Canes Throttle Bulls, ESPN College Gameday Coming to Coral Gables

The No. 18 South Florida Bulls entered Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday full of energy after upsetting No. 25 Boise State and No. 13 Florida earlier in the season.

The Miami Hurricanes were ready, however, and handed the Bulls a decisive 49-12 defeat.

With the win, Miami improved to 3-0 and climbed to No. 4 in the AP Poll, trailing only Ohio State, Penn State, and LSU.

The game was delayed 1 hour and 42 minutes by lightning, stretching the contest to nearly five hours before ending at 9:37 p.m. Despite the delay, Miami wasted no time in asserting control.

Quarterback Carson Beck connected twice with freshman receiver Joshua Moore for touchdowns, giving Moore the first two scores of his career.

South Florida managed two field goals by Nico Gramatica to cut the deficit to 14-6, but Miami pulled away. Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for two touchdowns, Beck added another on the ground, and the Hurricanes built a 28-6 halftime lead. Beck later threw a one-yard touchdown to Char Mar “Marty” Brown, and Girard Pringle capped the scoring with a five-yard rushing score.

Beck finished 23-of-28 for 340 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown. Fletcher added 120 yards on 16 carries with two scores.

The defense was equally dominant, holding the Bulls to just 40 rushing yards on 27 attempts. Defensive ends Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor led with six tackles each. Freshman defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald collected his second interception of the season.

Miami’s success was witnessed by dozens of top recruits in attendance, who were given field access before the game and hosted in the LIV suite. With multiple true freshmen like Moore, Malachi Toney, and Fitzgerald making immediate impacts, the Hurricanes continue to demonstrate opportunities for young talent.

Next up for Miami is a primetime matchup against the Florida Gators at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Gators, who fell to LSU 20-10 last week, bring a strong defense and will be motivated after Miami’s 41-17 rout in Gainesville last season.

The following week, Miami will travel to Tallahassee to face No. 7 Florida State on October 4.

ESPN College GameDay will be broadcast live from the Lakeside Patio on the UM Campus from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The game against Florida at Hard Rock Stadium will kickoff later at 7 p.m. This will be College GameDay’s first visit to the Miami campus since November 11, 2017, when the Canes defeated Notre Dame 41-8. Host Rece Davis, along with analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban, always put on a highly entertaining show. This will be the ninth time Miami has hosted College GameDay. The Canes are 7-1 in the previous eight games.

The show is open to the public; fans are advised to arrive early to get a good spot.

That’s it for now. Be well all, and Go Canes!