for 111 yards. He was intercepted once.

The Cardinals were held to minus-4 yards rushing in the first half.

Miami led 10-0 after a first quarter in which Ward completed 9 of 11 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown, a 21-yarder to Restrepo.

Miami made it 17-0 with 4:46 left in the half as Ward hit Chris Johnson with a wide screen that went for a 37-yard touchdown.

The Hurricanes then scored two touchdowns in 23 seconds to take a 31-0 lead into halftime.

First, after stopping Ball State on a fourth-and-3 incompletion, Miami scored on a two-play, 47-yard drive, culminating with a 21-yard toss to Elijah Arroyo. Mark Fletcher Jr. made a key block on a blitz pickup.

Then Tyler Baron hit Semonza, which resulted in an interception by Elijah Alston. Miami cashed in with a 20-yard TD pass to Restrepo.

With 12:26 left in the third quarter, Ward took the rest of the night off after flipping a 17-yard TD pass to George.

–Field Level Media

Sep 7, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Chris Johnson Jr. (24) celebrates with wide receiver Isaiah Horton (2) after scoring a touchdown against Florida A&M Rattlers during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

No. 12 Miami starts fast, overwhelms Florida A&M

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Cam Ward threw for 304 yards and three touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead the host Miami Hurricanes to a comfortable 56-9 victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers on Saturday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Ward completed 20-of-26 passes for the No. 12 Hurricanes (2-0), who beat the Rattlers (2-1) for the 11th consecutive time since losing the first meeting between the two schools in 1979.

Miami followed up its convincing win over Florida last week by jumping out to a big lead early and scoring touchdowns on its first three drives and a field goal on its fourth series.

Ward exited the game after scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run with 3:43 left in the third quarter that put the Hurricanes ahead 46-9.

Backup Reese Poffenbarger played the remainder of the game and completed 6 of 7 passes for 20 yards.

Florida A&M picked up its only points off two field goals by Cameron Gillis and another by Michael Smith.

Rattlers starting quarterback Daniel Richardson, a Miami native, completed 13 of 17 passes for 135 yards but threw an interception on Florida A&M’s opening drive to Wesley Bissainthe. This led to a 17-yard touchdown pass from Ward to Elijah Arroyo.

Tyler Baron recorded three of Miami’s five sacks.

Damien Martinez ran for 90 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyle each scored touchdowns and combined for 82 rushing yards as the Hurricanes played numerous reserves in the second half. Chris Johnson Jr. was one of those backups and caught a touchdown pass.

Xavier Restrepo caught four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown to lead all Miami receivers.

Florida A&M was led by Jamari Gassett with 61 yards on five catches. But the Rattlers were held to only 52 yards rushing.

Florida A&M will look to rebound next week when it visits Troy on Sept. 21 while Miami will try to remain unbeaten when it hosts Ball State next Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Aug 31, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) reacts after a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

After routing Florida, No. 12 Miami faces FCS foe Florida A&M

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Is “The U” back? That question likely won’t be answered fully until much later in the season, but No. 12 Miami showed marked improvement last Saturday during a season-opening road rout of rival Florida.

Coming off a 41-17 victory, the Hurricanes will look to continue to build momentum on Saturday when they open their home slate against Florida A&M at Miami Gardens, Fla.

In his first start with Miami, quarterback Cam Ward was recognized as the Maxwell Award Player of the Week after completing 26 of 35 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns.

“It was calming,” Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson told reporters on Monday. “He’s comfortable out there. You can tell. He does a really good job of protecting plays when the play isn’t there and extending the play.”

The Hurricanes will next look to continue their dominance of the visiting Rattlers (2-0), playing their first season under coach James Colzie III. Miami is 10-1 all-time in the series, with Florida A&M’s lone win coming in 1979. The Hurricanes have averaged 51.1 points per game and won the past 10 meetings since then — all in Miami.

FAMU reinforced its roster this offseason with 28 transfers, including 12 from Power Four programs, following the departure of longtime coach Willie Simmons. The Rattlers are ranked 24th in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches poll and are coming off narrow wins over Norfolk State and South Carolina State.

Rattlers starting quarterback Daniel Richardson played his high school football in Miami, and has been strong through their first two games, completing 45 of 68 passes for 568 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.

Richardson has thrown three touchdown passes in each of FAMU’s wins, including two in the final quarter last week to rally the Rattlers from an 18-7 deficit.

Colzie, who also went to high school in Miami and had an uncle (Neal) who played for the Miami Dolphins in 1979, said he’s looking forward to the challenge the Hurricanes present for his squad.

“Getting ready to face one of the top quarterbacks in the country,” Colzie said in his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “They look pretty good on film. They’re extremely athletic, big-time offensive line, and very, very good on the defensive line and skilled positions.”

Ward wasn’t the only key factor for the Hurricanes last week.

Miami’s offensive line had a great performance and was not called for a single penalty. The Hurricanes also ran the football well, amassing 144 yards, and got a look at the potential of their running back duo of Damien Martinez (65 yards) and Mark Fletcher Jr., who scored two touchdowns.

Miami’s defense, which recorded three sacks and forced two turnovers, will be shorthanded, however, as star edge Rueben Bain Jr. is expected to miss at least the next two games with what coach Mario Cristobal described as a soft-tissue injury.

The Hurricanes’ defense held the Gators to 139 rushing yards on 28 carries, with 71 coming on Montrell Johnson’s touchdown in the first half.

–Field Level Media