Canes Rewind: A Look Back at the Win over USF

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 notes and quotes from Miami’s 49-12 win over USF on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.

After Saturday’s game, Miami moved up a spot to No. 4 in the AP Top 25, while USF dropped out of the poll after being ranked No. 18.

The Recap

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup against in-state foe USF, plenty was made of the Bulls’ storybook start to the season.

USF, unranked to start the year, knocked off then-No. 25 Boise State, 34-7, in its season opener. It followed that with an 18-16 win over then-No. 13 Florida in Gainesville.

The victory over the Gators vaulted the Bulls into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2018, gave USF plenty of national attention and had college football fans in Florida and beyond wondering if the Bulls could make it a third straight win over a ranked opponent when they traveled south to face No. 5 Miami.

The Hurricanes weren’t about to play into any kind of Cinderella story.

Miami (3-0) wasted little time setting the tone Saturday, putting together a masterful opening drive to kick off what would be a rout of the Bulls (2-1).

Quarterback Carson Beck completed all five of the passes he attempted on the drive, Mark Fletcher Jr. had a couple of solid carries and after nine plays, the Hurricanes found themselves with an early lead when Beck connected with freshman Joshua Moore on an 8-yard scoring pass.

Miami’s defense followed that with a drive in which USF was held to 14 yards before the offense came back on the field and pushed the lead to 14-0 after Beck and Moore connected again, this time on a 39-yard touchdown play.

USF answered with a scoring drive of its own, but instead of getting a touchdown, the Bulls settled for a 45-yard field goal from Nico Gramatica just before the end of the first quarter that cut Miami’s lead to 14-3.

It would stay that way for a while after that.

Early in the second, the field was cleared after lightning was detected in the area and the teams waited out a 101-minute delay before the game resumed.

When it did, USF quickly added another field goal and Miami countered with a 3-play, 75-yard scoring drive that culminated with Fletcher scoring on a 38-yard run to push Miam’s lead to 21-6.

Later in the second quarter, Miami was able to capitalize on a rare USF miscue.

Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown – who hadn’t thrown an interception in 253 passes – was picked off by Hurricanes freshman Bryce Fitzgerald. Six plays later, Beck capped a six-play, 25-yard scoring drive when he scampered into the endzone on a 2-yard run.

The Hurricanes added another touchdown in the third quarter when Fletcher scored again – this time on a 13-yard run that capped a six-play, 91-yard drive that extended the lead to 35-6 after Carter Davis ’ extra point.

And while USF added a fourth-quarter touchdown, Miami outscored the Bulls 14-6 in the final frame and had the opportunity to put a number of reserves into the game late, including quarterback Emory Williams and running back Girard Pringle, Jr.

“I’d like to give [USF] credit. They are good. They’ve got a lot of speed. They’ve got a lot of athletic guys that make a lot of plays. That scheme is hard to deal with,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “I think our guys didn’t want to be part of the narrative of [being] somebody else’s success [in a] stepping-stone kind of season. That’s been the story all week and there was a lot of motivation going into this thing besides the fact that they were a ranked football team.

“I have a lot of respect for their coaches and their players, but it’s an in-state game and those things, you have to play at your very best because you’re never all the way out of these games. And our guys really took it personal to not let anything get in the way of doing their jobs. Intensity, physicality, urgency, and discipline, it all came together very nicely for us tonight.”

Numbers to Know

120 – Rushing yards gained by Fletcher. It marked the first time since his freshman season the junior has topped the 100-yard mark in a game. Fletcher, who also had two touchdowns, averaged 7.5 yards per carry in the win over the Bulls.

2 – Interceptions in back-to-back weeks for Fitzgerald. The freshman’s pick in the second quarter came just a week after he grabbed the first INT of his collegiate career last Saturday against Bethune-Cookman.

82 – Beck’s completion percentage against USF. The quarterback completed 23 of 28 passes and threw for 340 yards with three touchdowns. He had a quarterback rating of 205.2.

576 – Total offensive yards gained by the Hurricanes on Saturday. Miami had 205 rushing yards, 371 passing yards and averaged 8.5 yards per play.

12 – Combined tackles totaled by Miami defensive linemen Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, two of the Hurricanes defensive leaders on and off the field early this season.

Quotable

“I just run as hard as I can every single time I get the ball. My coach, [running backs coach Matt] Merritt, he says every time you get that ball, you’re carrying the team on your back. So, I just take very much pride in that, and I know defenses don’t like that, when a guy is relentless and just keeps on running hard. So, that’s just what I try to do. I just try to do my job to the best of my ability.”

– Running back Mark Fletcher, Jr. on his approach to running the ball

“I’m a Florida boy at heart and I think just being here around these guys, I really fit in and meshed with them off the rip, right? It’s my people and these coaches just kind of allow me to be free, do my thing. And man, I can’t speak highly enough of the people that are on this team. Obviously, there’s so much talent, but just the people themselves. We have good people on this team that care and are genuine and it’s a real love and brotherhood. Again, a lot of teams across the country say that, but they don’t live it. And I really, truly believe that we live that. And it allows you to just be free and have fun on the field. And not only that but also enjoying the success of others around you. You see if I do something well, or CJ [Daniels] does something well or if Mark Fletcher runs it into the end zone, everybody around is just as hype as if was them making the play. So, I think that goes to show the true camaraderie of this team. It’s been a ride so far, man, and I’m just really looking forward to continue to work with these guys and keep having fun.”

– Quarterback Carson Beck, on what it’s been like for him playing at Miami

“That’s what our practices look like. Before every single meeting, every single day, we start our meeting with writing ESV on the presentation board. Play with excitement, swarm to the ball, and play with violence. And I emphasize swarm to the ball every day, every play. [Defensive coordinator Corey] Hetherman is always emphasizing swarm to the ball, from the D-line to linebackers to DBs. Everybody needs to get to the ball every play. And so, everything you saw happen tonight, happens in practice on Greentree every day.”

– Defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor, on the number of Hurricane defenders who were there to stop a crucial USF fourth-down play

“We’ve got a good passing game, a good run game. You’ve got three, four backs that can come in there and tote the rock. You’ve got six, seven receivers that can also come in and make the same plays. So, just having that type of load out in the [position] rooms and on the offense is just a big advantage for us.”

– Wide receiver Keelan Marion, on Miami’s depth across the offense

“Honestly, we are not really focused on anybody else. We’re just focusing on us, being the best version of us every single week, coming in during the week, improving on the things that we messed up on. Like, on defense, we gave up 12 points. If we want to be the best defense in the country, that’s not okay. That’s not cool. There are things, little things, that we need to clean up and tidy up on to be that.”

– Linebacker Mohamed Toure, on the Hurricanes’ mentality entering Saturday’s game against USF after the Bulls’ upsets of two ranked teams

Up Next

Miami’s gauntlet of games against in-state opponents continues and once again, the game will be in the national spotlight.

While the Florida Gators may be coming to Hard Rock Stadium as an unranked team, the two programs have plenty of history, plenty of connections and plenty of ties to the South Florida area. So, expect another raucous crowd on Saturday night – and Saturday morning, when ESPN’s College GameDay comes to Coral Gables.

Florida enters Saturday’s game having lost two straight. A week ago, they were beaten by USF in Gainesville and this past Saturday, it was a 20-10 loss to No. 3 LSU in Baton Rouge.

Gators quarterback DJ Lagway had five interceptions on Saturday night, including one that was returned 58 yards for a touchdown. He became the first Florida QB to throw five interceptions in a game since Shane Matthews had five picks against Mississippi State in 1992.

Miami and Florida have met 57 times in their storied history, with the Hurricanes holding a 30-27 edge in the all-time series.

Last season, the Hurricanes traveled to Gainesville and beat Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, 41-17.