Coming off of their dominant 45-3 win over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, the Miami Hurricanes hosted the No.18 South Florida Bulls at Hard Rock Stadium in a top-20 showdown.
Despite a 100-minute long rain delay in the second quarter, the Hurricanes never lost their momentum, taming the red-hot Bulls in a 49-12 rout.
USF entered Saturday’s contest as the early Cinderella story of college football, taking down the then-ranked No.25 Boise State and No.13 Florida to open the season. The Bulls sought to be the first team since the 1987 Miami Hurricanes to win three straight games against ranked opponents.
That dream was short lived as the Hurricanes out-muscled and out-smarted the Bulls on all sides of the ball.
The Hurricanes scored seven touchdowns, and combined with the fortitude of Miami’s defense that limited the Bulls to 18 rushing yards in the first half, UM was a force to be reckoned with right from kickoff.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck threw for a total of 340 yards, running back Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 120, and wide receiver Keelan Marion led the team in receiving yards with 81.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the people on this team. We have good people that are genuine,” Beck said. “It allows you to have fun on the field.”
True freshman wideout Joshua Moore shined as he scored his first two touchdowns as a Hurricane, cementing himself as quite the weapon in UM head coach Mario Cristobal’s roster.
“He’s gifted beyond measure,” Cristobal said. “Josh really shined tonight.”
Beck relied on CJ Daniels early on, but it was his eight yard pass to Moore that scored the first touchdown of the game. After nine plays and 75 yards, this touchdown secured an early lead over the Bulls.
And after stifling the USF opening drive, the Hurricanes cruised past the Bulls with another touchdown drive ending in the hands of Moore — a 39 yard touchdown which sent the Hurricane faithful into a frenzy.
USF kicker Nico Gramatica, who won the game for the Bulls in the final moments versus Florida, tried to start some form of momentum for USF with back-to-back field goals.
A weather delay during the 2nd quarter postponed the game over an hour, but Miami returned to the field with a renewed sense of brutality. With two touchdowns after the delay, the Hurricanes entered halftime with a dominant 28-6 lead.
The first of the two came from a rapid 1 minute and 11 second drive which culminated in Fletcher’s 38-yard rushing touchdown.
“We have a faceless opponent, and we play Hurricane football,” Fletcher Jr. said post-game.
And after a brilliant interception from freshman Bryce Fitzgerald, with two back-to-back running plays, Beck scored UM’s fourth touchdown of the game from the two-yard line with a bootleg rush.
A series of turnovers characterized the start of the second half.
Beck threw his first interception of the season, only for Miami’s defense to bail him out with a turnover of their own.
Defensive back Jakobe Thomas forced a fumble out of USF’s Byrum Brown, and linebacker Chase Smith completed the recovery for Miami to regain possession.
On a 13 yard run, Fletcher scored Miami’s fifth touchdown of the night, pushing the score to 35-6.
USF opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown, but the Hurricanes marched down the field with two touchdown drives to extend their lead 49-12.
Miami’s near perfect performance tonight keeps their win streak alive, reminding everyone that this is Miami’s house—and the Bulls are not welcome.
“There is so much talent on both sides of the football,” Beck said. “There’s no weak link.”
Following its second ranked victory of the season, Miami will host its in-state rival Florida Gators (1-2, 0-1 SEC). ESPN’s College Gameday will head to Coral Gables in anticipation of the matchup.