BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
There is a reason why the Miami Hurricanes are ranked 10th in the country.
First of all, they crushed the Florida Gators in the opening game of the season 41-17 on the road in Gainesville. Nobody would even think of questioning the Canes for scheduling a soft opponent in the opener this year on August 31.
Would the next two contests be considered trap games after coming off an emotional game with the Gators?
All good coaches don’t take opponents lightly and that proved to be the case with Canes Boss Mario Cristobal.
In game two, the Hurricanes hosted the Florida A&M Rattlers. The Rattlers came into the contest 2-0 and the last time the last time they lost a game was against the University of South Florida as they’ve dominated HBCU opponents. The Rattlers play in Tallahassee.
Cristobal knew that and addressed this to us at a Monday Press Conference where the Canes made Mario, along with his offensive and defensive coordinator available to us.
On September 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium, the Hurricanes took care of business as they inserted their own venum into the snakes winning 56-9.
There was one player who stood out for the Rattlers.
It was former FAU QB Daniel Richardson (5-10, 205). The graduate transfer was 13-17 for 135 yards. During the post-game press conference, I specifically asked Cristobal about what he thought about Richardson and you’ll see that in the video.
The Rattlers would trail at halftime, 25-6 and it would get worse in the second half thanks to the stellar play of Canes QB Cam Ward.
The transfer from Washington State was 20-26 for 304 yards and three touchdowns. When the game got out of hand, he would be replaced by Reese Poffenberger.
Miami scored four rushing touchdowns and were led by junior Damien Martinez, who had 10 carries for 90 yards.
It’s no surprise that the Canes leading receiver was future NFL wideout Xavier Restrepo, who caught four passes for 104 yards and with one touchdown.
The Hurricanes out gained the Rattlers 548-194 yards. Miami dominated in passing yards 324-142. The rushing totals favored Miami 224-52.
All in all, it was an impressive home opener for the Hurricanes. I encourage you to check out the videos.
A Week later, the Ball State Cardinals (Muncie, Indiana) came to town and once again, there would be no let-up once the two teams started playing as the game was delayed by 2.5 hours because of lightning.
The Hurricanes stormed through the Cardinals as they built a 31-0 lead at halftime.
Ward was 17-25 for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Miami’s offense came in the air and senior Jacolby George amassed 92 yards on five carries.
Through three games, no game would seem normal unless Restrepo catches a touchdown pass. In the first half, he had three catches for 46 yards and you guessed it, two touchdown passes.
During the post-game press conference, I asked Ward about his natural connection with Restrepo.
In the first half, the Canes dominated with 339 yards and Ball State had 90. Miami led in first downs 14-7.
In the second half, Ward played a series and Cristobal replaced him Emory Williams. Ward finished the contest going 19-28-346 yards and five touchdowns.
Ward is the first Miami quarterback to begin a season with three consecutive 300-yard performances which is impressive considering the Canes history of having legendary signal callers.
He was replaced by Emory Williams, who was 11-12 for 161 yards and a touchdown. Williams touchdown pass was to George, who finished the game with six receptions for 109 yards.
After gaining just 22 yards rushing in the first half, the Canes opted to utilize the ground game and finished with 243.
The Canes big three rushers include: Ajay Allen, who had seven carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. He was followed by Jordan Lyle, who had 11 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. Mark Fletcher Jr. had six carries for 53 yards.
How do you define an onslaught?
Here are some numbers that will give you the answer.
Miami out gained Ball State in total yards 750-115. Pass yards favored Miami 507-109 and rushing yards 243-6. First downs also favored Miami 31-9.
It’s safe to say that there would be no trap game in this contest. The Hurricanes stormed passed the Cardinals and took care of business.
After the game, I asked Cristobal about what his team accomplished against two lesser opponents knowing that on Saturday in Tampa, his squad will step up in class to face the USF Bulls.
He provided his insights on that and many other important topics.
In this story, you’re going to have the opportunity to view excellent videos from both games.
As it stands now, Miami is 3-0 and USF is 2-1. This will be a classic match-up between two teams which play in NFL Stadiums in metropolitan areas.
We’ve seen this drill when the Dolphins face the Buccaneers, the Miami Marlins face the Tampa Bay Rays and the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning face off.
Speaking of Lightning, there were questions asked about this as well.
But I’m looking forward to taking the trip to see my alma-mater (USF) take on the team I have a vested interest in, the Miami Hurricanes.
When people ask me who I’m pulling for, I tell them, I can’t lose.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at Southfloridatribune@gmail.com and he can be reached on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth.
To see all of his broadcast, feel free to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.
Also, Scott wrote a book called, “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble.
