The grass is green, the grills are out, and the band is playing. No doubt about it, football is back at 'The U'.
Mario Cristobal's debut as head coach of the #16 Miami Hurricanes was a breeze, as UM used a powerful rushing attack to boat race an overwhelmed Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on their way to a 70-13 victory in their season opener to kick off the 2022 campaign.
Although Saturday's contest with the FCS Wildcats essentially functioned as a warm-up game for Miami's upcoming FBS slate, the 49 and a half point favorite 'Canes more than took care of business, racking up 582 total yards behind a high-flying offense that scored TD's on 9 of their 11 possessions, and a defense that limited BCU to just 13 points on the day.
With last season's leading rusher Jaylan Knighton watching on in street clothes, the dynamic legs of RB's Henry Parrish (108 rushing yards, 3 TD's) and Thad Franklin (78 rushing yards, 2 TD's) had no problem picking up the slack, pacing a ground game that amassed 305 yards and accounted for 7.3 ypc. As for Parrish, he became the first Hurricane since DeeJay Dallas in 2019 to have 3 rushing TD's in a single game.
Even though most of the game went just how Cristobal and his staff drew it up, the Hurricanes' defense did have some hiccups in giving up 342 total yards, something the new 'Canes HC will be sure to harp on this week in meetings and practice. Miami's stop-unit especially spent the first drive of the game knocking off some rust, giving up a 3rd and 23 with BCU pinned inside their own 20 yard line, leading the Hard Rock Stadium faithful to let out a groan; the Wildcats' 10 play, 63 yard drive ended on Miami's 12 yard line with a field goal to open the scoring.
From there, though, Parrish and Franklin would take over, with the duo punching in three straight TD runs before DB Gilbert Frierson's 32-yard pick six early in the second quarter made it 28 unanswered points for the 'Canes.
Entering the year with high expectations, reigning ACC Rookie of the Year QB Tyler Van Dyke picked up right where he left off last season, as he began 2022 with an efficient and effective performance in two and a half quarters of play against the Wildcats. Van Dyke posted a 13-16 (81.2%) mark to go with 193 yards passing and 2 TD's in the game, with his only miscue coming early in the third quarter when he fumbled a snap away to the Wildcats inside the BCU 5 yard line following a big Keyshawn Smith kick return.
Van Dyke's main target, WR Xavier Restrepo, only needed a half to establish a new career-high in receiving yards, finishing the day with 100 yards on 5 receptions. Restrepo also accounted for UM's biggest offensive play of the day, catching a crossing route over the middle, cutting all the way across the BCU defense, and making his way down the sidelines for 52 yards before being tripped up just inside the Wildcats' 20 yard line early in the second quarter.
Following a Van Dyke 16-yard TD pass to Michael Redding that put UM up 49-13 midway through the third quarter, Cristobal started emptying the bench in an effort to provide Miami's backups and young talent with some valuable game reps. Backup QB Jake Garcia entered the game and led three straight TD drives, finishing the game a perfect 8-8 (100%) passing for 84 yards. From there, freshman QB Jacurri Brown saw the first game action of his career on UM's final drive of the day, mostly handing the ball off while also recording a 2-yard carry.
All in all, Cristobal's inaugural game as head coach was a success, and with the Hurricanes now officially 1-0, the team now turns their attention to Southern Miss next Saturday, with kickoff set for noon ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
Mario Cristobal's debut as head coach of the #16 Miami Hurricanes was a breeze, as UM used a powerful rushing attack to boat race an overwhelmed Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on their way to a 70-13 victory in their season opener to kick off the 2022 campaign.
Although Saturday's contest with the FCS Wildcats essentially functioned as a warm-up game for Miami's upcoming FBS slate, the 49 and a half point favorite 'Canes more than took care of business, racking up 582 total yards behind a high-flying offense that scored TD's on 9 of their 11 possessions, and a defense that limited BCU to just 13 points on the day.
With last season's leading rusher Jaylan Knighton watching on in street clothes, the dynamic legs of RB's Henry Parrish (108 rushing yards, 3 TD's) and Thad Franklin (78 rushing yards, 2 TD's) had no problem picking up the slack, pacing a ground game that amassed 305 yards and accounted for 7.3 ypc. As for Parrish, he became the first Hurricane since DeeJay Dallas in 2019 to have 3 rushing TD's in a single game.
Even though most of the game went just how Cristobal and his staff drew it up, the Hurricanes' defense did have some hiccups in giving up 342 total yards, something the new 'Canes HC will be sure to harp on this week in meetings and practice. Miami's stop-unit especially spent the first drive of the game knocking off some rust, giving up a 3rd and 23 with BCU pinned inside their own 20 yard line, leading the Hard Rock Stadium faithful to let out a groan; the Wildcats' 10 play, 63 yard drive ended on Miami's 12 yard line with a field goal to open the scoring.
From there, though, Parrish and Franklin would take over, with the duo punching in three straight TD runs before DB Gilbert Frierson's 32-yard pick six early in the second quarter made it 28 unanswered points for the 'Canes.
Entering the year with high expectations, reigning ACC Rookie of the Year QB Tyler Van Dyke picked up right where he left off last season, as he began 2022 with an efficient and effective performance in two and a half quarters of play against the Wildcats. Van Dyke posted a 13-16 (81.2%) mark to go with 193 yards passing and 2 TD's in the game, with his only miscue coming early in the third quarter when he fumbled a snap away to the Wildcats inside the BCU 5 yard line following a big Keyshawn Smith kick return.
Van Dyke's main target, WR Xavier Restrepo, only needed a half to establish a new career-high in receiving yards, finishing the day with 100 yards on 5 receptions. Restrepo also accounted for UM's biggest offensive play of the day, catching a crossing route over the middle, cutting all the way across the BCU defense, and making his way down the sidelines for 52 yards before being tripped up just inside the Wildcats' 20 yard line early in the second quarter.
Following a Van Dyke 16-yard TD pass to Michael Redding that put UM up 49-13 midway through the third quarter, Cristobal started emptying the bench in an effort to provide Miami's backups and young talent with some valuable game reps. Backup QB Jake Garcia entered the game and led three straight TD drives, finishing the game a perfect 8-8 (100%) passing for 84 yards. From there, freshman QB Jacurri Brown saw the first game action of his career on UM's final drive of the day, mostly handing the ball off while also recording a 2-yard carry.
All in all, Cristobal's inaugural game as head coach was a success, and with the Hurricanes now officially 1-0, the team now turns their attention to Southern Miss next Saturday, with kickoff set for noon ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
