Canes Roll Past Bethune-Cookman 45-3
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Playing on a short week after an emotional victory, the Miami Hurricanes returned to Hard Rock Stadium and delivered just the performance they needed.
The fifth-ranked Canes were ruthlessly efficient on offense, stingy on defense and controlled the game from start to finish, defeating Bethune-Cookman 45-3 before a crowd of 60,617.
Miami improved to 2-0, while BCU fell to 0-2.
The Canes racked up 543 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per play and scoring on all five of their red zone trips. Quarterback Carson Beck completed 22 of 24 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. He completed his first 15 passes, setting a school record for consecutive completions in a single game; Vinny Testaverde held the previous mark, completing 14 straight passes against Oklahoma in 1986.
Both scoring strikes were to wide receiver CJ Daniels, who hauled in five passes for 73 yards. Fellow wideout Malachi Toney paced Miami with six receptions for 80 yards. Running back Mark Fletcher rushed 11 times for 86 yards and two scores, while backfield mates Marty Brown and Girard Pringle each added rushing scores.
Miami’s defense kept the Wildcats out of the end zone and held BCU to 191 total yards, yielding just 3.8 yards per play. The Canes racked up 10 tackles for loss, led by safety Keionte Scott who had three TFLs. Defensive end Rueben Bain posted three tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. Linebacker Kellen Wiley led Miami with five stops.
“Pretty solid job by our guys coming out handling business, really efficient by the offense scoring on every drive,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Our defense did a really good job, too, although their team was obviously trying to snap the ball with a low count on the shot clock to try and limit the number of possessions that we had and once we played the ones in the second half of the first drive, I thought that was a good time to work on developing the other half of our roster.
“Lots of guys got their first opportunity and the opportunity to get significant playing time and play within our system. So, a lot of positives, a lot of things to fix, a lot of things to get better at.”
Wildcats quarterback Timmy McClain completed 13 of 15 passes for 86 yards. Cornerback Gabe White paced BCU with nine tackles.
The Canes kicked off to start the evening and seemingly forced a quick three-and-out, but linebacker Wesley Bissainthe was flagged for targeting and an automatic first down. The Wildcats punted four plays later and Miami took over at its 10-yard line.
Beck wasted no time moving the Canes down the field, completing three passes for 33 yards before Fletcher broke off a 17-yard run to the BCU 40. On the next snap, Beck looked deep for Daniels, who cradled the ball in the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown grab and an early 7-0 lead.
The Wildcats couldn’t move the chains and punted the ball back to UM. Fletcher proceeded to tote the ball five of the ensuing nine snaps, culminating a 74-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown to give Miami a two-touchdown lead. Fletcher had 78 rushing yards through in the first quarter and Beck had completed all seven passes.
After another three-and-out, the Canes marched 68 yards on a balanced drive – four Beck completions to four different receivers and four runs by Brown, the last a two-yard plunge to make it 21-0.
On the next drive, McClain completed two passes for 27 yards to move the Wildcats past midfield for the first time. The drive stalled at the Miami 15, but Juan Dominguez booted a 32-yard field goal to get BCU on the scoreboard with 3:08 left in the first half.
Which gave Miami plenty of time to pad its lead. Beck finally threw his first incompletion, but capped an 11-play, 71-yard drive with a five-yard scoring toss to Daniels. The Canes led 28-3 heading into the locker room.
Miami got the ball to open the second half and Fletcher capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge up the middle. Beck completed 4 of 5 passes on the drive to conclude his evening’s work.
The Wildcats crossed midfield for the second time, but on 3rd and 10 from the UM 34, Bain sacked McClain and popped the ball loose. Linebacker Chase Smith recovered the fumble and the Canes took over.
Emory Williams took over for Miami under center and drove the Canes to the BCU 32. But his fourth down pass to tight end Luke Gilbert was broken up. The Wildcats got the ball back, but UM’s defense again forced a three-and-out.
Williams rushed for 10 yards before completing consecutive passes to wide receiver Ny Carr and tight end Brock Schott to the Wildcats 30. On the next snap, Pringle burst through a hole on the left side and scampered 30 yards for a touchdown. Miami led 42-3.
On the next drive, BCU backup quarterback Cam Ransom drove the Wildcats all the way to Miami’s six-yard line, where they faced 4th and goal. But when Ransom rolled left and threw towards wide receiver Maleek Huggins, he was picked off by cornerback Bryce Fitzgerald in the end zone. The offense responded with a 13-play drive that ended with a 31-yard field goal by Bert Auburn to provide the final margin.
The Canes return home next Saturday to host USF. Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. on The CW. The Bulls defeated No. 13 Florida 18-16 Saturday in Gainesville.
