MIAMI GARDENS — The Hurricanes’ run game had been sleepy the last two games.
Mark Fletcher Jr. woke it up.
The junior running back rushed for 106 yards and a career-high three touchdowns to lead the No. 9 Hurricanes (6-1, 2-1 ACC) to a 42-7 win over Stanford (3-5, 2-3 ACC) at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.
Miami got off to a slow start in the win, looking less like the team that won its first five games and more like the one that lost to Louisville last week. The Hurricanes moved down the field on their first drive, but Carter Davis missed a field goal at the end.
Stanford got on the board first after the missed field goal. The Cardinal drove 74 yards and completed the drive with a 9-yard pass from Ben Gulbranson to Caden High.
Miami’s offense, which struggled against Louisville in the team’s first loss of the year, came out slow against Stanford. After missing a field goal on the first drive, UM punted on its second drive and turned the ball over on downs on its third drive.
The Hurricanes finally got on the board late in the first half when UM quarterback Carson Beck connected with receiver CJ Daniels on a third-down, endzone fade pass to tie the game.
Star freshman Malachi Toney set Miami up for the go-ahead score. The standout American Heritage alum returned a punt 31 yards to put UM at the Stanford 40 for its first drive of the second half. The Hurricanes got the rest of the way down the field and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Mark Fletcher Jr., his seventh of the season.
Another long Toney punt return — this one for 42 yards — but Miami was stuffed on fourth-and-1 at the Stanford 21-yard line, keeping the game a one-score contest.
Miami’s defense, which bounced back following Stanford’s first drive, set the offense up perfectly late in the third quarter. Veteran linebacker Wesley Bissainthe picked off a pass from Gulbranson and returned it to the Cardinal’s 3-yard line. Fletcher scored his second touchdown of the game on the next play, putting Miami ahead 21-7.
The Hurricanes’ defense continued its strong play, as Wisconsin transfer Xavier Lucas notched his first interception as a Hurricane. Fletcher capped that drive with a 7-yard touchdown — his third score of the night.
Miami brought in the backups in the second half of the fourth quarter, and Girard Pringle Jr. scored the last touchdown of the night.
Five takeaways
1. Offense slow to start
After scoring a season-low 21 points against Louisville, the offense struggled again on Saturday, at least to start. The Hurricanes scored just seven points in the first half.
The offense started moving more in the second half and eventually finished the game with 42 points and 404 total yards, their highest total against a Power 4 team this season.
2. Defense carrying the team
While the offense struggled, Miami’s defense stepped up. The Cardinal had a good first drive, getting down the field and scoring. But Stanford’s next two drives ended with a punt, and its final drive of the first half would have been a three-and-out had the half not ended.
The defensive excellence continued in the second half — but added some turnovers. Bissainthe and Lucas picked off passes, setting up scoring drives.
The Hurricanes held Stanford to 1 yards in the win, which is the lowest total by a UM Power 4 opponent since holding Duke to 128 yards in 2005.
3. Malachi Toney excels on punts now, too
Toney has done it all for Miami this year. Now he’s making opponents look silly on punts.
The star freshman had 73 yards on two second-half punts, making several players miss and giving Miami great field position.
4. Big day for American Heritage alumni
The Hurricanes have recruited Broward County powerhouse American Heritage well over the past few years, and it paid off in a big way on Saturday.
Three former Patriots had big games.
Fletcher had the biggest impact, rushing for three of Miami’s touchdowns for his first career three-score game. He finished the game with 106 yards on 23 carries. It was the first time the Hurricanes had a 100-yard rusher
Toney, the breakout player of the season, had another strong effort. He had five catches for 52 yards and had those two excellent punt returns. He also ran for 13 yards on one carry.
Lucas, a cornerback, also starred at American Heritage. He signed with Wisconsin out of high school but transferred to UM this offseason. He had his first interception as a Hurricane on Saturday night.
5. Running game comes alive
Miami’s run game struggled against FSU and Louisville, and it was more of the same in the first half on Saturday. But the running backs injected life into the UM offense in the second half.
The Hurricanes finished the game with 199 rushing yards, which is their highest total against a Power 4 opponent this season. Fletcher scored three touchdowns in the win, and sophomore Jordan Lyle scored his first touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter.
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