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. 7 Miami’s 77-7 win over Florida A&M on Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

The win marked the Hurricanes’ 20^th straight victory in a home opener and pushed Miami’s record to 2-0, while FAMU fell to 1-2 to start the season.

The Recap

The Hurricanes started the 2026 season on the other side of the country, with an ACC showdown at Stanford.

And while plenty of Miami fans made it to Northern California for the game, Friday night’s matchup against FAMU was the Hurricanes’ first opportunity this season to play in front of their family, their friends and their fans.

And Miami gave all those family, friends and fans who made their way to Hard Rock Stadium plenty of reasons to cheer.

The Hurricanes scored on 11 of their first 12 possessions. They totaled a new school-record 856 yards of offense, tied a school record with their 77 points and set a new ACC record with their 42 first downs.

“I thought our guys came out, and we played efficiently and improved on some things as it relates to the physicality, execution, [kept the] ball secured until the end. … better at the front seven, [and we] played a bunch of guys,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “When the twos and threes went in, we felt that they sustained a relatively decent level of execution and standard.

“We had an opportunity to play a lot of guys and see how they fit in and what their roles can be going forward. And nowadays in college football, that’s invaluable. You have to play guys, and you really can’t look at the clock or the scoreboard. You just have to continue developing your roster, which I think we attempted to do tonight.”

Miami quarterback Darian Mensah completed 14 of 15 passes and threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Wide receiver Malachi Toney, the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year, continued his stellar start to the season with four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, and Mark Fletcher Jr. had seven carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Given Miami’s offensive onslaught and defensive dominance, the Hurricanes were able to play a number of their younger players in the latter portion of Thursday’s win.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Nickel started the second half for the Hurricanes and completed 8 of 8 passes for 144 yards with three touchdowns, while freshman running back Javian Mallory logged 10 carries for a game-high 142 yards. Additionally, freshmen receivers Somourian Wingo and Vance Spafford both caught the first touchdowns of their collegiate careers.

For the second straight week, Miami’s defense kept its opponent out of the end zone, with FAMU’s lone score coming off a fumble recovery late in the game.

Another freshman – JJ Dunnigan – paced the defense with a team-high five tackles, while fellow freshman Cortez Redding broke up a pass and had three tackles.

“It’s really exciting to see all my dogs in the freshman class making plays,” Dunnigan said. “Those are my brothers. I’m really excited for this class to see what we can do.”

Numbers to Know

91.1 – Completion percentage for Darian Mensah through Miami’s first two games. That leads the nation among FBS quarterbacks who have already played twice and ranks third nationally overall heading into this weekend’s games. In Miami’s wins over Stanford and FAMU, Mensah completed 41 of 45 passes for 653 yards and eight touchdowns.

16 – Hurricanes who caught at least one pass from either Mensah, Luke Nickel or Dereon Coleman in the win over FAMU. Malachi Toney led the Hurricanes with four catches, while Vance Spafford had three.

856 – Yards gained by the Miami offense. That set a new program record, besting the mark of 750 yards gained against Ball State in 2024. The Hurricanes also set a new school record with their 42 first downs.

22 – Hurricane defenders who recorded at least one tackle against the Rattlers. Ten of those Hurricanes logged multiple tackles.

107 – Total yards allowed by the Miami defense. Of those, just 37 came via the run game. Overall, FAMU managed an average of just 2.3 yards per play, while the Hurricanes averaged 11.7 yards per play.

Quotable

“I felt like a proud uncle. It was amazing. I was so hyped I almost caught a calf cramp just jumping out there, just being happy. It’s amazing just seeing all those guys out there. They did a phenomenal job. They stepped up to the test. We just want to see, ‘Can you guys hold up the standard?’ and they did. They did a phenomenal job.”

– Offensive lineman Matt McCoy on what it was like for Miami’s veterans to watch some of the younger Hurricanes step up and make plays in the win over FAMU

“It meant a lot. It was a blessing, obviously, something that I prayed for and the coaches having trust in me, it means a lot to me.”

– Defensive back JJ Dunnigan, on what it meant to get his first start as a Hurricane in only the second game of his collegiate career

“Being able to get in the game while being in the best running back room in the country is just a blessing. I feel like the older guys, Mark [Fletcher Jr.], Jordan Lyle, Marty [Brown], [Girard] Pringle Jr., they’ve 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.”

– Running back Javian Mallory, on scoring two touchdowns against FAMU

“It’s awesome. Those two dudes work their butts off. Seeing them in the game, I mean, they’ve been playing this game for as long as I have. I’m sure it means a lot to them. It means just as much to me.”

– Quarterback Darian Mensah, on what it was like to see reserve quarterbacks Luke Nickel and Dereon Coleman play the second half against FAMU

“It’s invaluable. I can’t emphasize that enough. You would love to have another quarter of football and not even worry about the scoreboard. And I adamantly support playing players deep into games, [players] that have to be developed. Those guys that played tonight, they’ve worked just as hard as everybody else. And those guys are itching for time. Unless you put them in the game, you’re never going to find out what they can do when the lights come on. So, we had that opportunity tonight. We took advantage of it as best we could and certainly looking forward to watching the tape and seeing what kind of moves and what type of opportunities we can further create for some of those guys.”

– Head coach Mario Cristobal, on Miami’s reserves getting playing time in the win over FAMU

Up Next

The Hurricanes are set to hit the road again for another conference showdown, this time heading to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to face Wake Forest.

The Demon Deacons opened the season with a 38-16 win over Akron on Sept. 3 and are set to host Purdue this weekend.

In the win over the Zips, quarterback Gio Lopez completed 21 of 32 passes for 350 yards with three touchdowns, while running back Ty Clark III rushed for 105 yards on just seven carries.

Miami and Wake Forest have met 12 times, with the Hurricanes winning the last eight meetings, including the most recent matchup in 2024.

The game will mark Miami’s first visit to Winston-Salem since 2009. The Hurricanes have won all three games played there and own a 9-3 record in the all-time series.