MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Carson Beck tossed three touchdown passes, while Mark Fletcher Jr. racked up 120 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, helping No. 5 Miami secure a decisive 49-12 triumph over No. 18 South Florida on Saturday, keeping their unbeaten streak alive.
This victory marks Miami’s largest winning margin against a ranked team since their 65-7 win over Washington in 2001, the season they last claimed the national championship title.
Beck successfully completed 23 out of 28 passes, amassing 340 yards and rushing for a touchdown for Miami (3-0). Fletcher enjoyed his second straight game with multiple touchdowns, while Joshua Moore snagged two touchdown passes in the first quarter.
The Hurricanes are 6-0 since the start of last season against in-state opponents, winning those games by an average of 34.5 points.
Byrum Brown, for USF (2-1), connected on 20 of 36 passes covering 274 yards, with one touchdown to his name. USF aimed to become the first team since Miami in 1987 to kickstart a season by defeating three ranked AP opponents in a row. However, Brown’s interception late in the first half broke his school record streak of 252 passes without an interception.
Christian Neptune caught a 12-yard touchdown pass for the Bulls, and Chas Nimrod gathered an impressive 128 yards on four receptions. USF launched four passes over 25 yards, including notable 53- and 43-yard completions to Nimrod.
The game was delayed for 1 hour, 41 minutes in the first half because of severe weather in the area.
The takeaway
South Florida: In their encounter last year, USF led Miami 15-14 with just 2 minutes remaining in the first half. Miami then proceeded to outpace the Bulls with a 36-0 run for the rest of that game, and led 28-6 with 2 minutes to spare in the first half this year. Altogether, Miami outscored USF 64-6 over 60 minutes of play.
Miami: The game was essentially sealed when the Hurricanes’ Rueben Bain Jr. stopped Brown on a fourth-and-3 carry from the Miami 9 late in the third quarter, with the hosts leading 28-6. Miami needed only six plays to go 91 yards; Beck had three passes for 64 yards on the drive and Fletcher capped it with a 13-yard TD run.
Up next
South Florida: Hosts South Carolina State next Saturday.
Miami: Hosts Florida next Saturday.
