MIAMI GARDENS — The Hurricanes needed to avoid a let-down against a scuffling FCS opponent after beating Notre Dame last week.

No. 5 Miami (2-0) accomplished that, beating Bethune-Cookman (0-2) 45-3 at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

The Hurricanes wasted no time getting going. Miami forced a punt on Bethune-Cookman’s opening drive (though they lost linebacker Wesley Bissainthe due to a targeting penalty). The Hurricanes then rolled down the field on a five-play, 90-yard drive that culminated in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Carson Beck to CJ Daniels.

The scoring continued on the next drive, this time on the ground. Junior running back Mark Fletcher Jr. capped a 74-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run.

UM continued bowling over the Wildcats on the subsequent drive, with North Dakota State transfer Marty Brown punching in a 2-yard score.

Beck had one of the best starts to a game of any Miami quarterback, completing his first 15 passes. That broke the school record of consecutive completions to start a game; UM great Vinny Testaverde set the previous record of 14 against Oklahoma in 1986.

Beck threw his first incompletion of the night on his 16th pass, but moments later, he connected with Daniels for their second touchdown of the night. The score put the Hurricanes ahead 28-3 shortly before halftime.

Miami added another score on a 1-yard run by Fletcher, who scored two touchdowns in a single game for the fourth time in his career.

Aided by Hurricanes penalties, the Wildcats drove into Miami territory midway through the third quarter. But star defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. forced a fumble that UM recovered. The Hurricanes opted to put their backups in on the next drive.

After UM’s backups entered the game, freshman running back Girard Pringle scored his first career touchdown on a 30-yard run.

Five takeaways

1. Hurricanes take care of business

The chances of Bethune-Cookman beating the Hurricanes were near zero when the game kicked off. The Wildcats are an overmatched FCS team. But one of Miami’s in-state opponents did not take care of business. Florida, who UM will face at Hard Rock Stadium in two weeks, dropped a home game to USF on Saturday.

The Bulls are much better than the Wildcats. But the Gators were still multi-touchdown favorites against USF, and they lost. Miami’s players talked about staying focused in the week leading up to this game, and they were up to the task. Now UM has to prepare for next week’s matchup against those Bulls, who will likely be ranked for the first time since 2018 entering the game.

2. Offense complements each other

The Hurricanes’ offense rolled over Bethune-Cookman without a hitch. They did it with the passing game and running game clicking.

Beck set a UM record with his 15 consecutive completions to start the game, and he finished the contest 22 of 24 for 264 yards and a pair of scores. The Hurricanes’ running backs also performed well. Fletcher finished the game with 86 yards and two touchdowns, while Marty Brown notched 35 and a score.

Miami did not have a negative play while the starters were playing.

3. CJ Daniels a key find

Mario Cristobal wanted Daniels on his side when the receiver entered the transfer portal before the 2024 season. Daniels opted to go to LSU instead.

Cristobal got his man this offseason, and Daniels has repaid him with immediate production. The sixth-year receiver added another 73 receiving yards and two touchdowns after making one of the best catches of the season so far in Week 1.

4. Keionte Scott in the backfield

Miami defensive back Keionte Scott, who previously played at Auburn, lived in the Bethune-Cookman backfield on Saturday.

Scott had three tackles, all of which were for losses. Scott has four tackles this season.

5. Freshmen make an impact

Freshman Malachi Toney made a big splash in his first career game against Notre Dame, and he and other members of his recruiting class had solid games this week.

Toney led the Hurricanes with six catches for 80 yards in the win over the Wildcats. Fellow freshmen Luka Gilbert, Brock Schott and Daylyn Upshaw all had their first career catches. Pringle scored his first career touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

On defense, freshman safety and Miami Columbus alum Bryce Fitzgerald picked off a pass in the end zone. Chaminade-Madonna alum defensive lineman Donta Simpson had half a tackle for loss. Freshman linebacker Kellen Wiley also had his first career tackles.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/06/miami-bethune-cookman-rout/