After a huge week one victory against Notre Dame, the fifth-ranked Miami Hurricanes (1-0) look to remain undefeated on their home soil as they take on the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (0-1).
The Wildcats traveled to FIU in week one, where they fell 42-9 to the Panthers.
Bethune-Cookman used two quarterbacks on the day; Redshirt Senior Cam’Ron Ransom started and went 5-for-10 passing with 77 yards before head coach Raymond Woodie Jr. turned to Timmy McClain, who went 18-for-28 passing with 164 yards.
Bethune-Cookman’s defense allowed 456 yards and FIU went 8-for-14 on third downs and lead in time of possession.
The Hurricanes may be playing an FCS team in the SWAC, but Woodie Jr. has experience playing power four teams, and even faced the Hurricanes as a member of Florida State’s staff in 2018.
Throughout the years, Woodie Jr. has been known as an elite defensive coach. The Seminoles ranked second in the ACC and 20th in the NCAA, holding opponents to only 3.52 per rush under his tutelage.
“There are a lot of players from Florida, out of state, on [Bethune]that we know and recognize. And whenever teams have a lot of returning stars up front, it is automatically dangerous,” said Miami head coach Mario Cristobal.
“And I know [Bethune’s] head coach, really well. He’s a hell of a football coach and a really good motivator, and this is a big game for both them and for us.”
While Miami is set to play a lower-level team, it provides an opportunity for the ’Canes to fine-tune their offensive and defensive game plans.
Sixth-year redshirt senior Carson Beck looked solid on the field last Sunday, throwing for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Look for Beck to use his two top targets in fellow sixth-year redshirt senior CJ Daniels and true-freshman Malachi Toney.
Toney is coming off an impressive debut representing his hometown, picking up 82 receiving yards on six catches which included a touchdown. He was recently awarded the week one 247Sports true freshman of the week.
Going into the season, Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyle were Miami’s expected one-two punch at the running back position. But with Lyle tweaking his knee early, North Dakota State transfer CharMar “Marty” Brown received a plethora of carries.
Lyle seems to be just fine going into week two, and it will be interesting to see how Cristobal distributes usage between the running backs.
On the defensive side of the ball, expect Rueben Bain Jr. to continue his dominance after Sunday night’s victory.
Bain sacked Notre Dame’s quarterback CJ Carr to seal Miami’s feat over the Fighting Irish and caught a tip-drill interception earlier in the game, which set up Miami’s go-ahead field goal.
Bain picked up ACC defensive lineman of the week honors for his performance.
Miami’s secondary, which was a note of concern last season, lived up to their offseason transformation during week one . Xavier Lucas, the sophomore transfer from Wisconsin, led the secondary with five total tackles.
Look for another fast and physical defensive display against the Wildcats’ offense.
If Miami can handle business early, fans could see the future of Miami Hurricanes football late in the third and fourth quarters. Look for a lot of new jersey numbers you didn’t see in last week’s win.
Bethune-Cookman and Miami will square off for their eighth all-time battle. Miami is 7-0 and most recently beat the Wildcats in September of 2023 by a score of 48-7 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami looks to continue its strong start to the season, while Bethune-Cookman seeks to compete with the Hurricanes. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.
