Canes power past Bulls, 49-12

Miami beat another ranked opponent on Saturday, crushing #18 South Florida , 49-12, at a sold-out Hard Rock Stadium of  66,591.

#5 Miami finished with 576 total offense yards and 27 first downs and held the #18 Bulls to 372 total yards. The Canes controlled time of possession (36:01 to 23:59), thus minimizing the Bulls' offensive touches.

First Half:

The Canes jumped out to a quick 14-0 in the first quarter before the Bulls hit a field goal to close the gap to 14-3. Then lighting delayed the game for 1 hour and 42 minutes. Miami returned to the field after the delay to score two more touchdowns going into halftime, 28-6. The Canes dominated the Bulls in the first half with 316 total yards to USF's 133 yards.

Canes’ starting quarterback Carson Beck went 13/17 passes for 185 passing yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception at the break. Running back Mark Fletcher led the Canes in the first half with 73 yards rushing , including a 38-yard touchdown before the half. The Canes’ true freshman receiver Josh Moore sparked Miami in the first half with with 2 receptions for 47 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Miami controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, held Bulls' QB Byrum Brown to 115 passing yards and only 4 yards rushing in the first half.

Second Half:

South Florida attempted a comeback but Miami's defense thwarted the Bulls' attempts. Miami offense added 21 points in the second half to make it a rout. Carson Beck finished completing 23/28 for 340 yards, 3 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 28 yards and 1 touchdown. Miami's rushing attack was led by Mark Fletcher with 120 yards on 16 carries (7.5 YPC) and two touchdowns. Miami's receiver were led by Keelan Marion and Malachi Toney with 6 receptions each (81 and 66 yards, respectively). Ahkeem Messidor and Rueben Bain led Miami tacklers with 6 stops each.

On defense, Miami shutdown South Florida QB Byrum Brown, holding him to only 2 yards on the ground and 272 yards passing, including his first interception since 2023. Stopping Brown on the ground was a key factor in the Canes victory. Miami took away South Florida's primary running threat, making Brown a one-dimensional threat. For the game, Byrum Brown went 20/36 for 274 passing yards, 2 rushing yards and 1 interception.

BOTTOM LINE:

Miami again took care of business on Saturday at the “Rock.” The Canes quieted the "haters" for another week.

The Canes (3-0) next host the Florida Gators (1-2) on Saturday, September 20th at Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00 or 7:30 p.m. ET. Coverage will be on ESPN or ABC-TV

Life is good!

GO CANES!