Canes Rewind: A Look Back at the Win over USF

TAMPA, 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 Miami’s dominant 50-15 win over USF, a win that on Sunday, helped the Hurricanes rise one spot to No. 7 in the AP Top 25 poll.

The Recap

The Hurricanes knew they’d face a different kind of test Saturday against in-state foe USF.

The Bulls, led by versatile and mobile quarterback Byrum Brown, have the kind of high-powered, quick-moving offense Miami hadn’t seen through its first three games.

The Hurricanes also knew USF, which played well earlier this year against powerhouse Alabama, was hungry for its first win over a top-25 opponent since 2016.

And early on, the Bulls tested the Hurricanes in a way they hadn’t been tested yet this year.

Despite the fact Miami once again scored on its first possession when Damien Martinez capped an 8-play, 75-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, the Hurricanes found themselves facing their first deficit of the season three possessions later.

After notching their first points of the day on a 58-yard field goal and forcing a rare Hurricanes turnover, the Bulls took a 9-7 lead when Brown connected with wide receiver Sean Atkins on a 12-yard scoring play.

The Hurricanes blocked the extra-point attempt and answered, retaking the lead on their ensuing drive after Cam Ward found Isaiah Horton on a short, 6-yard touchdown play.

But USF cut the deficit with another long field goal and aided by more than a few Miami penalties, regained the lead, 15-14, with yet another long kick.

Ultimately, though, that would be all the scoring the Bulls would muster.

For the second time in the game, Miami answered after falling behind, this time when Ward connected with Sam Brown Jr. on a deep pass the receiver took 76 yards to the end zone.

That gave the Hurricanes a 22-15 lead after a successful 2-point conversion attempt and Miami wouldn’t trail again.

Ward went on to finish the day completing 24 of 34 passes and throwing for 404 yards and three touchdowns. Horton, meanwhile, had a career day, hauling in eight catches for 108 yards, while veteran receiver Xavier Restrepo surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for his Miami career with his six catches for 99 yards.

Miami’s running backs, led by Martinez and Jordan Lyle, finished with a combined 188 yards and four touchdowns in the eventual rout.

“Extremely proud of our guys for responding the way they did. First time we actually trailed this year and the second-half response, we played cleaner and better Miami Hurricane football,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Hats off to the defense, just a tremendous job finally getting accustomed to the tempo. We can practice it all we want, and we did, we ran two huddles. We did everything we possibly could to simulate [USF], but they’re difficult. They’re a good football team. They’ve got good coaches. They dialed it up pretty well also. But as the game went on, our guys started getting adjusted and I thought the night was epitomized by Meesh [Powell’s] interception and the offense taking over and going right down the field 80 yards for a touchdown. That’s the brand of football we want to play and looking forward now to the next opportunity.”

Numbers to Know

13 – Players to have now thrown for at least 15,000 yards during their collegiate careers. Ward, a senior, reached that mark during Saturday’s win over USF. The quarterback has also now thrown for 1,439 yards this season, a number that ranks second nationally. He leads the nation with 14 touchdown passes on the year.

91 – Yards on running back Jordan Lyle’s late touchdown run. According to the Associated Press, it was the longest rush from scrimmage in school history and the fourth-longest play from scrimmage in school history.

59 – Points scored by Miami in the third quarter of games this season. By contrast, their opponents have scored a combined three points in that quarter.

4 – Sacks totaled by the Hurricanes defense in the win over USF. Miami now has a nation-leading 16 sacks on the year.

62 – Total rushing yards allowed by the Hurricanes against USF. Saturday’s win marked the third straight game Miami has held an opponent to fewer than 70 rushing yards. The Hurricanes are currently holding opponents to 64.8 rushing yards per game, a number that ranks sixth nationally.

Quotable

“That they love to work. They’re resilient. There’s no penalty, there’s no injury, there’s no score situation our guys can’t overcome. I think their belief is strong because of the work. I think these guys are restless as it relates to, we just want to get better. There’s kind of no settling. They know we could be a really good team. They know there’s some things we’ve got to clean up. We just want to get to work.”

– Head coach Mario Cristobal, on what he has learned about the Hurricanes through the first four games of the season

“Oh, it means a lot. You know, that’s another milestone in my life that means a lot and obviously, comes from hard work. Honestly, I give all the glory to God. Without him, none of this would be possible, just simple as that.”

– Wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, on what it means to reach the career 2,000-yard mark in his Miami career

“The offensive scheme, [with offensive coordinator Shannon] Dawson, we worked it all week. He put is in the right position to make the right plays. And you know, [wide receivers coach Kevin Beard] teaching us the right techniques, watching the film, techniques on the DBs this week, that’s about it.”

– Wide receiver Isaiah Horton, on his career performance of eight catches for 108 yards

“Really didn’t feel different from any other game. We stayed the course. Offensively, just that one turnover we had that really shot us in the foot. We knew going into this game we couldn’t help them. Their defense gets a lot of turnovers, so [that’s] just something we emphasized going into this game and after that play, we were able to hone in and get back to our brand of offense. Then, the defense, you see they step up and they play every game the same way. They gave up a couple yards early on, but when they got to the red zone, they just locked in. So, we know they’re always going to be there for us, the defensive side of the ball. Meesh Powell getting a pick, [Myles] Mooyoung getting a pick. Whenever you’ve got a good defense, it makes our job easier.”

– Quarterback Cam Ward, on how the Hurricanes responded after falling behind twice early in the game

“I would say, you know, just resiliency. We have a standard. We play Miami Hurricanes football each and every play and I think it starts off in practice. We go really hard in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. Those are some hard days, so we [can] make the games a little bit easier.”

– Defensive back Meesh Powell, on what he thinks the Hurricanes have shown through the first four games of the season

Up Next

After closing out their non-conference schedule with four straight wins, the Hurricanes will now turn their focus to ACC play as they prepare to host Virginia Tech on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Hokies come into the matchup with a 2-2 record after a 26-23 loss to Rutgers in Blacksburg on Saturday.

In that game, Virginia Tech outscored the Scarlet Knights 16-3 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough as Rutgers connected on a late 24-yard field goal to ultimately secure the win.

Running back Bhayshul Tuten scored both of Virginia Tech’s late touchdowns and finished with 122 rushing yards to lead the Hokies.

Miami and Virginia Tech have met 40 times, with the Hurricanes posting a 25-15 mark in those games and going 14-7 in games played at home. Miami has also won three straight against the Hokies, including most recently, a 20-14 victory over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 2022.