The Hurricanes started slowly against Stanford, but by the end of Saturday night’s contest, Miami put up a solid 42-7 win in its first-ever matchup with the Cardinal.

UM needed the win after dropping its first game of the season against Louisville last week, and it keeps the Hurricanes on a potential playoff path.

Here are five things we learned from Saturday’s win:

Defense dominates

The Cardinal cut through the Hurricanes on their first offensive drive. Stanford marched 74 yards down the field and scored the game’s first touchdown. Stanford did not score again and would gain only 70 yards for the rest of the game.

Miami’s defensive players said they did not change much after the first drive. Instead, they said they just needed to execute the game plan better.

Pro Football Focus gave UM an 84.9 defensive grade, which was their second-best mark of the season. The site also gave the team an 89.7 coverage grade, which was their best grade of the year. Stanford was just 4 of 14 on third down and 1 of 2 on fourth down.

“Nothing changed,” linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, who had an interception in the win, said. “We just had to go out there and execute. That’s all it was. Just had to calm down, everybody go out there and do their job. That’s it.”

Offense wakes up in second half

At halftime, the Hurricanes and Cardinal were tied at seven. Their first-half drives ended with a missed field goal, a turnover on downs, a punt and then a touchdown. Things were not going great.

In the second half, the offense got it going. Five of its six drives ended with touchdowns as the Hurricanes out-scored Stanford 35-0 in the half.

The Hurricanes, aided by good field position after excellent punt returns by Malachi Toney and turnovers, seized control of the game and never let it go. They ended the game with 404 total yards, which was their highest total against a Power 4 team this season.

“Certainly a massive turnaround from the previous quarters of our previous game,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.

Mark Fletcher Jr. carries the run game

Fletcher continued his strong season, notching his third 100-yard game of the season. He ended Saturday’s contest with 106 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. He also added three catches for 13 yards.

Fletcher had a 73.7 run grade from PFF, and he forced nine missed tackles, which was tied for fourth-most in the nation this week.

Fletcher has 552 yards and nine scores so far this year. He has matched his career-high total for touchdowns and he is 56 yards from setting a career high in rushing yards. His 87 run grade is tied fourth nationally among running backs with 100 or more carries.

“You give him the carries necessary to get him going, and I think the tone and the perspective of the game changes,” Cristobal said.

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Carson Beck keeps it simple

After arguably the worst game of his career against Louisville, Beck did not have to do too much in Miami’s win this week.

Beck completed 75 percent of his passes (21-of-28 attempts) for 205 yards and a touchdown. The veteran quarterback earned a 72.7 offensive grade from PFF, which is his fourth-best of the season so far. PFF did not credit him with a “big-time throw” (which the site defines as “a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window”) but also did not ding him with any throws it deemed as turnover-worthy.

“Sometimes (a loss) happens, and it’s not about what happened then,” Beck said. “It’s how you respond to it.”

Miami kept things simple for Beck. Nineteen of his 28 pass attempts were 9 yards or fewer. Only 3 were 20 yards or further. That plays into Beck’s strengths; he has struggled when throwing the ball deep but has been one of the nation’s best at short passes.

Other players step up

Miami has needed more playmakers to step up beyond players like Toney and Rueben Bain Jr. On Saturday, they got that.

On offense, wide receiver Tony Johnson had his best game at UM, making three catches for 69 yards. He had an 88 offensive grade, the highest mark on the team.

“It was just a good experience today, just staying ready,” Johnson said. “So I have to be ready. But the coaching staff, whatever they need from me, that’s what I’ll be able to do for them. It’s not really about me. It’s more about the team.”

Miami also rotated in young wide receivers Josh Moore (28 snaps, four catches, 38 yards) and Jojo Trader (22 snaps).

“They didn’t get too many touches, but again, the coverage dictated that” Beck said. “But getting to see all those guys on the field is always good.”

On defense, the Hurricanes needed young players to fill the void left by defensive end Akheem Mesidor, who missed the game with a foot injury. Several young defensive linemen performed admirably.

Sophomore Armondo Blount had two tackles and a sack, earning a 77.6 defensive grade in his 19 snaps. Sophomore Marquise Lightfoot had four tackles and a 66.3 grade. Freshman Donta Simpson had one pressure and a stop in the backfield, and freshman Herbert “Third” Scroggins had a quarterback pressure.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/10/26/miami-stanford-takeaways/