Well, that was easy.
The Hurricanes defeated South Florida by 35 in 2024. They upped the total to 37 this time around, winning handily by a score of 49-12.
Miami got a strong performance from Carson Beck, going 23/28 for 342 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Mark Fletcher, Jr. had an awesome game, going for 120 yards on 16 carries and 2 TDs on the ground. Keelan Marion led all pass catchers with 81 yards on 6 catches.
It was a surgical start from Beck and the Miami offense. Beck was 5-5 passing
and finished it off with an 8-yard crosser to Joshua Moore for a 7-0 lead. Miami would go on to notch touchdowns on 3 of their first 4 drives in fact, going up 21-6 after Fletcher rumbled 38 yards for a touchdown 5 minutes into the second quarter. That score came after a lengthy lightning delay sent players and fans to shelter for an extended time. Miami punched it in one more time on a Beck naked bootleg keeper later on in the quarter and took a 28-6 lead into the locker room, a lead that Miami would just build upon the rest of the game.
Miami’s defense was the truth on Saturday. While they allowed some plays to Bynum Brown and WR Chas Nimrod – who had 4 catches for 128 yards – they kept the Bulls out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, when they notched their only score of the game on a 12-yard catch and run to Christian Neptune. But that would be the only time the Bulls found paydirt on the afternoon. The defense wasn’t super flashy – they forced one interception and a Brown fumble that Miami recovered – but it was again effective in the trenches and limited the Bulls to absolutely nothing on the ground – 27 carries for 40 yards.
It could be a win that pays dividends for Miami down the road. The Bulls look like they could be the best of the Group of Five schools, and thus could end up being in the CFP rankings late in the season, which would be a feather in Miami’s cap.
Up next: a clash with Florida next weekend.
