By Garin Turner
The No. 5 Miami Hurricanes left no doubt in their third straight win, rolling past No. 18 South Florida 49-12 on Saturday to improve to 3-0 on the season. The loss snapped USF’s streak of back-to-back wins over ranked opponents and dropped the Bulls to 2-1.
How it happened
Miami wasted no time asserting control, racing out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter behind two touchdown connections between Carson Beck and Joshua Moore. The first went for eight yards, followed by a 39-yard strike that electrified the home crowd.
USF managed only a pair of first-half field goals while Miami’s offense continued to pile it on. Mark Fletcher Jr. broke free for a 38-yard touchdown run before Beck added a two-yard rushing score, sending the Hurricanes into halftime with a commanding 28-3 lead.
The dominance continued in the third quarter as Fletcher Jr. struck again, this time from 13 yards out. USF finally found the end zone on a 12-yard pass from Byrum Brown to Christian Neptune, but Miami quickly answered. Beck delivered his third touchdown pass of the game on a one-yard toss to CharMar Brown, and Girard Pringle Jr. capped the scoring with a five-yard run.
By the Numbers
Passing
- Carson Beck: 23/28, 340 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing
- Mark Fletcher Jr.: 16 carries, 120 yards, 2 TDs
- Carson Beck: 6 carries, 28 yards, 1 TD
- Girard Pringle Jr.: 5 carries, 12 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
- Keelan Marion: 6 catches, 81 yards
- Malachi Toney: 6 catches, 66 yards
- Joshua Moore: 3 catches, 68 yards, 2 TDs
Defense
- Rueben Bain Jr.: 6 tackles
- Akheem Mesidor: 6 tackles, 0.5 sacks
What’s next for Miami
The Hurricanes continue their gauntlet of in-state matchups. After wins over Bethune-Cookman and USF, Miami hosts rival Florida next week in a top-five showdown before hitting the road to face No. 10 Florida State.
