Canes Across The Pond

I said before this game that Miami were capable of putting 50 plus points on Florida A&M if the starters stayed in long enough.

Turns out that was a little conservative.

The Hurricanes didn’t just beat FAMU. They completely overwhelmed them, winning 77-7, tying the school record for points in a game and setting a new programme record with 856 yards of offence. Miami also finished with 42 first downs, an ACC record, and scored touchdowns on 11 of its first 12 possessions. The one possession that didn’t end in a touchdown was a kneel down before half-time.

It got so one sided that the teams agreed to shorten the fourth quarter from 15 minutes to 10.

That is not something you see every week.

But for all the ridiculous numbers, the biggest thing I took from this one wasn’t another huge Darian Mensah performance or another Malachi Toney touchdown. It was how deep into the roster Miami were able to go.

By the second half, this stopped being about simply beating FAMU. It became an opportunity to give young players, backups and even walk-ons genuine game reps. And a few of them made sure we remembered their names.

Miami Did Exactly What It Was Supposed to Do

Games like this can be slightly awkward to review. Miami was expected to win comfortably. FAMU is an FCS opponent, and there is an obvious difference in depth, size and athleticism between the two programmes.

So you don’t want to get carried away because Miami won by 70. At the same time, there is something to be said for doing exactly what you’re supposed to do.

There was no slow start. No sloppy opening quarter. No period where FAMU was allowed to believe this might become uncomfortable. Miami led 21-0 after the first quarter and 49-0 at half-time. By the time the shortened fourth quarter began, it was 77-0.

That is ruthless. After a dominant win at Stanford, this was another sign that Miami is learning how to put teams away instead of letting games drift.

The Run Game Answered the Question

One thing I wanted to see after Stanford was a better rushing performance. We got one.

Miami ran for 430 yards, averaging 9.8 yards per carry, and Mark Fletcher Jr. wasted no time setting the tone. He opened the scoring with a 46-yard touchdown and finished with 105 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries.

That alone would have answered a few questions about the run blocking. But then Javian Mallory entered the game. And suddenly there was another name to talk about.

Javian Mallory Took His Chance

This was the standout performance for me.

Mallory finished with 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, leading Miami in rushing despite starting the night well down the running-back rotation.

His first touchdown, an 11-yard run late in the second quarter, was the first of his Miami career. His second came on a 52-yard run in the third.

What I liked most wasn’t just the production. It was the fact that when the opportunity came, he looked ready for it.

These are the sorts of games where people tend to dismiss backup performances because of the opposition. Fair enough, FAMU is not Clemson or Notre Dame. But reps still matter. Confidence matters. Showing the coaching staff that you can execute when you’re finally put on the field matters.

Mallory did all three. He didn’t just get some late carries while Miami ran the clock down. He looked explosive.

And in a running-back room already featuring Fletcher and Girard Pringle Jr., that’s a very nice problem to have.

Luke Nickel Looked Completely Comfortable

The other player who really caught my eye was Luke Nickel.

By the time he entered, the game was already over. That doesn’t mean his performance should be ignored.

Nickel completed all eight of his passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Perfect.

He opened the second half by finding Somourian Wingo for a 47-yard touchdown, then hit Vandrevius Jacobs for a 33-yard score. His third touchdown went to freshman Vance Spafford.

There was no obvious drop in organisation when Mensah came out. That’s important.

You don’t need Nickel to look like a finished starting quarterback right now. You need him to look comfortable running the offence, making the right reads and taking advantage when his number is called.

He did that. For a programme with ambitions of competing deep into December and January, having a backup quarterback you trust is massive. And on this evidence, Miami has one.

Mensah and Toney Barely Needed the Second Half

The slightly absurd thing is that Miami’s starters were excellent again. They just didn’t need to hang around for long.

Mensah completed 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns, meaning he has started his Miami career 41-of-45 for 653 yards and eight touchdowns through two games.

That’s fairly silly.

Toney caught four passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, continuing his ridiculous start to the season after breaking Miami’s single-game receiving record against Stanford.

Mark Fletcher had his 105-yard night. Then they were basically done. And that is exactly what I hoped would happen in the preview.

The Freshmen Got Their Night

This is where the game became much more useful than simply adding another win to the schedule. Miami was able to go deep into the roster. Really deep.

Freshman quarterback Dereon Coleman got his first Miami snaps and completed five of six passes for 30 yards. Freshman receiver Vance Spafford caught three passes for 53 yards and a touchdown, including a brilliant contested catch despite defensive pass interference.

Somourian Wingo finished with 59 receiving yards and a touchdown. JJ Dunnigan led Miami with five tackles. Ezekiel Marclein and Cortez Redding also got meaningful defensive work.

This is the sort of thing that can pay off months from now. You never know when injuries will force someone into a bigger role.

Getting their first proper snaps in a game Miami controls is far better than asking them to learn on the fly in a one-score ACC game.

Even the Walk-Ons Got a Go

This might have been my favourite part of the night.

Miami went so deep into the roster that walk-ons were getting legitimate carries and possessions. Walk-on running back Jack Whitehouse had five carries for 57 yards.

By the fourth quarter, we had reached the stage where even some of the most committed Canes fans were probably checking the roster to work out who was on the field.

That is exactly what you want from a game like this. For most walk-ons, these moments are rare. They spend the week doing the same training, meetings and preparation as everybody else while knowing they may barely see the field.

So when a 77-7 game gives them a chance to actually play in Hard Rock Stadium, I love seeing it.

Yes, FAMU’s only touchdown came on a 72-yard fumble return after Brennan Burton lost the ball late.

The defence still hasn’t conceded an offensive touchdown through two games.

The Defence Was Almost Forgotten

When your offence produces 856 yards, the defence becomes a bit of a supporting act. But this was another strong performance.

FAMU finished with only 107 total yards, including 37 rushing yards, and averaged just 2.3 yards per play.

JJ Dunnigan led Miami with five tackles, while Marquise Lightfoot and Herbert Scroggins III recorded sacks.

The one touchdown Miami conceded wasn’t even against the defence.

Through two games, Stanford and FAMU have produced 13 points against Miami. Neither offence has reached the end zone.

That’s a very tidy start for Corey Hetherman’s unit.

About That 49-10 Prediction

So. I predicted 49-10 Miami.

At half-time it was 49-0. For a brief moment I was feeling extremely smug.

Then Miami scored another 28 points.

I did say in the preview that Miami could get into the 50s if the starters stayed in long enough, but I hoped the backups would get plenty of opportunities instead.

Apparently Miami decided to do both.

The starters dominated. The backups came in. The freshmen came in. The walk-ons came in. And they just kept scoring anyway.

I’ll happily take the prediction miss.

What This Game Actually Told Us

We have to keep this in perspective. Miami was supposed to win. The real test begins to get harder from here, starting with Wake Forest next Friday.

But there were still useful things to learn.

The run game looked far better than it did at Stanford. Mallory showed Miami has another exciting young running back. Nickel looked excellent running the second-team offence. The freshmen got meaningful snaps. The walk-ons got their moment.

And most importantly, there was very little drop-off in the standard when the starters left.

Cristobal specifically highlighted how valuable it was that the second and third teams maintained a decent level of execution when they entered the game.

That’s probably the biggest takeaway from the whole night. Depth only matters if the players behind the starters can actually perform.

Against FAMU, Miami got to find out a little more about theirs.

The Last Word from Across the Pond

I thought Miami might score 50. They scored 77.

I thought the second team would get plenty of playing time. By the end, we were into freshmen, third-stringers and walk-ons.

So I’ll count that as half a prediction victory.

There are much tougher games coming and nobody should start judging Miami’s ceiling based on beating an FCS opponent by 70 points.

But there is still something satisfying about watching a team do exactly what a serious contender should do. No drama. No hanging around. No letting the opponent believe.

Just take control, build the lead and give everyone else a chance to play.

For Mallory and Nickel, that chance turned into two of the best performances of the night. For the freshmen, it was experience. For the walk-ons, it was probably a night they’ll remember for a long time.

And for those of us watching from the UK? Well, at least a game that kicked off at 1am was basically over before most normal people had even gone to bed.

Miami 77, Florida A&M 7.

2-0.

And now the real tests start.