Donning camouflage uniforms on Military Appreciation Night, the No. 9 Miami Hurricanes scored 42 unanswered points against the Stanford Cardinal in a 42-7 win.
After a slow first half that saw the score even at 7-7, the tide turned in favor of Miami after an interception from senior linebacker Wesley Bissainthe midway through the third quarter.
The interception led directly to a three yard touchdown run from junior running back Mark Fletcher Jr. to make the score 21-7.
Another touchdown from Fletcher followed, which marked the first time in his career where the Fort Lauderdale native rushed for three touchdowns and marked his sixth multi-touchdown performance.
Fletcher ended the night with 106 yards on the ground as the Hurricanes rushed for 199 yards in total.
Sophomore Jordan Lyle also got in on the scoring with a 17-yard touchdown run to blow the score open to 35-7.
Lyle’s score was sixth-year redshirt senior quarterback Carson Beck’s last drive of the night. He finished the game with 21-for-28 passing for 189 yards and a touchdown pass, a nice bounce-back performance for the veteran.
“They’re [teammates] going to war with me every single day at practice and at the game,” Beck said. “This is one big family, brought together with the same goal and the same opportunities each and every day.”
Beck’s lone touchdown pass came near the end of the second quarter. He connected with fellow sixth-year redshirt senior wideout CJ Daniels in the corner of the endzone for a five-yard score to tie the game.
The seven points would be Miami’s only in the first half, a stagnant half from both sides.
Miami (6-1, 2-1 ACC) struggled early on in the game, playing similar to its 24-21 loss to Louisville a week ago. In the first five minutes of the game, the Hurricanes committed two penalties, an issue that has been plaguing them all season.
Following a missed 43-yard field goal from Carter Davis, the Cardinal offense started the game hot. Stanford (3-5, 2-3 ACC) finished a 12-play, 74-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown catch from Caden High.
The Cardinal amassed four first downs on its opening drive. Throughout the rest of the game, Stanford combined for four downs. In the second half, the Cardinal combined for 47 total yards, including -1 total yards in the third.
Miami’s defense had a bounce back performance after poor play against Louisville. Redshirt senior quarterback Ben Gulbranson struggled to get anything going after the first drive. The Oregon State transfer finished the evening completing 9-of-21 passes for 50 yards, throwing for one touchdown and two interceptions.
Late in the third quarter down 14, Gulbranson looked for receiver CJ Williams on the sideline to convert a huge third down. While throwing it to Williams, sophomore cornerback Xavier Lucas intercepted the pass, giving the ’Canes a chance to put it out of reach.
The Wisconsin transfer from Fort Lauderdale was everywhere on the field on Saturday. The defensive back finished with three tackles, one sack, and one interception.
One concern entering the game was the running play, with poor early-down runs stalling drives last week. Tonight, the backs were exceptionally strong in the trenches, consistently falling forward for extra yardage. Seven total rushers were used in Miami’s rout of the Cardinal.
“The run game, as the game goes on, should get better,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “I think Fletcher showed why he is such a great player and important to this football team.”
True freshman wideout Malachi Toney continued to shine as he had two crucial punt returns for 31 and 42 yards, respectively.
The 18-year old finished the evening with five catches for 52 yards, exploding in the second half.
“He’s amazing,” Fletcher said. “ He’s out there moving like a vet. You know he’s truly blessed man.”
In a passing offensive primarily consisting of Toney and Daniels, fifth-year senior wideout Tony Johnson led the team in receiving, racking up 69 yards.
The second half performance was exactly what the Hurricanes needed as every matchup for the rest of the season is essentially a playoff game. Carrying momentum will be crucial as Miami travels out of state for three of its remaining five games.
UM will travel out of state for the first time this season as it gets ready for a matchup against SMU in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 1 at 12:00 p.m. EST.
