’CANES DOMINATE RATTLERS
MIAMI GARDENS — It was about as perfect a start to the Mark Richt era as the coach could have wanted.
His quarterback continued his climb in the Miami record book. His top three running backs each had career-long rushes and topped the 100-yard mark, a feat the Hurricanes haven’t accomplished in decades. And his defense — one that has endured challenges and tapped into a youth movement — delivered multiple punishing blows, keeping Florida A&M out of the end zone and almost off the scoreboard completely.
Ultimately, the Hurricanes gave Richt a 70-3 win in his first game as coach of his alma mater and the announced crowdof 60,703 at the renovated Hard Rock Stadium loved every minute of it all.
But the coach who led a new team onto the field for the first time in16 years?
He took it all in stride — especially since it was the first time in years he was calling the plays.
“I’ve had the ability to just kind of focus on the things I can control … and calling a game for the first time in a while, that’s where my thought process was,” Richt calmly said after the win. “I’ve not spent much time at all getting in the middle of the defense or special teams so I could focus on the job Ihave todo as a play-caller. My emotions? I don’t get too emotional when I try to focus.”
Later, though, he couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ll say this though,” Richt said, “I really, really like it here.”
With Brad Kaaya and the Hurricanes’ talented offense lining up against an FCS team that won just one game last year, a seasonopening win wasn’t unexpected.
The surprise came in exactly how the Hurricanes dominated on Saturday evening.
For only the thirdtime in program history, Miami reached the 70-point mark. And for the first time since a 48-10 win over Cincinnati in 1987, the Hurricanes had three 100-yard rushers as Mark Walton, Gus Edwards and Joe Yearby finished with 116, 106 and 105 yards respectively.
Kaaya, meanwhile, celebrated his 21st birthday in style, completing 12-of-18 passes for 135 yards and tying a single-game careerhigh with four touchdowns. His performance Saturday now has him at 46 career touchdowns, anumber that ties him with Craig Erickson for seventh alltime in UM history.
“This is the only birthday present Iwanted today, honestly,” Kaaya said. “Other things are cool and stuff, but this is what the daywas about for me. I had to turn off all the text messages and posts and just go play football. My phone’s exploding now, but I tuned all that stuff and played football.”
And the Hurricanes, who came into the year looking to rebound after a tumultuous 8-5 season last year, wasted little time in getting the party started.
After Corn Elder intercepted a pass on FAMU’s opening drive, Miami needed just three plays to score its first touch down of the season on a 4-yard pass from Kaaya to fullback Marquez Williams, a transfer from Mars Hill who was making his Hurricanes debut.
On FAMU’s next possession, freshman Pat Bethel blocked a punt that set up another quick score, this one a 1-yard touchdown rush from Yearby that capped a 6-play, 20-yard drive.
In all, the Hurricanes scored on all but one of their drives in the first half.
Later, there was a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kaaya to tight end Chris Herndon and the career64-yard touchdown run from Yearby that made it 28-0.
FAMU managed a field goal before halftime, but that was all the Rattlers wouldmuster as theHurricanes defense — led by three freshmenlinebackers — put together an impressive performance of its own.
That trio — Shaquille Quarterman, Mike Pinckney and Zach McCloud — combined for eight tackles, while the entire defense held FAMU to just 22 rushing yards. That was a victory of sorts for a unit that this week, just had two of its top players— defensive end Al- Quadin Muhammad and linebacker Jermaine Grace — dismissed after Miami said the pair committedNCAA violations.
“I’m just happy,” defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. “You have to understand, it’s a long off-season. You visualize this day for a long time and you want the best for your players ... a guy like Corn ... the first third down of the season he makes that play…you’re just so happy for him. Youwant your seniors, your leaders in the secondary to make that play. This is football. Youwant it to be fun.”