Miami Gardens, FL. – Following an initial drive in which they surrendered 74 yards and a touchdown, the Miami Hurricanes responded with an outstanding defensive performance against the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium.
Stanford was unable to score again and managed only 70 yards of total offense for the remainder of the game. Miami secured a decisive 42-7 victory before a crowd of 63,892 spectators.
With this win, Miami improved to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in ACC play. Stanford fell to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in conference action. This contest marked the first meeting between the two programs.
“We just had to go out there and execute,” Hurricanes linebacker Wesley Bissainthe said. “That’s all it was. We just had to calm down and everybody go out there and do their job.”
Miami scored touchdowns on five of their six second-half possessions, turning a halftime score of 7-7 into a commanding victory. The Hurricanes rushed for 199 yards, led by running back Mark Fletcher, who totaled 106 yards on 23 carries and achieved a career-high three touchdowns. The team held possession for nearly 37 minutes.
Quarterback Carson Beck completed 21 of 28 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown—a five-yard pass to wide receiver CJ Daniels. Wide receiver Malachi Toney led Miami with five receptions for 52 yards and added 73 yards on two special teams punt returns.
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Defensively, cornerback Keionte Scott led the team with five tackles. Xavier Lucas and Wesley Bissainthe each recorded interceptions that resulted in scores. The defense registered two sacks, six tackles for loss, and limited Stanford to 2.7 yards per play.
Stanford quarterback Ben Gulbranson completed 9 of 21 passes for 50 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Cole Tabb gained 64 yards on the ground, and wide receiver Caden High had three catches for 36 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Matt Rose contributed 12 tackles.
The game started with Miami’s offense moving quickly into Stanford territory. Beck connected with Toney for 10 yards on the first play and later found Tony Johnson for a 32-yard gain to the Cardinal 33-yard line. However, the drive stalled at the 26-yard line, and kicker Carter Davis missed a 43-yard field goal, marking his first miss of the season.
Stanford responded with a drive that included Tabb’s 28-yard run after converting a fourth-and-one. Gulbranson completed an eight-yard pass on third-and-eight to keep the drive alive, culminating in a nine-yard touchdown pass to High. Stanford took an early 7-0 lead.
Following punts by both teams, Miami again advanced into Stanford territory. Beck converted a fourth-and-four with a six-yard completion to Toney. Facing another critical fourth down, wide receiver Daniels dropped a pass, and Stanford took over at their 30-yard line.
The Hurricanes’ defense forced a three-and-out. Beck then connected with Toney for 16 yards, and Miami executed a successful fourth-and-one run, with Fletcher gaining three yards to maintain possession. Toney followed with a 13-yard end-around to set up first and goal at the six-yard line. On third-and-goal, Beck threw a fade pass to Daniels, who made an exceptional catch in the end zone. The game was tied at 7-7 at halftime.
In the second half, Miami’s defense made an early impact with a sack by Armondo Blount to hinder Stanford’s opening drive. The Hurricanes took over at the Cardinal 40-yard line after a 31-yard punt return from Toney. Beck connected with Johnson for 22 yards, placing Miami inside the red zone.
“Obviously, we got off to a fast start on offense and had a good drive and execution all the way down. We ran, passed, mixed it up, got in the red zone and made the plays we needed to make,” Cardinal head coach Frank Reich said. “On defense, we just contained them. They couldn’t sustain drives and our defense has been playing really good. Our defense, the last few games against some really good offenses, has come out early and stifled offenses and I felt we did a good job stifling a really good offense in Miami. We weren’t perfect in the run and pass game, but we played them really well in the first half. I give them credit, they came out strong in the second half and gave us all we could handle.”
Fletcher scored on a six-yard run after a seven-yard reception from Beck, giving Miami a 14-7 lead. The Hurricanes’ defense forced another punt, and Toney’s 42-yard return set up the offense at Stanford’s 30-yard line. However, the defense held, stopping Fletcher on fourth-and-one.
Stanford gained a first down due to a penalty, but Bissainthe intercepted Gulbranson and returned it 32 yards to the Stanford 3-yard line. Fletcher then scored on the following play, increasing Miami’s lead to 21-7.
Lucas intercepted another Gulbranson pass on the next drive, setting up Miami near midfield. Fletcher carried the ball multiple times to extend the lead, culminating in a seven-yard touchdown run, making the score 28-7.
Miami’s defense continued its strong performance with a punt, and the offense responded with their third consecutive touchdown drive. The series featured four completions from Beck for 49 yards, capped by a 17-yard rushing touchdown from Jordan Lyle, extending the lead to 35 points.
Later, under new quarterback Elijah Brown, Miami moved the ball effectively with a 21-yard pass to High. Emory Williams then led a scoring drive with a three-yard run by Girard Pringle, bringing the final score to 42-7.
Looking ahead, Miami will travel to Dallas to face SMU for the first time since 1965. Kickoff time is TBD on Saturday, November 1st.
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