Miami Handles Central Michigan Early, Turns Attention to Clemson

The Miami Hurricanes took care of business once again, cruising past Central Michigan 52-3 and improving to 4-0 on the season. For the second straight week, Miami’s starters essentially needed only the first half to put the game out of reach, building a 35-3 halftime lead before younger players were given extended opportunities. Darian Mensah continued his remarkable start to the season, completing 23 of 27 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns while also adding a rushing score. Through four games, Mensah has now thrown 14 touchdowns compared to only 12 incompletions, becoming the first FBS quarterback in 30 years to have more touchdown passes than incompletions at this point in a season. He also remains without an interception. With Mark Fletcher Jr. sidelined and Miami preparing for a much bigger matchup against Clemson next week, the Hurricanes were able to get a good look at the depth in their running back room. True freshman Javian Mallory received his first collegiate start and scored Miami’s first touchdown on a four-yard run. Later in the game, Chris Wheatley-Humphrey made the most of his opportunity. Despite entering the season deep on the running back depth chart, Wheatley-Humphrey led Miami with 104 rushing yards on 11 carries and put an exclamation point on the night with a 35-yard touchdown run late in the game. Performances like that are another encouraging sign of just how much depth Miami has behind Fletcher. Malachi Toney continued his strong season as well, finishing with six receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. Cooper Barkate and Daylyn Upshaw also found the end zone as Mensah spread the ball around, with 11 different Hurricanes recording a reception. Miami still has some things to clean up, including 13 penalties for 107 yards, but this was another game where the Hurricanes handled an opponent early enough to protect their starters and give the younger players meaningful snaps. Now the attention shifts to Clemson. With Fletcher getting additional time to recover and Mensah playing at a Heisman-level pace, Miami heads into one of its biggest tests of the young season with its starters rested and plenty of confidence. PARTNERED WITH CANES CORNER.