about everything went right for the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday during a start to the college football season where things have not gone right for other top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Cam Ward threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns, Mark Fletcher added two scores on the ground, the defense held its own despite one of its top players exiting the game early with injury, and the No. 19 Hurricanes made quick work of the Florida Gators with a 41-17 season-opening win at Gainesville’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to kick off a critical Year 3 under Mario Cristobal.
“Nobody really likes to talk about the starting point,” Cristobal said. “I knew when I got to Miami there was a lot of work to do, and these guys have been through a lot, and they made the decision that it was enough, they’ve had enough, and they were going to prove that by the way they played the game.” The win followed yet another offseason of optimism and expectations — Miami loaded up its roster in the transfer portal and was projected to finish third in the conference. This time, the team hopes, they can turn those expectations into actual results. There’s still a long season to go, but Saturday was a needed first step.
