Canes Rewind: A Look Back at the Win over Bethune-Cookman

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Each week this season, we’ll take a look at the game that was for the Hurricanes.

Here are some key storylines, numbers of note and quotes from No. 22 Miami’s 48-7 win over Bethune-Cookman on Thursday night.

The Recap

After knocking off then-23rd ranked Texas A&M last week, the Hurricanes made it clear the goal ahead of their matchup against Bethune-Cookman was to remain focused, to continue working and to tackle their short week of preparation with the same mindset that served them well against the Aggies.

Mission accomplished.

Miami scored touchdowns on five of its six first-half possessions against the Wildcats, with quarterback Tyler Van Dyke once again setting the tone.

Van Dyke completed 19 of 23 passes and accounted for three touchdowns, including the first one of the night when he scrambled into the end zone on a 10-yard run.

He’d add scoring passes of 15 and 27 yards, respectively, to Jacolby George and Brashard Smith, with Smith’s scoring grab coming just before halftime to send the Hurricanes into the locker room with a 34-0 lead.

Running back Ajay Allen scored twice and finished the day with 12 carries for 79 yards. Donald Chaney, Jr. added seven carries for a game-high 73 yards with a touchdown, while receiver Xavier Restrepo continued his hot start to the season, hauling in six catches for a game-high 120 yards.

Miami’s defense was a force in the win, too.

Even with All-American safety Kam Kinchens sidelined by an injury and defensive linemen Branson Deen, Akheem Mesidor and Nyjalik Kelly also out, the Hurricanes held Bethune-Cookman to just one score and 165 yards, most of which came in the game’s final minutes.

Francisco Mauigoa, Jadais Richard and Jayden Wayne each had four tackles for the Hurricanes.

“I like the way we’re evolving. You know, our offense has played a little bit different each week. The more we can show the ability to run the ball inside and outside, to push the ball down the field but also stretch it horizontally, it’s hard to defend,” Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal said after the win. “The way the quarterback is playing … Tyler is playing at such a high level, that makes it difficult [for opponents]. He knows where to go with the ball. … And then defensively, a lot of guys got better. I thought our back end is playing really, really well. They’re playing at a high level. They communicate really well and without Kam today. Regardless, whoever you play, when you’re down a starter, especially one of that magnitude, who communicates the way he does, lines us up like he does, I though those guys did really well.”

Numbers to Know

25 – Number of Hurricane defenders who notched at least one tackle in Thursday’s win. Ten of those were tackles for loss. Thomas Gore had two of those TFLs, while four different players – Chase Smith, Rueben Bain, Jr., Jared Harrison-Hunte and Jacob Lichtenstein – collected sacks.

589 – Total number of yards gained by the Miami offense on Thursday. Of those, 349 came via the passing game, while 240 came on the ground.

11 – Number of receivers who caught passes from Miami quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke and Emory Williams against the Wildcats. Xavier Restrepo led the way for the Hurricanes receiving corps with six catches for 120 yards. He finished with 141 all-purpose yards.

419 – Completions thrown by Van Dyke during his Hurricanes career. That now ranks 10th on Miami’s all-time list.

10.4 – Average yards per carry on the night for running back Donald Chaney, Jr.

Quotable

“Tyler operated at a very high level and so did the receivers. Xavier had another great day. Jacolby George played well. I know Colbie Young is kicking himself a little bit [after a dropped pass], but he played hard. … All the running backs ran really hard, and the first team offensive line guys blocked really well. I thought they took control of the game early and gave us a lot of time to throw the ball and opened up some holes. When it was money yards, they pushed the pile and gave us some really good down and distance situations. We played a lot of guys.”

– Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal, on the offense’s fast start

“I mean, a lot of guys on our team are banged up from the last game, so we practiced, we worked hard and whether you’re a one, a two or a three [on the depth chart], you’ve always got to be ready to play because you never know what’s going to happen. I think a lot of guys came up and showed up today.”

– Linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, on the performance of the defense

“I feel like I’m the best I’ve ever been, accuracy wise and seeing the field. Give credit to the offensive line. I’m sitting back there all day, have all this time. It allows me to be precise and accurate and obviously, the receivers are doing a great job getting open and making good catches. [We’ve] got to keep it going and keep working hard.”

– Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, on his start to the season

“[Wide receivers coach [Kevin Beard] is doing a great job coaching all of us and we have a lot of respect for Coach KB. When a coach just gives his all to you, it’s almost impossible not to receive the same thing, you know? So, we try to fully buy into the system. Our culture, again, is at an all-time high and we just try to give everything to him because he gives everything to us.”

– Receiver Xavier Restrepo, on the play of the receivers through Miami’s first three games

“We closed out the month of September 3-0 here at home, which is really important to us. This is the las time we play at Hard Rock [Stadium] for I think three weeks or so. That was a big offseason point, we were going to make Hard Rock our place. We were going to make it a tough place for people to come in and play and we’re off to a good start. Now, [we’re] taking this thing on the road. Our processes really don’t change, you know, albeit a two-and-half hour plane ride. That’s it. Our guys are going to be really excited to get on the road. They are. We play a really good team. … It gives us a chance to now go and see where we’re at by getting on the road.”

– Head coach Mario Cristobal on Miami preparing to play its first road game

Up Next

After a three-game homestand, the Hurricanes will hit the road for the first time this season as they travel to Philadelphia to face Temple on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Owls, who are set to face Norfolk State on Saturday, are 1-1 after opening the season with a 24-21 win over Akron, followed by a 36-7 loss to Rutgers.

Miami and Temple, former Big East foes, have met 14 times with the Hurricanes holding a 13-1 lead in the all-time series. Miami’s only loss in the series came in 1930, the first time the two schools faced off.