Five telling stats from the Miami Hurricanes’ season-opening win over the Florida Gators

The No. 19 Miami Hurricanes began the 2024 season with an emphatic 41-17 road win over the Florida Gators on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It was UM’s first win in Gainesville since 2002 and UF’s first loss in a home opener since 1989.

There were contributions from all over the team that played a key part.

Here are five key stats from the win.

385: Quarterback Cam Ward completed 26 of 35 pass attempts for 385 yards and three touchdowns against one interception in his Hurricanes debut after transferring in from Washington State this offseason. It was the 12th time that Ward has thrown for at least 300 yards at the Football Bowl Subdivision level after doing so 11 times during his two seasons at Washington State (he spent his first two seasons at FCS Incarnate Word).

How good is that? Consider the following:

▪ According to the Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds, Ward is the first Hurricanes quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards in his first start at Miami since at least 1979.

▪ And according to ESPN, the last Miami quarterback before Ward to throw at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in a season opener was Ken Dorsey in 2001 against Penn State. UM won the national title that season.

Ward’s efforts were a major reason the Hurricanes racked up 529 yards of total offense — the team’s most against a Southeastern Conference opponent since recording 542 yards against Vanderbilt on Oct. 3, 1981.

10: Ward completed at least one pass to 10 different players on Saturday. This includes four players who had at three catches: Wide receiver Xavier Restrepo (seven for 112 yards and one touchdown), tight end Elijah Arroyo (a career-high four catches for a career-high 89 yards), wide receiver Isaiah Horton (four catches for 70 yards) and wide receiver Sam Brown (three catches for 19 yards).

9: Tight end Cam McCormick, playing in his ninth season of college football (his second at Miami after seven at Oregon), scored Miami’s first touchdown of the season after hauling in a 9-yard pass from Ward.

It was just the fifth touchdown catch of his career, which had been littered with injuries.

8: Even despite playing without star defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. for essentially the entire game with a “soft tissue issue” sustained on the opening drive, the Hurricanes defense managed to record eight tackles for loss on Saturday. Seven players were involved in those eight tackles for loss: Tyler Baron (two, including one sack), Francisco Mauigoa (one-and-a-half, including one sack), Elijah Alston (one-and-a-half, including a half-sack), Jaden Harris (one, including a half-sack), Wesley Bissainthe (one), C.J. Clark (one-half) and Ahmad Moten (one-half).

1/9: Miami’s defense held Florida to just one third-down conversion on nine tries. That lone conversion came midway through the fourth quarter, when the Hurricanes had already pegged themselves to a four-touchdown lead.