No. 19 Miami shows it can be the class of the ACC in blowout of Florida

Miami positioned itself as an early-season favorite in the ACC by beating Florida 41-17 on Saturday.

The Hurricanes, ranked No. 19, were the best in almost every way, with Miami’s revamped roster showing the recipe for a College Football Playoff berth.

Former Washington State QB Cam Ward threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns in his first start for the Hurricanes, while Xavier Restrepo had over 100 yards receiving and scored a touchdown.

Miami led 24-10 at halftime and broke the game open with two touchdowns in the third quarter. The Gators went 75 yards in six plays to start the second half, with the drive capped off by a 1-yard TD run by RB Mark Fletcher. Six minutes later, Ward found Jacolby George for a 28-point lead.

While the Miami offense was picking apart the Florida defense, the Miami defense was holding Florida in check, even without star defender Rueben Bain. He left the game after suffering an injury on the first possession, but the Hurricanes’ defensive line was able to consistently apply pressure without him. That group included Tennessee transfer Tyler Baron, as he easily found the Miami backfield in the second half.

Florida’s lone highlight came in the second quarter when Montrell Johnson broke off a 71-yard TD run. Beyond that, the Gators did little until the game spiraled out of control and they were forced to send freshman QB DJ Lagway into the second half after Graham Mertz was carted to the locker room for a hit following an interception.

The ACC is wide open to the Hurricanes

Week 1 is prime time to overreact. And Miami is a team prone to overreaction. But here’s why what happened Saturday might not be an overreaction at all.

Florida State, Virginia Tech and Clemson have already lost. The Seminoles lost to Georgia Tech in Week 0, Virginia Tech lost in overtime at Vanderbilt earlier Saturday, and Clemson was dominated by Georgia again in a 34-3 rout that showed how far the Tigers have fallen from the top of college football in recent years.

Miami is the most impressive ACC team so far. And it’s not even close. NC State, another preseason favorite at the top of the conference, was coming off a win on Thursday night, but the Wolfpack fell behind in the second half against FCS Western Carolina before eventually pulling out a 17-point victory.

If Miami can’t win the ACC this year with this talent, when can they?

In addition to Ward, the Hurricanes added RB Damien Martinez from Oregon State (15 carries for 65 yards), and Houston transfer Samuel Brown added three catches in his Miami debut. The defensive line has talent and depth thanks to the transfer portal. And most importantly, Miami appears to have an incredibly manageable schedule.

The Hurricanes host both Virginia Tech and Florida State, and don’t have Clemson or NC State on their schedule. The toughest road game looks to be a trip to Louisville on October 19th after a week off. Judging by how Miami looked on Saturday, this team should have a 10-game winning streak.