For the first time this season, Miami had to look up at the scoreboard and see someone else in front. Central Michigan took a 3–0 lead in the first quarter Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium. By halftime, the Hurricanes had turned that brief deficit into a 35–3 advantage. They finished with a 52–3 victory that pushed their record to 4–0.
Darian Mensah completed 23 of 27 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with Daylyn Upshaw, Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate for scores. He also ran for a touchdown. Toney led Miami’s receivers with six catches for 120 yards, while the Hurricanes’ defense held the Chippewas to 158 total yards and forced three turnovers.
Central Michigan opened with an 11-play drive that ended in Caden VanHuis’ 49-yard field goal. Miami’s first possession had stalled after penalties and a sack, but its next drive established control. Freshman running back Javian Mallory capped a 71-yard march with a 4-yard touchdown run to give the Hurricanes a 7–3 lead late in the first quarter.
The second quarter belonged to Mensah. He found Upshaw for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 14–3. A Central Michigan fumble recovered by freshman safety JJ Dunnigan then gave Miami the ball at the Chippewas’ 27-yard line. Four plays later, Mensah hit Toney for an 8-yard touchdown and a 21–3 lead.
Mensah added a 13-yard scoring pass to Barkate before engineering the half’s most impressive drive. Starting at his own 3-yard line with 1:36 remaining, he moved the Hurricanes 97 yards and finished the series with a 5-yard touchdown run six seconds before halftime. Miami scored touchdowns on four second-quarter possessions and entered the locker room ahead 35–3.
The offense continued to produce after the break. Offensive lineman Jamal Meriweather recovered a Miami fumble in the end zone for a third-quarter touchdown. Jake Weinberg added a 33-yard field goal in the fourth, and Chris Wheatley-Humphrey closed the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown run. Wheatley-Humphrey finished with 104 yards on 11 carries, his first 100-yard game as a Hurricane.
Miami needed that production from its running backs. Marty Brown was out after last week’s injury at Wake Forest, and Mark Fletcher Jr. did not play. Mallory scored in his first collegiate start, while Wheatley-Humphrey delivered the game’s leading rushing total. The Hurricanes finished with 201 rushing yards and 572 yards of total offense.
The defense had its own response to Central Michigan’s opening drive. Miami allowed just 21 rushing yards on 25 attempts and kept the Chippewas out of the end zone. Marquise Lightfoot recorded two sacks and forced a fumble; the Hurricanes totaled four sacks and eight tackles for loss. Cam Pruitt led Miami with six tackles, while Brody Jennings added an interception. Dunnigan and Damon Wilson II recovered fumbles.
The final numbers show the distance Miami created: 31 first downs to Central Michigan’s 10, 572 total yards to 158, and a 7-for-7 scoring rate on red-zone trips. One issue remains for the Hurricanes to clean up: 13 penalties for 107 yards, including early mistakes that helped stall their opening possession.
Miami entered the night ranked No. 6 and leaves September unbeaten. The next test is a trip to Clemson on Saturday, Oct. 3, when the Hurricanes return to ACC play after their most complete statistical win of the young season.
Final: Miami 52, Central Michigan 3
Records: Miami 4–0; Central Michigan 2–2
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