Recap: Miami Overcomes Slow Start to Beat BCU 45 - 14

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MIAMI, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Miller ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns, Tommy Streeter caught two scoring passes and Miami used a series of quick scores to shake off a dreadful early start and beat Bethune-Cookman 45-14 on Saturday.

All five of Miami’s offensive touchdown drives took under 2 minutes–two of them checking in at 10 seconds or less. Jacory Harris completed 12 of 17 passes for 175 yards for Miami (2-2).

Bethune-Cookman (2-2) was facing a major-college opponent for the first time in its 86-year history, and took an early 7-0 lead when Jackie Wilson found Eddie Poole with a 1-yard touchdown pass.

The final score said blowout.

In actuality, it was anything but. For 22 minutes, Bethune-Cookman seemed like too much for Miami to handle.

Bethune-Cookman quarterback Jackie Wilson completed 21 of 31 passes for 180 yards. The Wildcats held nearly a 2-to-1 edge in time of possession and outgained Miami 422-335.

The Hurricanes, who return to Atlantic Coast Conference play at Virginia Tech next week, didn’t grab full control until early in the fourth quarter, when Streeter and Harris connected on a 27-yard touchdown for a 31-14 lead. Eduardo Clements added a 1-yard run later in the period, and Kelvin Cain’s 59-yard interception return with 2 minutes left completed the scoring.

By then, the Bethune-Cookman sideline was largely silent. A couple hours earlier, it was a decidedly different scene from the Football Championship Subdivision school, which accepted a $400,000 payday to make the bus trip from Daytona Beach to Miami.

For a little while, it seemed like the Wildcats would be leaving with more than a big check.

Helped by two penalties, including one when Miami had 12 players on the field while lining up to receive a punt, the Wildcats went 70 yards in 12 plays to start the game. On 1st-and-goal from the Miami 6, Bethune-Cookman running back Rodney Scott burst through the line, but inches from the end zone, he lost two things.

One, his helmet.

Two, the football.

Sean Spence and JoJo Nicholas were part of a scrum that caught Scott just in time, and the Hurricanes took over. But Bethune’s hopes of scoring first weren’t denied, just delayed. Wilson and Eddie Poole connected for a 1-yard touchdown with 4:05 left in the opening quarter, a drive helped nicely by Anthony Jordan bowling his way through safety Vaughn Telemaque for a 27-yard gain on a 1st-and-23 call.

Not only were the Wildcats winning early, but they were downright dominant in the process. Miami running back Mike James, stopped twice around the goal line in the final moments of last week’s loss to Kansas State, was stuffed on fourth-and-1 from the Bethune-Cookman 29 late in the first quarter, a play that had Wildcats coach Brian Jenkins leaping and pumping his arms.

With good reason, too. After 15 minutes, Bethune-Cookman held a 7-0 edge in first downs, a 137-39 edge in yards–and a 7-0 lead on the scoreboard.

Eventually, Miami found a way to breathe some life into a largely empty, highly concerned stadium.

Streeter hauled in a 56-yard catch from Harris–a one-play touchdown drive — with 7:16 left in the half, tying the game. Travis Benjamin’s 44-yard punt return less than 2 minutes later, followed by a pass interference penalty, set up what technically was another one-play touchdown drive, a 3-yard run by Miller to give the Hurricanes the lead.

With good reason, too. After 15 minutes, Bethune-Cookman held a 7-0 edge in first downs, a 137-39 edge in yards–and a 7-0 lead on the scoreboard.

Eventually, Miami found a way to breathe some life into a largely empty, highly concerned stadium.

Streeter hauled in a 56-yard catch from Harris–a one-play touchdown drive — with 7:16 left in the half, tying the game. Travis Benjamin’s 44-yard punt return less than 2 minutes later, followed by a pass interference penalty, set up what technically was another one-play touchdown drive, a 3-yard run by Miller to give the Hurricanes the lead.

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Combined, those drives took 19 seconds. By comparison, Miami’s next scoring drive was a marathon, a three-play series that went 59 yards, the last 43 of them on Miller’s run 1:13 into the third quarter, putting the Hurricanes up 21-7.

Even then, the Wildcats weren’t finished.

Wilson’s 3-yard touchdown run midway through the third cut the Miami lead to 21-14. Jake Wieclaw’s 30-yard field goal pushed the Hurricanes’ edge back to double digits entering the fourth, and when Harris and Streeter connected on their second touchdown play of the game, Miami was up 31-14 with 13:13 left and many fans began leaving.

Miami may have endured a key loss late in the first quarter, when linebacker Ramon Buchanan left with an injured right knee and did not return.

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Final Notes

• Miami is 17-8 overall and 2-1 this season in games at Sun Life Stadium following the 45-14 win over Bethune-Cookman.
• Al Golden is 29-36 overall, 2-2 at Miami and 2-1 at Sun Life Stadium.
• The captains for the game were Jacory Harris, Tyler Horn, JoJo Nicolas, Sean Spence and Ramon Buchanan.
• The weather at kickoff was 89 degrees with partly cloudy skies. Winds were 6 mph out of the northwest and relative humidity was 47 percent.
• Attendance at the game was 40, 387.
• Saturday’s game against Bethune-Cookman marked the second-straight game that Miami faced a team for the first time in program history. The Canes and Kansas State met for the first time last weekend.
• The Canes are undefeated at home against MEAC opponents, outscoring them 400-49. Florida A&M is the only other member of the MEAC the Canes have played against, going 8-1 overall, winning the last eight meetings.

Team Notes

• Miami’s two touchdown drives in the first half were nine seconds and 10 seconds, respectively. The last time UM recorded a pair of scoring drives in less than 20 seconds was on Oct. 2, 2010 against Clemson, when the Hurricanes scored in 14 seconds and six seconds.
• Four of Miami’s five touchdowns were scored in drives of three or fewer plays. The first and second TDs were scored on one play and the second and third took only three plays. The fourth TD of the game lasted five plays.
• UM recorded seven sacks in the game, the most since the Canes dropped the FAMU quarterback eight times on Sept. 2, 2010.
• After starting the season by scoring exactly 24 points in each of the first three games, Miami scored 45 points against Bethune-Cookman, the first time the Canes have scored more than 24 points since Nov. 13, 2010 against Georgia Tech (W, 35-10).

Player Notes

• UM’s defensive starters were DE Anthony Chickillo, DT Micanor Regis, DT Marcus Forston, DE Andrew Smith, SLB Ramon Buchanan, MLB Jimmy Gaines, WLB Sean Spence, CB Mike Williams, SS JoJo Nicolas, FS Vaughn Telemaque, CB Brandon McGee.
• Offensive starters for the Canes were WR Allen Hurns, LT Brandon Washington, LG Harland Gunn, C Tyler Horn, RG Brandon Linder, RT Jonathan Feliciano, TE Chase Ford, QB Jacory Harris, RB Lamar Miller, RB Eduardo Clements, RB Maurice Hagens, TE Clive Walford.
• Freshman DE Anthony Chickillo made his first career start along with sophomore RBs Eduardo Clements and Maurice Hagens.
• RB Lamar Miller recorded 102 rushing yards on 14 carries against B-CU, posting his fourth-straight game with at least 100 yards rushing. Miller is the first Cane to open the season with four-straight 100-yard rushing games in at least the past 30 years. The closest to the record was Willis McGahee, who started the 2002 season with 100+ in four of the first five games. The last time a Cane recorded four straight 100-yard rushing games was Damien Berry in 2010, from Oct. 2-23.
• Miller, a sophomore, now has six career games of 100 or more rushing yards: 11/6/10 vs. Maryland 125; 11/20/10 vs. Virginia Tech 163; 09/05/11 at Maryland 119; 09/17/11 vs. Ohio State 184; 09/24/11 vs. Kansas State 106; and 10/01/11 vs. Bethune-Cookman 102.
• UM took the 14-7 lead in the second quarter on a three-yard rush by Miller, his 10th career TD and third of the season. In the third quarter, Miller scored his second TD of the game on a 43-yard run.
• QB Jacory Harris completed 12 passes for 175 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, his first game without an INT since Oct. 16, 2010 at Duke.
• In the first quarter, DT Micanor Regis recorded UM’s first sack of the game, his first of the season. He started the game with 3.5 career sacks.
• In his first-career start, freshman DE Anthony Chickillo recorded a sack and a half, upping his total to 2.5 on the season. Chickillo ended the game with four tackles, 1.5 of which were for five lost yards.
• SS JoJo Nicolas stripped Bethune-Cookman at their own one yard line, stopping the Wildcat scoring drive. The FF was the first of Nicholas’ career.
• FS Vaughn Telemaque recovered the first-quarter fumble, his fourth FR of his career and first of the 2011 season.
• UM’s first touchdown was a 56-yard connection from Jacory Harris to Tommy Streeter in the first quarter. The catch was a career-long by Streeter, surpassing his previous long of 47 yards against Wisconsin in the 2009 bowl game. The pass was also the second-longest “big play” of the season for UM, trailing Miller’s 59-yard rush against Kansas State last week.
• Streeter reeled in his second TD of the game with a 27-yard reception from Harris to put the Canes ahead 30-14. This is the first game Streeter has recorded multiple TDs. Streeter ended the game with two receptions for 83 yards.
• Only two Miami players since 1996 have had two catches, both for TDs, in a game before Streeter. The other two were Jason Geathers (2002) and Kevin Everett (2003).
• In his first-career start, RB Edwardo Clements reeled in the first reception of his career, a 16-yard catch in the second quarter. He also recorded his first career TD, a one-yard run. In the game, he notched four carries for 37 yards with a career-long rush of 22 yards prior to his TD .
• LB Nantambu Fentress recorded the first tackle of his career against B-CU.
• DB Kacy Rodgers notched his first-career tackle in the second quarter.
• WR Travis Benjamin returned a punt 44 yards in the second quarter, the longest punt return of the season for the Canes.
• LB James Gaines recorded eight tackles against Bethune-Cookman, topping his career high of seven at Maryland earlier this season.
• Against B-CU, DL Adewale Ojomo notched his second-career forced fumble. He also recorded a half sack for a loss of three yards.
• K Jake Wieclaw connected on a 30- yard field goal to put the Canes ahead 24-14 in the third quarter. Wieclaw is 4-for-4 on field goals this season.
• LB Sean Spence recorded a team-high (tie) eight tackles in the game. He had 2.5 tackles for 13 lost yards, including one sack for 12 lost yards.
• In the fourth quarter, DL Marcus Robinson notched his first sack of the season. He now has 11.5 career sacks.
• LB Denzel Perryman recorded seven solo tackles in the game, surpassing his previous career high of three total tackles in a game, which he has done twice in his career.
• LB Calvin Cain picked up his first-career interception and returned it for a touchdown for the Canes. The last time a Cane returned an INT for a touchdown was Darryl Sharpton on Nov. 21, 2009 against Duke, a 73-yard rumble.