Courtesy of Miami Athletics:
For Miami, it’s been a quirky start to the year.
A road trip to California to kick the season off on a Friday night. A home opener on a Thursday. And last week, another Friday night game, this time in North Carolina.
It took nearly a month for the sixth-ranked Hurricanes to finally get a Saturday evening at Hard Rock Stadium, but when they got the opportunity, they found ways to make it count.
After coming up short on its first drive of the game, Miami scored on its next six possessions en route to what was ultimately a 52-3 win over Central Michigan.
It was a win that came with more than a few new faces stepping up after the Hurricanes (4-0) were hit by the injury bug during last week’s win at Wake Forest.
Freshman Javian Mallory, who got the first start of his collegiate career with Mark Fletcher Jr. out, scored Miami’s first touchdown of the night on a 4-yard carry.
And with wide receiver Joshua Moore out, Miami’s receiving corps – including Cooper Barkate, Vandrevius Jacobs and Somourian Wingo, among others – stepped up, with 11 different Hurricanes catching passes.
It was also, once again, a big night for quarterback Darian Mensah.
A week after his record-breaking performance at Wake Forest, the quarterback – who came into the game with an FBS-leading 89.9 completion percentage – continued his impressive start to the season completing 23 of 27 passes for 338 yards with three touchdowns.
Mensah also scored on a 5-yard run, capping a 9-play, 97-yard two-minute drive just before the half when he scampered into the end zone on a 5-yard run that pushed Miami’s lead to 35-3.
And while Central Michigan (2-2) managed a field goal on the game’s opening drive, Miami’s defense kept the Chippewas from ever getting into a consistent rhythm after that.
The Hurricanes held Central Michigan to just 158 yards, including a meager 21 rushing yards.
Marquise Lightfoot posted four tackles, two sacks, and forced a fumble, while Cam Pruitt led the defense with six tackles.
Now, with Central Michigan behind it, the Hurricanes will turn their focus to another key ACC road game, this one next Saturday at Clemson.
A kickoff time has not yet been announced.
For Miami, it’s been a quirky start to the year.
A road trip to California to kick the season off on a Friday night. A home opener on a Thursday. And last week, another Friday night game, this time in North Carolina.
It took nearly a month for the sixth-ranked Hurricanes to finally get a Saturday evening at Hard Rock Stadium, but when they got the opportunity, they found ways to make it count.
After coming up short on its first drive of the game, Miami scored on its next six possessions en route to what was ultimately a 52-3 win over Central Michigan.
It was a win that came with more than a few new faces stepping up after the Hurricanes (4-0) were hit by the injury bug during last week’s win at Wake Forest.
Freshman Javian Mallory, who got the first start of his collegiate career with Mark Fletcher Jr. out, scored Miami’s first touchdown of the night on a 4-yard carry.
And with wide receiver Joshua Moore out, Miami’s receiving corps – including Cooper Barkate, Vandrevius Jacobs and Somourian Wingo, among others – stepped up, with 11 different Hurricanes catching passes.
It was also, once again, a big night for quarterback Darian Mensah.
A week after his record-breaking performance at Wake Forest, the quarterback – who came into the game with an FBS-leading 89.9 completion percentage – continued his impressive start to the season completing 23 of 27 passes for 338 yards with three touchdowns.
Mensah also scored on a 5-yard run, capping a 9-play, 97-yard two-minute drive just before the half when he scampered into the end zone on a 5-yard run that pushed Miami’s lead to 35-3.
And while Central Michigan (2-2) managed a field goal on the game’s opening drive, Miami’s defense kept the Chippewas from ever getting into a consistent rhythm after that.
The Hurricanes held Central Michigan to just 158 yards, including a meager 21 rushing yards.
Marquise Lightfoot posted four tackles, two sacks, and forced a fumble, while Cam Pruitt led the defense with six tackles.
Now, with Central Michigan behind it, the Hurricanes will turn their focus to another key ACC road game, this one next Saturday at Clemson.
A kickoff time has not yet been announced.
