The Hurricanes jumped two spots in the latest AP poll after routing the Central Michigan Chippewas 52-3 Saturday night under the bright lights of Hard Rock Stadium.
The win improved Miami’s record to 4-0, capping off an undefeated September with an average margin of victory of nearly 43 points.
After dropping one spot in the rankings following a closer-than-expected 33-20 victory over Wake Forest last week, UM left little room for doubt against Central Michigan.
The Chippewas struck first with a field goal on their opening possession, but those would be their only points of the night. After coming up empty on their first drive, the Hurricanes scored on their next six possessions and carried a commanding 35-3 lead into halftime.
Quarterback Darian Mensah continued his dominant start to the season, completing 23 of 27 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground.
All four of Mensah’s touchdowns came in the second quarter, including a five-yard rushing touchdown that capped a 97-yard drive just before halftime.
Wide receiver Malachi Toney also kept up his impressive start. The sophomore led Miami with six receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown, while Cooper Barkate and Daylyn Upshaw each caught touchdown passes from Mensah.
Even with Miami missing several offensive contributors, including running backs Mark Fletcher Jr. and Marty Brown and wide receiver Joshua Moore, the Hurricanes had little trouble moving the ball. Freshman running back Javian Mallory made his first collegiate start and scored Miami’s first touchdown, while 11 different Hurricanes recorded a reception.
Miami’s defense, which surrendered 312 passing yards and three touchdowns to Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez a week ago, responded with its strongest performance of the season.
The Hurricanes held Central Michigan to just 158 total yards and 21 yards on the ground. Defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot finished with four tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble, while linebacker Cam Pruitt led Miami with six tackles.
Miami’s dominant win came during a chaotic weekend across college football, with eight ranked teams losing.
The Hurricanes jumped then-No. 4 Ole Miss who fell to Florida 52-28, and then-No.5 Indiana after the defending national champions scraped by Northwestern 29-23. UM now only trails Texas, Georgia and Notre Dame.
The Hurricanes are 4-0, but October will bring a tougher test starting with Clemson next Saturday Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m EST.