MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – After opening the season more than 2,500 miles from home, the Hurricanes made it clear in the days leading up to their home opener: they couldn’t wait to get back to South Florida to play in front of their family, their friends, and their fans.

And once the ball was kicked off on Thursday night, the seventh-ranked Hurricanes wasted little time putting on a show for those who made their way to Hard Rock Stadium on this warm September evening.

Miami was efficient on offense, scoring on 11 of its first 12 possessions. The defense put together another strong showing and in the end, the Hurricanes notched a 77-7 win over Florida A&M.

The Hurricanes set a new school record in the win with their 856 yards of total offense and set a new ACC record with their 42 first downs. Their 77 points, meanwhile, tied a school record, matching Miami's efforts against Savannah State in both 2013 and 2018. 

And with the victory, the Hurricanes (2-0) have now won 20 straight home openers. 

Not a bad way to kick off the home slate by any means. 

"We did a lot and just want to see our guys play fast and free and improve," head coach Mario Cristobal said. "That was the most important thing. [Going] 1-0 is always the goal, but in college football, every single week you better get better and I think in some respects, we did that tonight."

Quarterback Darian Mensah – who earned a trio of national honors after Miami’s 45-6 win at Stanford last week, including a Davey O’Brien Great 8 nod – picked up right where he left off against the Cardinal, completing 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards with three touchdowns.

Through the Hurricanes' first two games, Mensah has completed 41 of his 45 pass attempts for 653 yards and 8 touchdowns, numbers he noted were pretty special.

"It means a lot. Obviously, I wanted to play well," Mensah said. "Canes fans were very supportive of me when I first got here, and so to give that back on the field with my play means a lot to me. ... I wouldn't say [it's] pressure off my shoulders. I'd just say that's what I came here to do and I'm doing it."

Wide receiver Malachi Toney, named the AP National Player of the Week after his record-setting performance at Stanford, continued his hot start to the season with a team-high four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, while running back Mark Fletcher Jr. had seven carries for 105 yards and two scores.

Defensively, Miami held FAMU to a meager 107 yards, including just 37 yards on the ground, continuing a trend of defensive dominance against the run.

The Hurricanes entered Thursday’s game having held opponents to an average of just 87.9 rushing yards per game at Hard Rock Stadium since the start of the 2023 season and while FAMU (1-2) may have struggled to run the ball, the Hurricanes did not.

It was Fletcher who put Miami on the board first, scoring on a 46-yard run that capped a 3-play, 59-yard scoring drive on the Hurricanes’ first possession.

Fletcher would add another touchdown – a 1-yard run – later in the first quarter to push Miami’s lead to 21-0 after Jake Weinberg’s extra point.

Fellow running backs Girard Pringle Jr. and Javian Mallory also scored in the win, with Mallory – one of several freshmen who logged significant minutes Thursday – notching the first touchdown of his Miami career on 11-yard run in the second quarter. Mallory added another touchdown – on a 52-yard run – in the third.

He finished with a game-high 10 carries for another game-high 142 yards.

"It's just a blessing being able to get in the game while being in the best running back room in the country," Mallory said. "I feel like the older guys have all helped me from my first day here during the playoffs. They have all [taken] me under their wing, and they've guided me to get where I am today. I'm just very thankful for everybody.”

Mallory wasn't the only young Hurricane to make a big impression on Thursday.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Nickel completed 8 of 8 passes for 144 yards with three touchdowns, while freshmen receivers Somourian Wingo and Vance Spafford caught the first touchdowns of their collegiate careers. 

Mensah, Nickel and freshman quarterback Dereon Coleman delivered the ball to 16 pass catchers in the win and six of those Hurricanes – Joshua Moore, Toney, Cooper Barkate, Wingo, Vandrevius Jacobs, and Spafford – found their way into the end zone.

On the other side of the ball, freshman JJ Dunnigan, who made the first start of his Miami career on Thursday, led the Hurricanes with a team-high five tackles, while Armondo Blount posted four stops. Both Marquise Lightfoot and Herbert Scroggins III collected sacks.

"That means a lot, because that's our standard and that's something we want to live by, keeping people out of the end zone, protecting Cane Nation," Dunnigan said of how the defense has now kept two opposing offenses from scoring touchdowns. "That's what we live by."

With its home opener now behind it, Miami will begin turning its focus to another conference road game, this one set for next Friday at Wake Forest. 

It will be another opportunity to get better and the Hurricanes say they'll continue doing their best to continue growing in order to handle whatever tests may await them in Winston-Salem.

"We've got a good Wake Forest team coming up this week," Mensah said. "I mean, it's awesome that things are going well, but I think adversity is when your team grows and shows the true colors of your team."