Well, that’s more like it.
No. 6 Miami are 4-0 after crushing Central Michigan 52-3 at Hard Rock Stadium, finishing September unbeaten and doing it with another brilliant performance from Darian Mensah.
A full Miami vs Central Michigan match report will follow later today on canesacrossthepond.com.
For now, this is the quick game-day aftermath.
Miami turn a 3-0 deficit into 52 unanswered points
It actually started badly.
Central Michigan kicked a 49-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead, becoming the first team to lead Miami at any point this season.
That lasted about four minutes.
Freshman Javian Mallory scored from four yards to put Miami ahead and the Hurricanes never looked back.
The second quarter belonged to Mensah.
He threw touchdown passes to Cooper Barkate, Malachi Toney and Daylyn Upshaw, then added a five-yard rushing touchdown of his own as Miami turned a 7-3 game into a 35-3 halftime lead.
Central Michigan’s brief moment of hope was over.
Miami eventually scored 52 unanswered points.
Exactly the sort of response you wanted after Wake Forest.
Mensah’s ridiculous start continues
We’re running out of ways to describe these numbers.
Mensah completed 23 of 27 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another touchdown on the ground.
He now has 14 touchdown passes and zero interceptions through four games.
Here’s the slightly ridiculous bit.
Mensah has thrown only 12 incompletions all season.
Fourteen touchdown passes.
Twelve incompletions.
His completion percentage actually dropped last night.
To 88.7 per cent.
I think he’ll cope.
Malachi Toney was the biggest beneficiary, catching six passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, including a 48-yard catch-and-run that pushed Miami’s advantage to 21-3.
Barkate and Upshaw scoring matters too.
Joshua Moore’s season-ending injury created targets that somebody had to absorb.
Saturday offered the first indication of how Miami might redistribute them.
Mallory steps up and Lyle finally returns
Perhaps the most encouraging part of the night came at running back.
Mark Fletcher Jr. did not play because of the upper-body injury he suffered against Wake Forest.
Rather than push him back against Central Michigan, Miami gave the start to freshman Javian Mallory.
Mallory responded immediately with Miami’s opening touchdown.
That is precisely why these games matter.
Miami have lost Marty Brown for the season and Fletcher was unavailable.
Someone had to step up.
Mallory did.
We also finally saw Jordan Lyle make his season debut after missing the opening three games.
His night included a slightly bizarre sequence in the third quarter when a direct-snap touchdown was wiped out because the referee had not finished explaining the previous penalty. Lyle then fumbled on the next play, only for offensive lineman Jamal Meriweather to recover it in the end zone for a touchdown.
College football.
Cristobal indicated afterwards that Fletcher should be available for Clemson.
That is significant.
Miami managed his workload, still scored 52 and should now get its starting running back back for one of the biggest games of the season.
Job done.
Now it’s Clemson week
No more FAMU.
No more Central Michigan.
Miami travel to Death Valley next Saturday after Clemson beat California 24-10 on Friday night.
The Tigers will be waiting.
Miami enter October 4-0.
Mensah has 14 touchdown passes without an interception.
Toney continues to look like one of the most dangerous weapons in college football.
The defence just held Central Michigan to three points.
And Fletcher should return.
This is exactly where Miami wanted to be.
The Last Word from Across the Pond
This was exactly what Miami needed.
Wake Forest raised questions about whether the Hurricanes could maintain their level after building a lead, so Miami answered by scoring 52 unanswered points after briefly falling 3-0 behind.
Mensah was brilliant again, Toney went over 100 yards, Mallory stepped into the starting running back role and the defence gave Central Michigan absolutely nothing after the opening field goal.
Miami finish September 4-0 and ranked No. 6 in the country.
Now the tone of the season changes.
Clemson are next, in Death Valley, and we are about to find out considerably more about just how good this Miami team can be.
