Following a dominant performance in Gainesville, Florida last weekend, No. 12 Miami traveled home to face Florida A&M. On Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium, the ’Canes pummeled the Rattlers, winning 56-9.
Washington State transfer quarterback Cam Ward finished the evening with another efficient performance. The Miami signal caller threw for three touchdowns and ran for one. Before getting pulled in the third quarter, Ward passed for 304 yards while completing 77 percent of his throws.
“[Cam] is the alpha dog leader,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Certain guys bring a spark and it catches and he’s just one of those guys.”
The Hurricanes picked up right where they left off from their win over Florida. On the third play of the game, junior linebacker Wesley Bissainthe tipped and caught quarterback Daniel Richardson’s throw, giving Miami an immediate scoring opportunity.
Ward wasted no time to capitalize on the short field, throwing a quick 17-yard touchdown to redshirt junior tight end Elijah Arroyo, giving UM a quick 7-0 lead.
Following a Florida A&M punt that pinned the Hurricanes down to the one-yard line, Ward and the ’Canes began a methodical drive.
After back-to-back third down completions, Ward found senior wideout Xavier Restrepo open in the middle of the field for a 50-yard touchdown. After a successful Riley Williams two-point conversion, Miami gained a quick 15-0 lead.
The connection between Ward and Restrepo has been nothing short of exciting for Hurricanes fans so far this season. After snagging seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown last week, Restrepo followed that performance up with another four catches, 104 yards and another touchdown.
“Cam’s a special player,” Restrepo said. “We all have built a special relationship with him since he’s been here.”
The rushing attack of Damien Martinez and Mark Fletcher Jr. showed out again this evening, contributing to Miami’s complete team effort. Martinez tallied 90 yards and a touchdown, while Fletcher added 42 yards and a score of his own.
The Hurricanes’ defense looked strong in all facets despite losing defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. and cornerback Damari Brown due to injury. The UM pass rush, led by Tennessee transfer Tyler Baron, sacked Richardson five times, with three of them coming from Baron.
“[Tyler] is built like an avatar,” Cristobal said. “He’s explosive and has one of the most natural feels for the game.”
Halfway through the third quarter, Martinez picked up his first touchdown as a ’Cane, breaking off a 33-yard run into the endzone, extending Miami’s lead to 36.
With the game out of reach by the end of the third quarter, Ward and the rest of the starters were pulled. This gave opportunities to Albany transfer quarterback Reese Poffenbarger, true freshman running back Jordan Lyle and true freshman linebacker Cam Pruitt.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Lyle picked up his first collegiate touchdown. Just a few minutes later, Pruitt tallied his first career interception.
Miami will play host to the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. Kick-off is set for 3:30 p.m.