Ten thoughts and notes from the Miami Hurricanes’ shellacking of the Florida Gators

Ten thoughts and notes on the Miami Hurricanes’ 41-17 romp over the Florida Gators on Saturday in Gainesville:

▪ This shellacking in the Swamp was a testament to the greatness of quarterback Cam Ward. It’s a testament to this coaching staff’s mastery of the transfer portal.

But it’s also a testament to UM’s player development and improvement from within.

You saw linebacker Wesley Bissainthe torpedo the Gators’ first two drives with big third down plays – one with Elijah Alston on a running play for loss and another strong tackle that kept a reception from picking up a first down. Bissainthe, in three years, has gone from a decent linebacker to good last season to potentially very good this season.

You saw safety Jaden Harris, in his first year as a starter, make seven tackles, break up a third down pass, intercept another (while lying on his back) and produce a sack and another disruption with blitzes on two third down passing plays.

(Yes, he took a bad angle on Montrell Johnson Jr.’s 71-yard touchdown run, but this was overall a very good debut as a starter alongside Mishael Powell, who had an interception in his first game for UM.)

You saw safety Markieth Williams with terrific coverage on third down, foiling a first quarter Gators possession.

You saw cornerback Damari Brown with excellent coverage on two incomplete throws in the end zone. (He later sustained an injury that Mario Cristobal said will sideline him one to two weeks. Cristobal said Rueben Bain also will miss “a week or two.”)

You saw receiver Isaiah Horton make a money 27-yard catch on a third down after a 30-yard reception earlier, the two signature plays of a four-reception, 70-yard day.

You saw receiver Xavier Restrepo, already very good, make two magical plays - a great catch early when he contorted his body, for 13 yards, and another play in which he faked out a Gator with a spin move, left him in the dust and picked up 38 yards after the catch. He finished with seven catches for 112 yards - not much less than the Gators’ total passing yardage (122).

You saw Ryan Rodriguez and Michael McCoy give the Canes good work at left guard. Rodriguez left in the second half with what Cristobal said is likely a sprained ankle.

There were other examples, too. The broader point: The exceptional portal class needed to be supplemented by improvement from within, and it clearly was.

▪ Defensive end Tyler Baron, the Tennessee transfer, was menace, with a sack, tackle for loss and several pressures that led to incompletions or modest gains.

After one of Baron’s handful of big plays in the second half, Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said, on X, that “long & physical portal prize DE Tyler Baron… has been a difference-maker today for @CanesFootball.

“We had mid-round grade on Baron for last year’s @seniorbowl and expect him to ascend under Miami DL coach and Senior Bowl HOF’er Jason Taylor.”

▪ Even with Bain leaving early with what Cristobal called a “soft tissue issue,” UM applied pressure on Gators quarterbacks throughout, thanks to Baron, Akheem Mesidor, Alston, Francisco Mauigoa and some well-timed Lance Guidry blitzes.

Defensive end is as much a strength of this team as any unit.

▪ Good to see tight end Elijah Arroyo return from two years of knee issues with four receptions for 89 yards.

Arroyo was limited last season after sustaining a torn left ACL in September 2022. He mentioned earlier this month that “I feel like myself again. It’s just good being able to play without thinking about any injuries or anything that’s going on.”

After catching only 21 passes all of last season, UM tight ends hauled in seven on Saturday - the four by Arroyo, the opening drive TV reception by Cam McCormick and two catches by freshman Elija Lofton (for 38 yards).

▪ It was also heartening to see Mark Fletcher Jr. return from a Lisfranc (foot) injury sustained in the Pinstripe Bowl. His seven-carry, 23-yard day included two touchdowns and a 22-yard reception.

To his credit, Fletcher encouraged Damien Martinez to transfer to UM from Oregon State, something Fletcher knew could cost him his starting job. That speaks well of Fletcher and it says that he prioritizes the team over himself.

Martinez finished with 65 yards on 15 carries (4.3 per rush) in his UM debut. “We drained the Swamp,” Martinez told WQAM’s Don Bailey Jr. “It’s going to be a good year.”

▪ Besides Ward’s arm strength and poise, two of his other strengths were fully on display in his 26-for-35, 385-yard day, which featured three touchdown passes and an interception:

1). His ability to use different arm angles (submarine, sidearm, traditional) to get the ball where it needs to be

and

2). His elusiveness and escapability in the pocket, which led to two sizable gains on UM’s first drive and allowed him to escape pressure and deliver a dart to Jacolby George for a 23-yard TD in the back of the end zone.

▪ The Gators opened 0 for 7 on third downs and finished 1 for 9. Defensively, UF allowed more points than any opener in 117 previous years of Gators football, according to ABC.

UM’s 529 to 261 yardage advantage was reflective of the Canes’ dominance. The Gators had won 34 consecutive home openers.

Two neat tidbits on Ward: Per AP’s Tim Reynolds, Ward is the first quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards in his first UM start since at least 1979.

And per 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.

▪ We noted in this piece that one evaluator said earlier this month that this is UM’s best roster in 15 years. Nothing Saturday suggested otherwise.

Reaction to this UM domination was swift.

“We’ve been looking for a team like this for a while,” former UM and NFL star Devin Hester told ABC’s Katie George. “I can’t wait to see the next game.”

Game analyst Jesse Palmer and ESPN insider Pete Thamel quickly established UM as the Atlantic Coast Conference favorite.

“Miami is for real; they’ve got a very favorable schedule,” ABC studio analyst Booger McFarland said. “Cam Ward will likely be in New York for the Heisman. Things are on the up and up for the Canes.”

Then there was this from Raiders Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby, on X: “Miami is going to be a problem this year.”

▪ Time management has been a recurring problem the past two years, but UM deftly handled the TD drive late in the first half, moving at a deliberate pace initially before speeding it up.

Kudos to Cristobal for not only employing a time management coach but also meeting with NFL teams to discuss late-half timing situations.

This was a banner game for UM’s coaching staff all the way around. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson kept UF off balance with a balanced attack, and the gimmick play with Restrepo throwing might have been a touchdown if Sam Brown had extended both arms.

“This is the most prepared I’ve been in my college career,” Ward told ABC afterward.

Guidry mixed different blitz packages effectively and smartly moved Mesidor to defensive tackle, which allowed Miami to start its four best defensive linemen (Bain, Mesidor, Baron, Simeon Barrow).

▪ The offensive line was very good, protecting Ward and creating holes for a running game that churned out 144 yards on 33 carries (4.4 per rush). Ward blamed himself for UF’s only sack.

Left tackle Jalen Rivers and right guard Anez Cooper did their usual good work, and former Indiana center Zach Carpenter’s Canes debut went seamlessly.