Miami piles up 856 yards, 42 first downs in 77-7 rout — SkimNews
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- Miami tied its program record with 77 points, set a program record with 856 yards, and set an ACC record with 42 first downs in a 77-7 home-opening rout of Florida A&M.
- The 856 yards ranked second in ACC history and the 42 first downs were the most by any FBS team since 2019, while nine different players scored scrimmage touchdowns — tied for the most by any ACC team in the past 30 years.
- Darian Mensah went 14-of-15 for 252 yards and three first-half touchdowns, improving to 41-of-45 for 653 yards and eight TDs across his first two games as a Hurricane after transferring from Duke.
- Backup Luke Nickel matched Mensah with three touchdown passes, making them the first power-conference teammates to accomplish the feat since Patrick Mahomes and Nic Shimonek at Texas Tech in 2016.
- The Hurricanes scored on 11 of their first 12 possessions and built a 49-0 halftime lead, becoming the second team since 2000 to not face a third down in a half — with the teams agreeing to shorten the fourth quarter to 10 minutes once the score hit 77-0.
- Florida A&M (1-2) finished with 107 total yards, averaging just 2.3 per snap in the loss.
- Coach Mario Cristobal earned his 99th career win as Miami improved to 2-0 on the season.
Why it matters: Mensah's 91% completion rate and eight touchdowns through two games give Miami its loudest offensive proof point since the transfer arrived from Duke, and the 856-yard outburst — even against an FCS opponent that managed 107 yards — sets the bar Cristobal's 2-0 Hurricanes will be measured against once ACC play begins.
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