MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The No. 7 Miami Hurricanes dominated the Florida A&M Rattlers 77-7 in their home opener Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Miami coach Mario Cristobal told reporters earlier this week that he wanted his team to establish dominance in the run game, and the Hurricanes did just that from the opening drive.
It took Mark Fletcher Jr. just three carries to find the end zone.
The offensive line opened a large hole, while wide receiver Malachi Toney helped seal the edge and spring Fletcher for a 46-yard touchdown run. The score moved Fletcher to sixth in Miami history in career rushing yards and fifth in career rushing touchdowns.
On the first play of Miami’s second drive, quarterback Darian Mensah found Josh Moore for a 55-yard touchdown, giving the Hurricanes a 14-0 lead.
Florida A&M’s quarterback gave Miami’s defense some trouble when he took off running, but the Hurricanes eventually forced a stop and another Rattlers punt.
Fletcher scored his second touchdown of the game on Miami’s next drive, finishing the first quarter with seven carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns as the Hurricanes took a 21-0 lead.
Defensive backs JJ Dunnigan and Zecheriah Poyser were active throughout the first half, helping Miami control both the passing and running games and force another Florida A&M punt.
Toney then made his presence felt again, hauling in a 52-yard reception from Mensah after wrestling the ball away from a defender. A few plays later, Mensah found Toney wide open for a 19-yard touchdown.
The touchdown was Mensah’s seventh touchdown pass and Toney’s fourth receiving touchdown through Miami’s first five-plus quarters of the season.
Running back Girard Pringle Jr. also made an impact on the next drive, contributing in both the running and receiving games before making a sharp stop and cut to reach the end zone for Miami’s fifth touchdown.
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Running back Javian Mallory added another score late in the half, giving Miami a 49-0 lead with 46 seconds remaining before halftime.
Mensah completed 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Fletcher had seven carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while Toney had four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Miami’s defense held Florida A&M to 37 rushing yards on 21 carries, an average of 1.8 yards per carry.
The Hurricanes pulled their starters in the second half, but the scoring continued.
Nickel opened the second half at quarterback and quickly connected with Somourian Wingo for a 47-yard touchdown, extending Miami’s lead to 56-0.
Mallory then broke loose for a 35-yard run before Nickel found Vandrevius Jacobs for a 33-yard touchdown on the next play, making it 63-0.
Nickel threw his third touchdown of the game later in the half, but Vance Spafford provided one of Miami’s biggest highlights when he made a contested catch with a defender draped all over him despite a pass interference call. Nickel finished the game throwing 8 of 8 for 144 yards.
Florida A&M finally got on the scoreboard when Miami wide receiver Brennan Burton fumbled and Rattlers defensive back Caleb McKenzie returned it 72 yards for a touchdown which made it 77-7.
Miami totaled 856 yards of offense vs. Florida A&M, a school record.
Corey Hetherman’s defense has yet to allow a touchdown this season.
Both of Miami’s quarterbacks finished with three touchdown passes in the win. The blowout even allowed third-string quarterback Dereon Coleman to see some action.
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Miami improved to 2-0 with the victory, while Florida A&M fell to 1-2.
Up next
Miami travels to face Wake Forest (1-0) on Friday, Sept. 18.
Florida A&M hosts Tennessee State (0-2) on Saturday, Sept. 19.
